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| (c) David Lewis |
In early August, after 10 months of planning, myself,
Goobo Mohammed, an Urban Planning student from Addis Ababa University and
Anthon Jackson, a freelance photographer from Utah met in the Ethiopian
capital. After stocking up on last-minute essential supplies in Addis - bamboo
poles and anti-biotics - we bumbled along about 900km north to Assaita, the
former capital of the Afar region. It was in this dusty town that we picked up
two new team members, our ships of the desert; Big Tony and Bolbirry. The temperatures
were already trying by this point, breaking 50°C every day but this was only to
be the beginning as we journeyed to the hottest place in the world.
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David with his trusty Aquapac
Stormproof™ SLR Camera Pouch
(c) Anthon Jackson |
From Assaita, we pushed on out into the bush and got an
increasing sense of the wilderness into which we were entering, as
heavily-armed, stern-looking Afar warriors would approach our camel train, lean
back on their crooks and quiz our interpreter, Goobo, as to what exactly we
were doing there. After a couple of days on the road we met two amicable Afar,
Tur and Mohammed, who would later become the final two members of our
fellowship with which we'd head on out of the bush and into the unrelenting
desert of the Danakil Country.
For the next 3 weeks, hyenas, crocodiles, 'demon
governments', imprisonment and a couple of raids from the nearby warring Somali
tribes ensured the expedition was fraught with much excitement and
unpredictable adventure. At the same time, we could also count on the Danakil
to provide steady, blazing heat tickling 60°C most days. Our route took us
loosely along the course of the Awash River, to its terminus at Lake Abhebad,
through a volcanic wasteland interspersed with ominous, looming mountains. With
the aim of the expedition to retrace a route undertaken by Oxford explorer, Sir
Wilfred Thesiger and to get under the skin of the Afar tribe inhabiting the
region, we spent the time amassing a great deal of footage of the Afar and
their practices as one of the most traditional tribes left in Africa. Having
learnt a tremendous deal about their way of life and, most importantly, their
remarkable resilience in such a challenging environment, we journeyed back
towards Assaita, towards refrigeration, two or three skin tones darker and
almost 12kg lighter!
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Aquapac Noatak Wet & Drybag
(c) Anthon Jackson |
Just as before, the Aquapac products were just the job
for the expedition and delivered on their promise of being 100% waterproof. As
difficult as it is to review a map case, I can vouch for its sturdiness and we
hadn't any problems. The best piece of kit was undoubtedly the SLR camera bag.
This felt and performed like a really top-notch piece of gear and withstood all
sorts of bashes and bruises out in the Danakil. I was very impressed with this
product and its hardiness!
All of the film and photography are the foundations of a
short film we're beginning to produce called 'Among the Afar'. Within a few
months we hope to be entering it into a number of film festivals, as well as
use clips to feature in a couple of talks here and there in London, Bristol and
Oxford.
David Lewis, Oxford University Exploration Club
