Jake

My Journal

Jake
 * 6/15/08**

My name is Jake Forbush. I have won a free trip to Africa just because some people in local villages need my help. My job is to find local legends and to solve them. I am taking my assistant (Jack), producer (Amy), and camera crew (Derek and Kris). I am going to Mali, Cameroon, Algeria, Tanzania, and Mozambique. I have just landed in the Mali airport and headed to the city of Gao by the Niger River. We have decided to take a jeep to the village of Segou. I am going to try and solve the legend of Kone the owl/buffalo women. As we were driving down the Niger River, we saw the rolling grassy plains, exotic fish of all different colors. I couldn’t identify them because I wasn’t really paying attention to the guide when he was telling us. We also saw fishermen. Our guide said that they made a living by fishing and hunting. They still make a living because this is a very rural part of the country. Apparently three empires ruled Mali. Then the French colonized in 1893 to 1960. Finally Mali had its independence from 1960 to present day. The guide said that Mali is almost twice the size of Texas with a land area of 1.2million square miles and 65% desert.10% of the people are Nomadic and one of the poorest countries in the world. Musical traditions arrived from griots or West African poets. Mali is one of the liveliest intellectual centers. We have just pulled into the village and already the people have surrounded our jeep. I decided we would start our search in the fields of the Segou village. First we got something to eat. Local delicacy. Fried Caterpillars. After puking up my guts we decided to move out to the field. We pulled out the thermal camera and decided to split into groups after we set up cameras in key locations. Kris said her and Amy would watch the cameras and Jack, Derek, and I would take the field and scout around.



It’s about 12:00a.m. now and we’ve been hearing some strange noises on the far, east side of the field near the village. We started running toward it. I picked up some strange image on the thermal cam. It was like a small blob. I think we got it… We ran toward it but it turned out to just be a cat roaming the village. Just then we heard a great crash from inside an abandoned house. We broke down the door with one blow and ran to the upper level. It was an owl. We ran to it and tried to pluck one of its feathers… We got one. It was about 1:00 a.m. just after we plucked the feather and suddenly the owl was surrounded by a great wind and it transformed into a HUGE buffalo! It charged us. To escape we had to jump from the second story windows. It wasn’t that bad but it still hurt. It was 1:15 after it was all over and we got some good footage of it.

6/16/08 Today we are going to the Savannah to search for evidence of the “Lion” King of Mali. We pulled into the village where there had been reports of strange things going on. There have been reports of people’s hair on their body standing straight up and feeling like the tip of the hair felt like swords. So we are going to look for proof of the “Lion” King. We are going to stay in the village the whole night to see if anything extraordinary happens. 12:00a.m. Nothing is really happening in the village so Amy and Kris are going to stay and watch the cameras and Jack, Derek, And I are going to the clearing North of the village. 12:13a.m. We have found a tent type of thing. We are going to go inside of it. OH MY GOSH! Bones. Floating in front of our faces! In its right hand it qhad a sword and it its left… another sword. We ran out of there as fast as we could. It was following us! We ran toward camp. Luckily we were prepared. We had bought a couple machetes when we stopped a village to get some gas and supplies. We grabbed a couple and started fighting it. 12:30a.m. We defeated the bones and buried them. Hopefully that would put the spirit to rest. Other than that everything was normal. We decided to pack up and move.

6/17/08

Today we are just going relax and take a break. We are going to the Mali empire ruins. The guide said they were destroyed in a great battle deserted. Stones were lying everywhere on the flat grassy plain. There were huge stone temples and buildings. It was a great civilization right before us. It was big and had stone roads with torches all along the sides of them. It had little neighborhoods of stone houses with perfectly preserved artifacts. We have taken our jeep to Gao and are boarding a ship. We are going to boat down the Niger River to get to Cameroon.

6/18/08

Today we have stopped in a village in Cameroon to get some supplies and they have a problem with a creature called the Olitiau. Apparently it is part bat, bird, and reptile. We decided to help them so we started unloading all of our equipment. So We set up cameras in the village and near the local swamp. 11:56p.m.

We haven’t picked anything up on the cameras yet so I think its…Whoa! I got something! It’s a… giant lizard. It’s transforming into a giant bat! Whoa! It just disappeared! We got it.

6/20/08

We stopped in a village to get more supplies and they also have a problem with a creature called the Ngoubou. It is an ox sized, six-horned creature. The guide said that the land area in Cameroon was 181,251 square miles and that it’s water is 6,000 square miles. He also said that after World War One the French got 80% of its land. The Bantu speakers were the first to settle in Cameroon. The country escaped colonist rule until 1884. There are 18,060,382 people in the country of Cameroon. 1:18a.m. We haven’t seen anythi… What was that? I sounded like a loud grunt or something.

1:25a.m. We are now over at the site where we heard the noise and… OH MY GOSH! There it is. The Ngoubou. We found it.

6/21/08

We are now on our way to Algeria.

6/22/08 Some people in Algeria have a problem with a phantom shape-shifter.

The guide said that Algeria is almost four times the size of Texas. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and boarded by the Sahara in the West. Phoenician traders settled in the 1ST Millennium B.C. It became a Roman county then was conquered by the Vandals in 440A.D. It fell from high standards to barbarianism. Algeria was used as a headquarters for the pirate Barbary. Then the French occupied the country in 1830. Algeria has an 8,100 GPD and the literacy rate in 69.9%. The Real growth is at 4.6%. The guide also said the November 1STwas Revolution day. The religion there is 99% Islam and 1% Christian and other! We have made it to the village and it looks like ones’ here… Oh here comes a villager maybe he can tell us more of the phantom shape-shifter.



Today we are just going to set up the cameras and mics.

