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Funny Travel Photo – The Plastic Box Bathtub

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This is a guest post from Dave and Deb from ThePlanetD who have kindly submitted their Funny Travel Photo of the week. Check out the story below!

Cycling the continent of Africa can be a tough undertaking to say the least (check out Around Africa on My Bicycle), but nothing prepares to the conditions you will face in the Sudan.

We spent six solid days riding though the desert trying to find our way in extreme heat.

Roads? There weren’t any roads. We simply followed tire tracks through the deep desert sand hoping that by some miracle we would make it to camp each night.

Sudan is a very dry country and water was scarce. We couldn’t waste water pouring it over our heads to clean after a long day on the bike let alone even thing of finding a shower somewhere.

Bike On The Sand

So after nearly a week sleeping in our own sweat and filth, arrived in the town of Dongola.

At the end of the last day of riding through the desert we came across a freshly paved road for the final 20km and Deb was so elated that she got down on her hands and knees to kiss the tarmac with tears of joy in her eyes.

Kissing The Pavement

Funny Travel Photo – The Plastic Box Bathtub

We camped at an abandoned zoo that evening and although we didn’t have proper shower facilities, we did find a random hose that actually worked and we joyously took a bath in our gear boxes feeling the best we had felt since entering the country.

Funny Travel Photo - Plastic Box Bathtub

What is the moral of this story you ask? Well after suffering for days on end, a red box bath in the middle of a run down zoo can feel more amazing than a Jacuzzi tub in a 5 star hotel.

Still Bored At Work? Then Check Out:  Fire Walking In Fiji - on White Hot Rocks

Dave and Deb hail from Canada and have traveled the world seeking out new adventures. Last year they cycled from Cairo to Cape Town and stopped to climb Kilimanjaro along the way. Check out their ongoing escapades at ThePlanetD or follow their tweets on twitter at twitter/theplanetd

Also, if you’re that desperate for a bath in a Plastic Box, buy one from Amazon.

If you feel like riding around Africa for a bit of Adventure, I recommend reading Around Africa on My Bicycle by Riaan Manser.  He went around the circumference of Africa and it took him 2 years to do it!

More Funny Travel Photos

If you’re after other Funny Travel Photos, check out the Health Worker Sign, the Duty Free Airport Shop and the George Bush Bar.


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49 thoughts on “Funny Travel Photo – The Plastic Box Bathtub”

  1. Avatar Of Trishaattravelwritersexchange

    Thank goodness for sturdy (and large enough for a bath) gear boxes!

    I also agree with Anthony – I love the \’kissing the ground\’ photo – I bet a lot of travelers have a story about doing that or something similar!

  2. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

    Ah yes, it was pure joy taking a bath that day. It had been a long haul.
    If you look at my arm in the photo of me kissing the ground, you can see just how ground in the dirt is. Crazy!

  3. Avatar Of Holiday Matters
    Holiday Matters

    Certainly getting out of it would be a liberating experience! Great photo D & D: what a relief to be clean again!

  4. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

    Haha, yes, it was a bit of a tight squeeze! It had never felt so good to clean off. Funny though, we had two days off there and didn’t bother to bathe the second day. That became kind of normal in Africa, we would shower once every 6 or 7 days and if we had a chance to shower two days in a row we would say to ourselves…”why bother, we just showered yesterday?”
    .-= Dave and Deb´s last blog ..Big Week at the PlanetD =-.

  5. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

    Hi Walk in tub. Yep, it certainly did the trick. We were squeeky clean. At least until 2 days later when we were back in the desert.

  6. Avatar Of Julie

    🙂 Love it! Great story and pics.

    You impressed me, having a bath in a tiny square box lol !
    .-= Julie´s last blog ..Privilege Pack Travel Portals =-.

  7. Avatar Of Pinoy

    I definitely love reading your insight and learning from your blogsite. Thank you for the interesting and informative article. – Pinoy

  8. Avatar Of Alex Simpson@Hostel Booking

    Thanks Dave and Deb for a fun and humorous look at cycling through Sudan. This article reminds me of the Long Way Down TV series where the guys went from Scotland down to Capetown.

    I bet the journey was very challenging especially with no real roads and I admire you both for stopping along the way to scale Mount Kilimanjaro. The pictures are great and really give a feel for the journey especially the bicycle in the sand photograph.

    I will look forward to reading another travel article from you guys in the future and will remember to take my plastic box if I ever go on an adventure like this!

