Music 2 My Ears - Wickedest Evil Safari

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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:38 am

If they have any trouble with their driver, just tell them to ask for "The Hand" . . . you've heard he runs an excellent transportation service Laughing

I wonder how Adamu and the leg are doing right now.

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 4:41 am

~ Professor So And So,

Brilliant, Absolutely Brilliant clapping

I've just returned from a two week trip.....and what do I find, our two lads still stranded and begging for a life....NOOooo, if that's not enough you Evil Basstards have two more Gogans of TWAT on a grand adventure of enlightenment and purification.

Now this is the really funny part, they haven't even arrived in country yet......and their already indebted to the driver Laughing

. you all should be very very proud of yourselves.

Damn fine work Thumbs up

Edited to correct quote code -- JF

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:26 am

oh this is fantastic, well done guys, this is what i miss when my exams take over *scowls*

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:03 pm

The lads are apparently now in N'Djamena (voicemails)!! Too bad it's Sunday (which we were hoping for), because:

A) The Western Union is closed so they can't find out that the transfer we sent them was fake yet.

B) They can't check e-mail because the cafe is closed. Smile

A whole bunch of wondering going on (wondering what to eat, where to sleep, how to pay the driver).

The usual Smile

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:08 pm

The usual mess when travelling for you...I will never book one of your safaris Laughing

I will rather walk on my hands.
Come to think of it, just got another nice cappucchino, and I´d rather prefer to read their adventures from my comfy armchair! Cool

"Now here´s another nice mess you´ve gotten me into...it´s Sunday and Western Union is closed!"

Monday, Monday... so good to me...no Western Union...no cash to see... Very Happy

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 5:04 pm

With all of the new found interest in travelling to Chad as a vacation destination, I am seriously considering cancelling my next Bahamas trip and making my way to Chad instead, because at the rate you people are sending these tourist their it want be long before it hits somebodies top 10 list and this hidden little gem will be spoiled for ever.

I can see it now Camel races, casinos with the Oasis bar lounge and pool. Oh and lets not forget the Tee-Shirt shops on every corner with cute little sayings plastered on them like.. 'what happens in Chad stays in Chad' or ' It's better in Chad-Mugu' and my personal favorite 'Welcome to Hotel N'Djamena- Once you arrive you may never Leave'

Ruined I tell you, ruined !!

Not quite a Newb Joined: 25 Mar 2008 Posts: 74

Just found this little gem, incase you guys should need some evidence of a Scooby-related accident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz3_JPObeQ8

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:24 pm

Now this is a little slice of heaven. If this doesn't crack you up, well...

Quote:

Dear Mr.Eric,

We are now in N'Djamena and we have secured Tchad phone number. The number is: 9xxxxx. Meanwhile, We have just received your last email which you sent yesterday regarding to your vehicle break-down on your way to N'Djamena. It is well understood as we encountered same problem on our way down here. It is not always easy plying such a long distance without vehicle break-down.

Altogether, we thank the Almight God for safe journey. We arrived N'Djamena by 9am this morning and we were able to locate the Western Union, unfortunately, they are not opperational today being Sunday. We asked the security guards if you have come to check us,they said no, so, we have to make alternative arrangement to locating somewhere that we can stay untill we get intouch with you, hence, we could not find any cyber cafe open until the time of sending this email.

It was not really easy with us because the money we spent far exceeded our estimate at the middle of the journey so, we ran out of cash. However,to complete the journey is a neccesity, so we have to enter into contract arrangement with a taxi driver at Banki to foot all the required expencess at the boders and taking us down into N'Djamena so that we can withdraw money and pay him back. Unfortunately, we did not meet up before the closing of Tchad boder yesterday, so we have to sortout means to seep over at Kousseri till this morning. Knowing that today being Sunday, the western union might not be open so, that was the reason why we ask you to stay at the Western Union before our arrival so that you can settle the Taxi Driver his bills pending opening of Western Union on Monday.

All the same, if you call us today and pay the charges we are owing, they will allow us to go with you else, we have to go to Western union along with the person so to make withdrawal and pay him back his money, even though he charged us much, we appreciated it so long as we have finally completed the journey.

We shall be glad to meeting with you today so that we can settle the debt and go with you to have good bath and wait for openning of western union tomorrow being Monday before we proceed to Abeche which is far from here. Our phone battery has gone low yet, called us on our phone number: 9xxxxx.

With kindest regards,
Andrew Ezekiel Omezi and Miracle Charles Ndubuisi

The only thing I didn't like about that e-mail was that he knows Abeche is far away. The rest is pure poetry. Smile

Adamu's soulmate Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 337

Brilliant email from them - they are so looking forward to that good bath they are going to have with you. I can picture all 3 of you in a hot tub with ice cold beers sharing your journey breakdown stories Laughing

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:17 pm

This bait just gets better and better and better..............................and the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher and higher..............