12:35P.M.

We are having a problem with camera 3 and have to go to a city to get parts. The problem with that is it takes 5 hours to get there! 3:15P.M.

We got a flat tire! It won’t take very long to change it though. 3:30P.M.

Were on out way and were only 3 hours into the trip. We have another 2 hours. We have a Led Zeppelin CD to pass the time so its’ ok.

5:56P.M.

We have the supplies and are now headed back to the village. We might stay in a hotel if we can find one.

7:30P.M.

We decided to go to a hotel.

6/23/08

We are almost to the village. It will take about another 20 minutes to get there though.

10:38P.M.

Ok we are in the village and haven’t really seen anything yet. We’ve heard a couple grunts and noises but it was just the wind and some boars.

12:18A.M. We got something on camera 3. It’s like a shadow. It’s… it’s… turning into a bull! I’m going to go check it out. It’s totally dark and see- through! Whoa. We got it.

6/24/08 Today we are on our way to Tanzania.

6/25/08 We made it safely to Tanzania and are going to Zanzibar to hunt for the one eyed bat creature called the Popobawa.

It has been terrorizing the people of the city. They people called us and want to know if we can help them. Were here at the city that needed our help. We’ve talked to some locals and asked what they knew about the Popobawa. The people said that the Popobawa was a one eyed bat creature. Every time it screeched it was heard in all directions. It has giant claws and a huge wing span. I can tell this won’t be easy.

We decided up in church steeple would be the best place for the cameras. Kris and Amy would watch the cameras and look at the sky. If they saw anything they would radio us.

1:15A.M.

We haven’t seen anything and… Whoa were getting a call from Kris and Amy. There seems to be a weird green glow off to the West of the city. They got it on camera so it’s… Something’s flying above the city!!!! We’re going to go to the top of an abandon building. I hope it’s not abandon for a reason.

1:30A.M.

Seriously, what’s up with us and broken stairs! Only this time we didn’t even get to go on them yet... Ok I found a latter. I’ll use that to go up. Ok were up on the roof. I can’t see it.

1:56A.M.

Ok I still can’t see it so I think its time to call it a night.

6/26/08

It my Birthday today! And I get to spend it at Lake Victoria… Looking for the lake monsters Lau and Lukwata… Great… Were gonna get a move on so we can get some good hooks and get the cameras and mics all set up.

We are now at the lake and are getting all the hooks baited and ready. We got our hooks and Jack has his anchor. He thought it would be bigger than big. We are just about to let them out.

3:15P.M.

We have just let the hooks out and… HOLY COW!!!! LAU!!!!

We got one now where’s the other.

5:18P.M.

There! Lukawata!!!! We got them early. What a birthday!

6/27/08

Today on the way to get some supplies we stopped at a village that has a problem with a beast called the Mngwa or the Nunda. It is like Bigfoot only African. We have cameras and mics all over the village and in the surrounding fields. Were gonna catch this thing if it kills me!

11:54P.M.

We haven’t heard anything yet. Whoa rustling in the bushes’! I’m gonna go check it out.

12:00A.M.

It’s just a monkey. False alarm. 1:13A.M.

Ok there’s been some more rustling but this time its louder and closer and I know its not another monkey. I’m gonna go see.

1:30A.M.

I can’t follow it! It’s a fast little bugger! It stopped… WHOA!!!! It’s attacking. Man I’m getting attacked all over the place now! When this is all over I’m suing. Wait I have a camera! I’m gonna film it!!!

1:59A.M.

Got it all, the chase and everything



We are now leaving for Mozambique.

6/28/08 Today we landed in Mozambique. Kris and Amy are going to a spa for the rest of the trip and Jack, Derek, and I are going on a hunting safari. We are going hunting for lions and Kudu. 12:18P.M. We have started on our hunting safari and are on the look out for lions. The guide said that there are 25 rivers in all of Mozambique and the longest is the Zambezi. There is 1,535 miles of land and most of it is populated by animals. He said that Mozambique was first founded by the Bantu speakers then Arab and Swalaili traders after them. It was explored by Vasco De Gama in 1498 and first colonized by Portugal. Rebels began attacking in 1963 and became a very bad problem in 1973, so Portugal sent 40,000 troops to fight them off. Portuguese is the main language and there is no religion for about 23% of the people in Mozambique. Indigenous tribal groups are at 99.66%. The real growth rate is at 7.5% and inflation is at 8%. What’s sad is that less than half the people can’t read or write. The literacy rate is at 48.8%! 1:23P.M. We have now left the truck and are heading to the Zambezi River. We have heard some roars and are slowly following them. We are almost there… and…whoa. There’s at least 5 of them and only 4 of us. This could pose a problem. 1:30P.M. We are going to open fire on them and hopefully not die. * We got almost all of them but one. Now where is… AAAGGGGHHHH!!!! It pounced on top of me! * I pulled out my .44 and shot it a couple times till it finally died. It clawed my stomach, arms, and legs. It hurts but it’s not bad. 6/29/08 Today we are hunting Kudu. We are going to track down the Kudu and hopefully bring it back as a trophy. 2:15P.M. We have spotted some Kudu tracks and are following them. I see it. I’m gonna take a shot at it…Got it. It’s a male 8 points and good sized. It’s About 286 pounds and was pretty healthy. 5:45P.M. Well, we are all packing up to go home tomorrow. There are a lot of things we brought and even more things we’re bringing back, including 3 new suitcases. 6/30/08 We are headed back to the “States” today and it hard saying goodbye to Africa but our trips up. It’s been both fun and exciting here and I hate to leave, but we all have to do things we don’t want to sometimes. That’s what happened on my trip to Africa.