A GOOD RADIATOR NEVER DIES

[Martin Hash]

A Good Radiator.JPG

It’s somehow true that the unplanned stops make more of an impression on you than those predicted in the itinerary. If memorablity is the measuring stick then our trip was blessed with the perfect combination of bad tires, elusive visas, and most noteworthy – a truculent radiator.

“Blown” radiators are the village idiots of automotive mythology – they seem technically challenging yet are not taken too seriously because unless a radiator will hold absolutely no water, the vehicle can still limp to at least an interim destination with constant stops to add coolant. In reality, a busted radiator hose is more terminal to your traveling plans than a leaky radiator.

The rub is, however, that after a couple unscheduled radiator stops, the whole process of waiting for them to cool, adding water, getting everyone gathered up and back on the truck becomes redundant and irritating. After dozens of stops, the word “radiator” takes on a sinister meaning. Watching a man with a pair of pliers and a bottle of epoxy fiddle for hours does not inspire confidence. However, it is impressive how many times and how long radiator “troubles” can go on. We’ve been broken down with a blown radiator in half a dozen of the most politically unstable, read men-with-guns, countries in western Africa: Nigeria, Congo, DRC, Gabon, Mauritania, and Angola.

To ease the tension and the boredom, we even started painting the flags of the countries we broke down in on the radiator fan blade. Three times we ended up staying in very unlikely places: a logging camp in Offoue, Gabon; a construction storage yard in N’zeto, Angola; and in the choking dust along a dirt highway. In all cases it was virtually miraculous that something happened to save us: the manager of the logging camp was driving along a road he never takes; some Portuguese engineers were clearing live landmines; or our seized diesel engine actually started again after it cooled down.

Even a new radiator did not solve the problem: within a month it too was coughing and spitting, and causing us concern – especially in the mountains of Rwanda. Finally, to fix the radiator we threw out the whole truck and got a new one. I liked the old truck and the old radiator better – it was some much more adventurous!