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Botswana Botswana Explorer’s route 2018: What could possibly go wrong?


Peter Connan

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Peter Connan

Day 9

 

Today would be Makoro Day. But we would only launch at 09h00, so until then we faffed around camp a bit, cleaning, tidying up and so forth. And a little bit of birding of course, although not very productive. We were given special Makoro polers, skilled at birding. I down-graded my equipment to the old D7000 and 300mm f4, hopefully protected in a plastic bag, and an AW100 borrowed from my brother for wider angles. I wish I had taken the D500 instead, but if we capsized I would have been devastated… We saw some great birds, but we started by going against the sun, and through the long grass, which was in full seed, and after a relatively short period my hay-fever started acting up, and not very long after that, I was effectively blind. This, believe it or not, caused me to get sea-sick. In a makoro! So Sonya and I called it a day.

 

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African Green Pigeon

 

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Mourning Dove

 

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Meanwhile, Justin had been to town to see if he could find someone who could help with draw-bars. Solid draw-bars are both easier and safer to tow long distances with than ropes, because the towing vehicle can use it’s brakes, which is not possible with a rope or strap. Two of the vehicles would be recovered by their insurance company, but the other two were to be towed all the way back to SA. After recovering from the motion sickness and the worst hay-fever, Justin took me to Okavango Houseboat Safaris’ base. They had allowed us to use their workshop and some scrap metal they had lying around.

It took me a while, but in a few hours I managed to manufacture two draw-bars using just an arc welder and a small angle grinder. Never before had I welded a hole on purpose…

 

That evening, around the fire, we had a little concert. Some of the entrants were pretty good, the best being a short “trip report” on the tune (and theme) of “ten green bottles”.

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Wow, @Peter Connan!

I salute you for maintaining a positive attitude in spite of having major problems with the vehicle.:o At least you didn't felt alone :rolleyes:

and you proved again...'n Boer maak 'n plan :D

 

 

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I feel your pain and anxiety with the breakdown @Peter Connan...horrible feeling. Your experience though is a perfect example of why travelling in a group is so important when tackling those remote areas.

 

I was surprised to read that all four vehicles had to be towed or flat-bedded back to SA. Couldn't repairs have been done in Maun?

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Elsa Hoffmann

@Peter Connan I say this with respect - but I am really starting to feel like less of an idiot with all the breakdowns I had previously. I am really beginning to understand this 4x4 thing a bit better. I am learning a lot.
And @xelas - Keep going - I love this trip report. Almost wants me to start doing a proper one on my trip of last year haha. But no, you will have to weait for the October trip, which will be much better anyway. And yes Alex - I do have a new vehicle. 

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Peter Connan

Thank you @Ritsgaai, @Davesg and @Elsa Hoffmann

 

Dave, I was planning to leave these discussions to a sort of addenda after the trip, but the trip is now effectively over, so maybe not a bad time to discuss the failures that did occur, the reasons therefore and the aftermath (that which I know about anyway), in detail.

 

So, in the order that they were taken on tow:

1) Alex's Skilpad.

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Skilpad is a '95 or '96 model. It started life as a 4.2 petrol (these were old-technology engines, with points-and-condensor ignition systems and carburettors).

The previous owner fitted it with a 4.8l engine from a much more modern Patrol. These engines have electronic ignition, fuel injection, variable cam timing and a variable intake manifold. Operating all this requires a CPU.

 

The fitment of this ECU was the achilles' heel. It got wet while fording a mud-pool, and it shouldn't have. Lots of effort has subsequently been spent to prevent an recurrence.

This occurred in the Khwai river area, and the car was towed all the way around the delta and to Maun. In the mean time, a new ECU and a laptop with special programs was flown to Maun from SA. Then the new ECU wouldn't communicate with the key transponder. Another transponder was sourced and collected from Ghanzi and fitted. From there, the car was driven back to SA.

 

Before the major breakdown, this car had a rear tire burst/delaminate/failed spectacularly. This resulted in quite a lot of body damage, which is still being repaired.

 

2) Dirk's car.

 

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This is a 1995 4.2 Diesel. It was fitted with an aftermarket turbo early on in it's life, and has done around 430 000 km.

 

Although I know of one of these cars which's clutch lasted over 700 000km, 350 000km is generally reckoned to be a good innings for a clutch on these vehicles.The owner of this car is a great enthusiast. He uses the car to do the very toughest 4x4 routes in the country, and for overlanding holidays, often towing a heavy camping trailer.

 

It has a tough life, and impresses me every time I see it in action.

 

This car was towed by the group from the Selinda area to Seronga and then to the ferry at Mohembo. From there it was towed to Maun by the insurance company (Tuffstuff), and there loaded on a flatbed. This was Tuffstuff's choice, and the option of fixing it in Maun was discussed with them. The owner and his family were flown home, with the car following and arriving home more than a week later. In the process, the paintwork had been damaged by incorrect tie-down practices and various items had been stolen out of the car.

 

The car is still being repaired, but that is because the chosen mechanic is very busy.

 

3) Rolf's car:

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This car is a '98 4.2 Diesel with an aftermarket turbo, and has just over 445 000 km on the clock.

 

The clutch failed just before the Selinda Spillway.

The driver was not the owner, it was in fact lent for the trip. It was towed by the group to the SA border, and from there flat-bedded by the insurance.

 

Not knowing the owner, I have no idea of whether it has been repaired. It could have been repaired in Maun, but it was considered that it would probably be less stressful and cheaper to do the repair at home.

 

4) My car. Sorry, I did not photograph it on the trip, but Alex took a nice photo of it, which can be seen in his first post in this report.

 

The initial clutch failure was my own fault. I used the clutch while in a mud-pool. 

