MD’s bivouac: Chinese tales

In Dakar, everyone has stories spread by word of mouth. Some may be subjected to variations such as occur in the game of telephone. This may be the case of the following. They told me that “a person of Chinese origin bought a bottle of whiskey in the bivouac for 1,000 euros.” Here it is forbidden, but it does not surprise me. In 2022 there is a Frenchman selling packs of cigarettes for 12 euros. Naturally, he has a monopoly. Because of that anecdote, that person remembered what happened in 2020. A Chinese team participated in that edition with three surprising vehicles: Some Hongqi CA72, traditional presidential transport limousine in the Asian giant. They even have a small Chinese flag on a pole on either side of the hood. Pilots are novices and little talent. “Once I ran into one of them running. He was stuck in the desert. I wanted to pull him but he was outside the car exercising, like he was meditating… and he didn’t listen to me. Eventually, I got fed up and threatened to quit. Then he raised his hands as a sign of help.”

“That team, above all, wanted to reach the final goal of the Dakar, but they lacked a truck to help them. Without him, those pilots would not have come. So his boss confronted the driver of a truck 4th in its category. ‘How much is it worth?’ he asked, pointing to his car. ‘It’s not for sale,’ he replied. The man, who had bodyguards, returned moments later and placed a briefcase on the ground. There was a million dollars! The owner obviously agreed- owner. And when the Dakar was over, the surprising thing was that they left the truck with its owner as if nothing had happened. They didn’t like it,” he added. Maybe there really was $10,000 inside that briefcase and word of mouth, over time, added zeroes to the thing. ‘Chinese stories’ brighten up your day with a story-filled bivouac. Or maybe facts. We will never know.