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Kayak The Kwanza
by
In June 2016, Oscar Scafidi and Alfy Weston set out to complete the first ever source-to-sea expedition along Angola’s longest river, the Kwanza. Paddling and carrying a forty-year-old collapsible wooden kayak, they embarked on a journey of 1,300km in support of The HALO Trust, the oldest and largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation in the world.
Over thirty-two ...more
Over thirty-two ...more
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I read this book through The Pigeonhole, a free online book club and read it with other readers on the web. It was split into 10 parts, called staves, that I read through the nifty Pigeonhole app. I really enjoyed reading in this format, it suited being split into the 10 staves, sometimes leaving us readers on a terrible cliffhanger until the following day.
Oscar Scafidi’s writing was a so engaging, even when explaining Angola’s heartbreaking history, I never feel bogged down by unnecessary facts ...more
Oscar Scafidi’s writing was a so engaging, even when explaining Angola’s heartbreaking history, I never feel bogged down by unnecessary facts ...more
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Fascinating, gripping and well written account of the first source to sea kayak of the Kwanza river in Angola, undertaken by the author and his friend in June 2016 to raise money for HALO (a humanitarian charity which clears unexploded ordnances). I binge read this in two days and really enjoyed it, learning a great deal about Angola’s history, HALO and hippos :)
Oscar and Alfy spent many months planning their expedition to Kayak the Kwanza...I found this part very interesting, I had no idea just how much goes into these plans, from the route, equipment, medical supplies and the English essentials....PG Tips and Marmite !
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This is their true story of the quite amazing expedition from Luanda in Angola to the Atlantic Ocean in a kayak.
The trip was in aid of the HALO trust, a non-political charity which remove debris left behind by war, in particular land mi ...more
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This is their true story of the quite amazing expedition from Luanda in Angola to the Atlantic Ocean in a kayak.
The trip was in aid of the HALO trust, a non-political charity which remove debris left behind by war, in particular land mi ...more
A brilliant, engaging account of an epic adventure along the 1300km Kwanza river in Angola, by kayak and by foot. This has everything you could want; just enough background and history to bring context to the modern day, recounts of the intense preparations for the journey which makes the failings throughout that little bit funnier (dodgy tents and fake leather Italian loafers!!), great descriptions of the environment and the encounters with people along the way, rogue hippos and even more rogue
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An extraordinary adventure in the most strict sense of the word.
1. Ingredients: rapids, hippos, machine guns, diamonds, crocodiles, waterfalls, policemen, near-drowning, civil war, anger, mosquito bites, incarceration, portages, despair, beer, collapsible kayaks, sore feet, sponsors, dams and reservoirs, lions, fishing traps, politicians, The Guinness World Records, freezing cold weather, fear, sweltering heat, hope, ambassadors, malaria, humor, landmines, deportation, hunger, broken gear, home- ...more
1. Ingredients: rapids, hippos, machine guns, diamonds, crocodiles, waterfalls, policemen, near-drowning, civil war, anger, mosquito bites, incarceration, portages, despair, beer, collapsible kayaks, sore feet, sponsors, dams and reservoirs, lions, fishing traps, politicians, The Guinness World Records, freezing cold weather, fear, sweltering heat, hope, ambassadors, malaria, humor, landmines, deportation, hunger, broken gear, home- ...more
Excellent read, worthy cause:
I really enjoyed reading Oscar Scafidi’s Kayak the Kwanza. As someone who had worked in Angola in the early 2000’s, it was so great to read about Angola in the recent years, and yet recognise a lot from the earlier era. Scafidi writes about a record attempt to kayak in a home-made canoe down Angola’s longest river. A pair of friends pull together this idea in order to challenge themselves and to raise money for The Halo Trust along the way – one of the important de- ...more
I really enjoyed reading Oscar Scafidi’s Kayak the Kwanza. As someone who had worked in Angola in the early 2000’s, it was so great to read about Angola in the recent years, and yet recognise a lot from the earlier era. Scafidi writes about a record attempt to kayak in a home-made canoe down Angola’s longest river. A pair of friends pull together this idea in order to challenge themselves and to raise money for The Halo Trust along the way – one of the important de- ...more
I really enjoyed this book. I had zero prior knowledge of Angola before reading this, and at first I thought I would struggle to relate to what happens to Oscar and Alfy. How wrong was I! It's very engaging, it captures the atmosphere well, and it keeps you in suspense. Oscar managed to capture the emotional tensions really well, which made the two guys very relatable. Their journey had a lot of challenges which makes for a very entertaining read. The overall impression it leaves of rural Angola
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As someone who lived in Angola for many years, I found this book captures the essence of Angola perfectly. The ups and downs. The frustrations of government and pure beauty of the people. If you are interested in a great adventure against the backdrop of a meticulously-described setting, read this book.
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I found this a really engaging read. It was interesting to learn something of both the history and geography of Angola.
This journey was an amazing challenge and I admire both the physical and mental stamina Oscar and Alfy needed to complete there journey.
This journey was an amazing challenge and I admire both the physical and mental stamina Oscar and Alfy needed to complete there journey.
Unfortunately I struggled with this book. I appreciated the amazing work of the HALO Trust and finding out about a country that I know little about but I think it was the pace of the book I found hard. I might come back to it at a later date.
Exciting and educational
Very exciting read about the struggles and excitement of completing a first of its kind challenge. I couldn't put the book down. Highly recommend ...more
Very exciting read about the struggles and excitement of completing a first of its kind challenge. I couldn't put the book down. Highly recommend ...more
#KayakTheKwanza!
Another offering from The Pigeonhole, this one is a non fiction account of the trip taken down the Kwanza river for charity by Oscar Scafidi and Alfy Weston. I am the first one to admit that I know nothing about the authors, the setting or the charity and I will even admit that I originally thought this was a fictional book but it was fascinating to read it.
Another offering from The Pigeonhole, this one is a non fiction account of the trip taken down the Kwanza river for charity by Oscar Scafidi and Alfy Weston. I am the first one to admit that I know nothing about the authors, the setting or the charity and I will even admit that I originally thought this was a fictional book but it was fascinating to read it.
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