  9. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

    Hi Alex. We took almost the same route as the Long Way Down guys, except we started in Egypt, I think that they crossed over in Libya. It was tough, but now that it is just a memory, it was a lot of fun. We would never do it again, but I am glad that we did! Thanks for the comment. Dave and Deb
    .-= Dave and Deb´s last blog ..Camel Safari Adventure, Not so Mystical in Rajasthan =-.

  10. Avatar Of Confused

    LOL great picture of washing in a tub, kudos to you mate – needs must when you got to wash, i imagine getting back on tarmac was bliss after the dessert!
    .-= confused´s last blog ..Flights to Australia – Whatever happened to the Ten Pound Poms? =-.

    1. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

      Hey Confused, yes, it was bliss after the desert. I literally had tears in my eyes.
      .-= Dave and Deb´s last blog ..Dave and Deb’s Surreal Moments Deserts Around the World =-.

  11. Avatar Of Dragonfly Shower Curtain
    dragonfly shower curtain

    That’s hilarious. I’m sure he would have loved a bigger tub with some fresh water and bubbles.

    1. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

      Ahhh Bubbles, why didn’t we think of that? It would have made it so perfect:)
      .-= Dave and Deb´s last blog ..Dave and Deb’s Surreal Moments Deserts Around the World =-.

  12. Avatar Of Twyford Shower Enclosures
    Twyford Shower Enclosures

    Great Post. looks like you had fun in the red bucket as a bath. Not much room to scrub everywhere and clean properly though!

  13. Avatar Of Menards Patio Furniture
    menards patio furniture

    That guys sure would have loved a tub with bubbles and some wine to go with that. Thats just torture if you ask me 🙂
    .-= menards patio furniture´s last blog ..A Homeowner’s Guide to Patio Furniture =-.

  14. Avatar Of Martin Munoz

    But luckily there were plenty bathtubs around for everyone.. Good way to save water in the dessert, the smaller the better..

  15. Avatar Of Galvanized Tub
    galvanized tub

    Well that is pretty convenient alright! and its a good thing that you had plenty for everyone if not i dont think people would be too comfortable going to bathe right after someone just used the plastic box!

    1. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

      Yes, we all had our own personal plastic boxes. That was the one good thing about the bath.

  16. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

    We did have a lot of fun especially after a very long stretch of tough riding. It was times like these we remember. It is funny how the difficult times fade quickly from memory.
    .-= Dave and Deb´s last blog ..Dave and Deb StumbleUpon Sites in Paris! =-.

  17. Avatar Of Photo Shoot Ideas
    Photo Shoot Ideas

    Sounds like an awesome trip! I’ve got itchy feet just from ready this and I want to hop on a bike to Africa now!

  18. Avatar Of Marikxon @Hot Tub Covers
    Marikxon @Hot Tub Covers

    LOL…… your pict looks a bit crazy for me. I think, you need larger tub

    1. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

      Ah Marikxon, I think that a hot tub would have definitely been more comfortable. But we will take what we can get in the middle of an abandoned zoo in Ethiopia:)

  19. Avatar Of Bathtub Refinishing Corp
    Bathtub Refinishing Corp

    what a Funny tub…ROFL….!i think you need someone to buy you a tub.

    1. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

      You are right! We still don’t have a decent tub. Somebody needs to design an inflatable tub for the road.

  20. Avatar Of Travelling Toddler

    Great story, and great pics. Ortlieb sell a foldable rubberised 10 litre bowl, I reckon I could have a bath in that at a push! Certainly a good bath for a baby or toddler, and you can do your washing up in it to 🙂

  21. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

    That is a great idea. Thanks for the information. That bowl would be excellent to take along on a camping trip or into the back country. The things you learn from bathing in a plastic box:)

  22. Avatar Of Avcan@Bathtub Refinishing Corp
    Avcan@Bathtub Refinishing Corp

    hahah…that was cool! how could you take a bath in that little tub!

    1. Avatar Of Dave And Deb

      Yes it’s true:) After spending several days in the desert, a person is desperate:) We were just happy we had these gear boxes for all our stuff.

  23. Avatar Of Simon Coleman

    This is hilarious. The little bathtub. So funny and I bet you guys had a great time. What memories! Picture do paint a thousand words, that is for sure. Great stuff!

  24. Avatar Of Jamar

    LOL! you life is so exciting man! i want that kind of job (if you consider it a job). i think is traveling is fun and exciting especially when you learn other culture and see the beautiful parts of earth! thanks for the post i enjoyed 😀

  25. Avatar Of Kimberly

    Great story and great pics, some of them are hilarious too.. Lol I laughed hard..

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  28. Avatar Of Suzan Ali

    I really loved this post. You write about this topic very well. I really like your blog and I
    will definitely bookmark it! Keep up the super posts!

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