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 95

I imagine this is a critical moment. When the WU won't work, they'll probably try to borrow from connections at home. If they can't get any, then it's a matter of stiffing the taxi guy and promising another one payment on arrival... but in which direction? I sure hope they don't chicken out.

I think your timing of a sunday arrival and having excuses already waiting upon arrival helped soften the blow. Every day they stay on safari, the more they invest and want will want to try harder for a reward. Reaper has also done a fantastic job, but I think his lads panicked after stepping off the bus and not finding a smiling face or any immediate news. I get the sense that Ndjema (sp?) is a scary little police state.

The parallels between these guys the bros Adamu are really neat. I love how they will have a driver's boot on their necks pretty soon, their own version of the "hand".

Elite Baiter Joined: 03 Jan 2006 Posts: 1455

Fantastic. This just gets better and better... hope this driver isn't as generous with hospitality as the Hand.

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:06 pm

capricio wrote:

... I think his lads panicked after stepping off the bus and not finding a smiling face or any immediate news....

I love how you put that in words Laughing

as if you are having first hand experience Wink

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 95

Not trying to criticize or offend... it just seems like Ndjema has been a tipping point, and having Miracle and his brother not do an about-face is a very good sign. Smile

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:12 pm

How I wish I could be lurking the WU office when the lads and the driver show up to pick up the money............. Very Happy

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:17 pm

FrumpyBB wrote:

capricio wrote:

... I think his lads panicked after stepping off the bus and not finding a smiling face or any immediate news....

I love how you put that in words Laughing

as if you are having first hand experience Wink

I had a minor version of that feeling recently when I visited a friend interstate - got off the train and found no-one there to greet me. An hour went by - no-one. It wasn't far off station closing time and while I had her phone number (but not her mobile), I didn't have her address - so I couldn't take a cab. Growing more anxious, and with torrential rain outside not helping the atmosphere, I was on the verge of taking the advice of station staff and seeking out a backpacker hostel when my friend arrived - having been directed to the wrong bus for the interstate terminus. Much relief followed.

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:19 pm

Late thought - there's been some discussion on special icons for safaris like this - may I suggest that a tin helmet would be appropriate for sending a Lad into a war zone?

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:23 pm

N'Djamena is definitely a tipping point. If these guys weren't so absolutely hooked, I would have been a bit worried about not placing calls. They left literally maybe 25 voicemail messages over the past couple of days, but to follow our story line, Eric can't return the calls from Khach Khach. Having them land in Chad on a Sunday morning plays perfectly with what we wanted. It puts them in Chad for at least one day without there being any obvious problem.

It was also important for them to have an e-mail sitting in their inbox alerting them to the minor delay we're experiencing because of the car problems. I was actually surprised (and relieved) that they found a cafe open at 7:30 PM on a Sunday. I'm sure the driver is keeping a close eye on the boys right now.

When they get to the WU office tomorrow morning to attempt to collect the non-existent transfer, I'm sure the driver will be less than impressed. It's going to be a gamble on whether or not his vehicle is capable of making the horrendous journey to Abeche. We might have TWAT accounting release a new WU to the boys since the first one failed, but Hamdan will call that one in to the accounting office. Whenever Hamdan does anything when it comes to communication, there will inevitably be a breakdown. The accounting office will more than likely think that he said to send the WU secure to Abeche, and the lads will have to pick it up there.

This phase of the safari will undoubtedly be the trickiest to pull off as the lads are already in debt to the driver. Regardless of what happens though, they're already in a heap of shit.

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 95

Exactly what I was trying to say, Professor. It seems like these lads ran out of money just a little too early. He made it sound like that taxi guy really scalped them on their last leg of the journey. Very Happy

I don't think the Adamus ran out until they were in some town halfway between Ndjemena and Abeche.

Do you think it's best to try to take them all way to Abeche right off the bat? ...or show them the end of rainbow a little bit at a time, and keep moving it a little at a time?

It seems like the most successful safari baits move the target a little bit at a time, but in this case it might pay to go for broke since they are going to have to make bad promises to go the distance. One large promise to pay the full distance vs a stream of bad credit, one hop at a time?

Best case they borrow from home and don't lose their faith. I'm glad they are in deep shit with creditors, but I just wish it hadn't happened so soon.

Very glad to see this thread get a second wind with some fresh lad blood. Smile

What ever happened chopping the Lagos lads, ND and CZ?

