Ok first person to tell me I read to much gets a smack on the butt (but it is true), I blame travelling and the size of these books.

This book is “My Mercedes is Not For Sale” by Jeron Van Bergeijk. I picked this book up at a $5 sale once figuring it looked good and would make for a perfect travel read (small, not to small print and interesting enough to keep you distracted).

I was right. The book is nothing over the top but to be honest was perfect for what I wanted. It is about a Dutchman (not sure if he is a reporter or a writer you never really find out) who takes it upon himself to buy an old Mercedes and drive it from Holland to Africa and sell it at a profit all while having one of those once in a lifetime exploring adventures in the Saharan desert.

There isn’t really much to the issue of cars in the desert or of the actual driving but more about the people he encounters along the way (especially other Europeans doing the same thing or adventuring to Africa). If you like to travel it is an interesting read as it gives a tiny glimpse into the life of Africa and the little discussed sides of being a native African.

This is a book you can read quickly, easily, and more than anything keep you distracted long enough for the 200ish pages so it goes into my “Good Plane Books” pile. By no means perfect, it was a good read and if you find it cheap, you could do worse.

Truth be told it sounds like a pretty cool thing to do. Buy a car that you couldn’t give away in the Western world then drive it overland to Africa all the while exploring what the real Africa is about.

Apparently mercs are very popular in Africa and even beat up ones can fetch a good price.