My Mercedes is Not For Sale, by Jeroen Van Bergeijk is published on 8 August, and Plans2Travel are delighted to say that we have got our hands on a copy to giveaway to one our readers. Capturing a young journalist’s intrepid endeavour, My Mercedes Is Not for Sale is more than an adventure—it is a rowdy, witty and insightful tale of an innocent abroad, which captures the high-spirited journey of a young journalist and paints a vivid portrait of West Africa through a surprise-filled journey into its thriving car cult. “Look, there’s my car,” I say, pointing at my Mercedes in the parking lot. It seemed like a great idea to Van Bergeijk to travel and make a quick profit: buy a decrepit car in his native Amsterdam and resell it in the Third World, where a market even for old bangers still thrives. Jeroen’s chariot of choice is a rusted-out 1988 Mercedes 190D with 220,000 kilometres on the clock; his route will take him from Holland through Morocco, across the Sahara, and into some of the least trodden parts of Africa. Armed with a bar of soap, some duct tape and a pair of women’s tights, he has all the essentials needed to survive thousands of miles from civilization. My Mercedes Is Not for Sale is a rollicking tale of an innocent abroad. The author finds himself facing a driving challenge akin to the Dakar Rally but encounters obstacles never dreamed of by race-car drivers: active minefields, occasional banditry - mostly by the border guards - and a teenage, chain-smoking desert guide with a fondness for Tupac lyrics. Food and water are scarce, sandstorms are frequent, and then there’s the coup just as he’s so nearly there… Here is a video trailer to whet your appetite: You can visit the website of the book at www.mijnmercedes.nl. To enter the competition all you need is to sign up for our travel newsletter. If you can’t wait to see if you win, you can purchase the book by clicking on the link below:
“Where?” a fellow desert traveler asks.
“There, that Mercedes,” I say.
He looks at me, questioning. “You want to drive that through the Sahara?”
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