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 10:00 pm

Quote:

Do you think it's best to try to take them all way to Abeche right off the bat?

This is a good question, because under normal circumstances we wouldn't necessarily try to do this all in one shot (not that Cotonou to N'Djamena wasn't a big push).

Unfortunately, we have two major issues to deal with when it comes to moving lads from N'Djamena to Abeche. The first one is that we do everything we can to get them there with little or no money. From the sound of the lead up to their journey, just like Adamu and the leg, they borrowed money to get their visas in order and make the trip. This is both good and bad for us because although they don't have the money to pay someone to take them to Abeche, they also don't have the money to buy a return ticket to Lagos. Also, the fact that they borrowed money in Benin to make the trip means that the prospect of returning empty-handed is not a good one. This gives us pretty good odds of keeping them there long enough to allow for a storyline to develop.

The second issue is the fact that there isn't any way to communicate with them if we send them anywhere but Abeche. There is not mobile coverage or apparent internet cafes along the way, so there would be no way to move them in smaller increments.

Quote:

I don't think the Adamus ran out until they were in some town halfway between Ndjemena and Abeche.

According to them, they didn't have any money when they got to N'Djamena. That's why they were sleeping outside at the motor park for a while (until the owner let them stay with him in his house Shocked

). It took us about two solid weeks of baiting to get them to finally find someone (the hand) that would drive them to Abeche on the promise of a windfall when they arrived. Being that these lads are already in debt to a driver, he might already be more inclined than the hand was because in order for him to ever see a dime of that money, they will supposedly have to make it to Abeche.

The chopping of ND and CZ is still in progress.

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 10:03 pm

This is just too great. Laughing

What could one possibly comment on it that has not been said 1000 times before Very Happy

Even the in-between sum-ups of the Professor are a joy to read and artworks in its own.

@Yastreb, I´m quite certain everybody of us has had an experience of this kind, most likely as a child when the parents did not show up at the meeting point in time and you as a kid had no one to ask for een-foh-ma-shun...
Ooh well it has never been that bad though that I owed some possibly armed driver some money and we were waiting near a rebel zone for the parents to arrive, damn, in another city Laughing

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 10:25 pm

This just sent from Dover:

Quote:

Dear Charles,

Thank you for keeping me updated on your progress. I know that Eric and Hamdan have experienced some trouble with the vehicle that was bringing them to N'Djamena. The last I heard from Eric was that the johnson rod on the vehicle broke and they were waiting on a replacement part to be delivered from Abeche. They paid someone to drive to Abeche to pick up the part for them, and he said he would be back with it by Monday morning, so they should be back on the road by Monday afternoon on their way to meet with you. We are all very excited to have such strong new members in the TWAT, and Reverend Phystme has been very pleased with your efforts so far. He told me that he knows for a fact that the lord has delivered you and your brother to the church, and feels that you will ultimately be one of the most prominent ministers in all of the TWAT. He has given Hamdan the orders to show you throughout the entire ministry in Abeche, which even includes the private prayer hall where the original golden goblet is kept secure. This is a very high honor bestowed upon you by Reverend Phystme, and should not be taken lightly. This area is sealed off from the general public, and this is a major sign of trust in you. Please keep me updated when time allows, and let me know immediately after collecting the Western Union transfer and settling your debt with the driver. This truly is a blessing!!

What a nice message to wake up to. Smile

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:17 pm

capricio wrote:

The parallels between these guys the bros Adamu are really neat. I love how they will have a driver's boot on their necks pretty soon, their own version of the "hand".

It is really cool, isn't it? It would be a shame if these guys don't eventually meet up, they're going to have so much in common (well, besides the fact that they're lads) Laughing

What type of scams were Charles and his brother running, btw?

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:18 pm

FrumpyBB wrote:

I love how you put that in words Laughing

as if you are having first hand experience Wink

But I think that's a large part of the skill of baiting, isn't it? That is, the ability to put yourself in someone else's place and feel what they feel. It's a skill I know that I have in some areas (technical writing, for example, where I can put myself in the position of someone who knows nothing about the product, and write a manual to explain how to use said widget). I've also been told that I have a criminal mind (but not criminal tendencies) -- apparently this is one of the characteristics of a certain type of successful LEO.

I think empathy (not sympathy) with the lads is important. Ask yourself "Now what would piss me off most if I were in his position?" and then do it.

Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:37 pm

Blimey, I go away for a week or so, and this thread is still going strong - remarkable baiting chaps. Anyhow I was wondering if hearing that Brother Adamu was looking forward to meeting the new boys would spur them to Abeche? You know, a countryman of theirs, might add some extra credibility - especially if Adamu in return is expecting these guys to be bringing the church's alms ...

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