Big fish in a small pond? Well that's no way to talk about Biglorryblog's 'Good Man in Africa' who once again sends me one of his delightfully idiosyncratic stories from 'The Dark Contrinent' starting off with his usual nature notes first: "Thats an 84kg Nile Perch that's just caught Volrath - who weighs about the same but is at least 6" shorter than this 6ft chap. He won our Murchison tournament with this fish a couple of years back, though it's by no means the biggest to come out of the Nile here under non-Tournament conditions (120kg was caught just last week). Not bad for a fresh water fish in a relatively small river. There were a couple of crocs and a hippo not far away from where this shot was taken, but unfortunately they don't like Volrath...."
JB continues: "While toddling over town this morning to inspect this Harley to measure a crate up for it, for a mate to export (I am hoping I can get that '#&%$ Shenzi dog in the same crate too), I stumbled across this old girl again. I've seen it a few times around town but it always gets away from me in traffic or I don't have my camera...
"Well, it couldn't escape today as it was broken down on the side of the road and I had my camera....!" And click through here for more...
"Pretty obvious what it is and even looks like it might be the correct motor in it. Jap crane, Chinese tyres, Ugandan dropside body and a post-colonial driver though. It's clearly recently been registered and the driver assured me it is used every day. They built 'em out of girders in those days it appears but lets see what a bit of OIA tender care and attention can do for it over the coming months....."
Nice air-conditioned cab too says BLB and note the excellent H&S steps too. meanwhile JB says: "There is a company in Kenya called Rongai Transport (imaginatively named, as they come from Rongai and they're a transport company) who must have 15 or 20 Hippo tractors and 40ft semi's still working on the highlands routes from Nairobi up to Nandi Hills, Eldoret and the Kericho tea growing areas."
"They don't exactly sprint up the hills loaded at 9000ft and you curse them when still 500kms from home in your car doing 10kms per hour, but they're still going, unlike one or two of our own soon-to-be-ex modern examples! They make for a thoroughly evocative sight trundling through the emerald green tea shambas and may well have been doing just the same, back when Kenya still had a 'colonially-sourced' Governor and empire-employed truck drivers too.....regards JB."
And here's what's under the hood..genuine engine?
S'funny JB..I always thought Hippos were pudgy grey things that floated in the water..you live and learn everyday eh?
Jerry is that the tropical cab?hot in summer yet cold to freezing in winter?
"It always gets away from me in traffic"...., what do you drive these days Jerry, a tortoise ?
Is it a Hippo or a Super Hippo?
P
My Stirling Moss days are admittedly coming to an end. I've just driven my sons WRX Subaru to work this morning, as he's not here at the moment, and I absolutely hate it! Stupidly fast, stupidly uncomfortable, stupidly good I suspect and I have to wear a back-to-front baseball cap to complete the image........Even in that thing though our "traffic challenges" would allow the (yes, its a Super) Hippo to escape even if only two vehicles ahead at the lights (if the lights are working that is, which can be a lottery). Is that a good enough excuse? No, thought not.......J