My Mercedes is Not for Sale
By
From Booklist
Van Bergeijk decided he could make a few bucks by buying a rusted-out 1988 Mercedes 190 Diesel in Amsterdam and reselling it in a Third World country. The clunker had 220,000 kilometers on its odometer. The three-month trip takes him from Holland through Morocco, across the Sahara, and into a variety of countries in Africa. Along the way, he runs into such obstacles as minefields, banditry, and a teenage desert guide who loves Tupac lyrics. There isn’t much food or w (more…)
10 Comments
July 1st, 2009 at 4:43 am
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too much filler
The author spends too much time recounting other stories instead of his own. He doesn’t give the reader any sense of how mundane and long the distances are while driving through…
July 1st, 2009 at 10:48 am
3.0 out of 5 stars
Selling cars in Africa
Dutch traveller turned writer Jeroen van Bergeijk has come across the seemingly lucrative idea and venture of purchasing a car, a 1988 Mercedes 190, in Holland and driving it to…
July 1st, 2009 at 5:14 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trip and Additional Info on Western Africa
The trip of driving from Amsterdam to Ouagadougou would have been interested enough, but the author does a great job of weaving in historical aspects of the areas that he drives…
July 1st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Good
The author has come up with a fascinating idea for a book. I learned a lot about Saharan Africa and the countries he visited in West Africa.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:12 am
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Adventure Which Teaches the Reader a Bit of African Culture and History Along the Way!
Jeroen Van Bergeijk’s adventure across Western Africa in an old 1988 Mercedes 190 D is both thoroughly entertaining, as well as educational, and as an added bonus, throws in a bit…
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:18 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful photos, interesting voyage, bit of a disconnect
Dutch journalist Jeroen van Bergeijk drove through Europe and Morocco, and into Burkina Faso. He had bought a 1988 Mercedes 190D in the Netherlands for the equivalent of $1,200,…
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:40 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
wry, well written with more than a touch of Zen
Taking guidance from Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” Alain de Botton, Paul
Bowles and Saint Exupery, the author drives from Amsterdam to…
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:53 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must-read for any road-trip junkies
If your idea of a great vacation is getting into a car and driving somewhere new and exciting, you will enjoy this book.
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for any Mercedes owner
I loved the book, it really spoke to me! The book is an adventure story masquerading as a travel essay.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:38 pm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth reading
Having lived in West Africa, I recognized many of the types he writes about. I think this is a very fine way to take a casual trip through the area with a clever fellow as your…