 

I believe the engine failure had nothing to do with the trip, it was just something that happened during the trip.

The car has around 370 000km on the clock and is was made in '96.

 

We found a number of small issues issues while stripping the engine, which may have contributed to the failure. The primary suspect in my mind: a previous owner had the engine modified to improve the power output. There are a couple of o-ring seals in the oil delivery system. One of these was broken, and a section was missing when we dismantled it. I believe the modifiers had fitted an incorrect O-ring.

 

I am still struggling to repair the damage, as there have been a number of set-backs...

I am very glad I did not try to have it repaired in Maun, as I would definitely not have been able to afford it.

 

Hope that answers the question, and some of the curiosity.

 

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17 minutes ago, Peter Connan said:

 

Hope that answers the question, and some of the curiosity.

 

Thanks for the detailed response  @Peter Connan. Sorry to hear that you're still struggling with repairs. One becomes very attached to a vehicle so I hope you'll resolve the issues and be back on the road in the very near future!

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Peter Connan

Something I forgot to add to the discussion on car failures and reliability:

Every car in the group has suffered from elevated/excessive brake pad wear. I think virtually every car in the group has needed to replace rear brake pads, and some even had to replace the discs themselves.

 

Clutches and brakes are made from basically the same materials, and work using the same principles (although applied in reverse). Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that clutch wear was also accellerated if any mud made it into the clutch housing. There was certainly a lot in my clutch, and a photo I have seen of Dirks after removal of his engine also showed a lot of mud in there.

 

Also keep in mind that, although four cars failed, that means that four other cars made it through those same tough conditions towing somewhere between three and three and a half tons each...

 

I mentioned earlier that a number of cars got stuck.

 

In virtually all these cases, they were "repeat offendors". There were two cars that got stuck a few times each. In both cases. 

They were the only cars running standard-sized tires. Averybody else had larger-than standard tires fitted. This makes sense if you consider that the roads were very rutted. Effectively, they just grounded on the axles, and those that had bigger tires have just a little bit more ground clearance, keeping their diffs off the middle-man.

 

One car got stuck on brush that it effectively plowed up and rolled under the car. A huge pile of grass and brush forrmed under it, and eventually it just stopped going forward. He reversed a little bit and managed to leave it behind in the road...

 

The guide got stuck just once. He had smaller tires than the Patrols, but his diffs are smaller too. But I do think it was still the same ground clearance issue.

 

And Michael got stuck once. But he was towing a car. The fact that he got stuck only once is amazing. As is the fact that one other patrol pulled out two others, one stuck in a mud bog and one with a dead engine, standing in a mud bog.

Edited by Peter Connan
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I’m sorry to hear you’re still struggling with the car repairs, Peter. You (and @xelas) have given a fascinating report on your adventures, with many great photographs. As a non-mechanical city dweller I am amazed at what you had to deal with and how much you managed to fix on the road. What a challenge with weather and road conditions being what they were. I  commend you both for the courage of  even undertaking a grip like this and I can only hope that, in spite of all the setbacks, you can still look back on it with some satisfaction. But the feelings will be mixed, I’m sure. Thank you both for the stories and pictures!

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Day 9 (6th April):

 

 

This day was highly anticipated from the moment JJ promised us to have a real mokoro experience! Peter, as you can read from his post, was a bit nervous about his gear. Myself, not one tiny bit! Why?! Because there is a shinny new D500 calling my name from a store ... only I am looking for a reason not to retire yet another functioning body into the drawer.

 

So mokoro trip! Same boats as on Peters makoro trip :D (must be another Afrikaans word). Place for 2 passengers and a poler. Similar to Vanice gondola ... just that here the polers do not sing. Back to passengers. As we were 3 persons in our group, the evening before we have discussed this situation, me offering to pay for whole mokoro myself. Hearing us, young Isabel asked if I mind her joining me ?! Of course, no problem at all, just ask your parents .... which she already did. So I have a teammate for mokoro adventure.

 

introducing Isabel into our story, it is time to say a few more words about the young generation on our adventure journey. At start, I was both surprised, and a bit unhappy, seeing so many kids from pre-school to late teens age. I think they were about 10 of them in total. However, soon I have learned these are a different kind of kids. No problems with them, no nagging about lack of wifi or cell signal, youngsters running around barefoot and enjoying the nature, and older always there to help their parents.

 

As a stranger from a strange and far away country I was a subject of interest for them. They would come in the evening when we sat around the fire, and asked me many questions. About Slovenia, language I speak, which is my preferred animal, you know how many questions kids can ask. On last days, young Isabel kind of adopted me, so her asking me to join was not that much of a surprise.

 

The day started with a line ... for breakfast!

 

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We have stayed at a community owned camp, and also boat rides are organised in a way that every poler has a fair share of rides. A lady from the management staff was there early to allocate polers to passengers. Peter and Sonja and me and Isabel started about an hour earlier, and we were assigned the best birders among the polers. Isabel came prepared, with a hat and a book (and water and olives).

 

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Before starting I have time to snap two of my best (to my eye) photos of this trip; it shows that street photography was my first love (to use the words of my friend Chak).

 

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The boat ride itself was very much different to what I have pictured in my mind beforehand. Instead of narrow canals with banks covered with grass we were on a vast lake-like river, completely overgrown with vegetation, and with only a few islands with trees. I did not look very promising for bird photography. And the fact that we have started on the left (??) bank looking towards rising sun gave us plenty to work while in a narrow boat: trying to get the proper settings on the camera, navigating the poler to the right position, etc. Luckily both Peter and me we have had excellent spotters!

 

 

Ready to roll! (yes, this is Isabel)

 

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A selection of the better photos I was able to grab:

 

African See Eagle

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Little Bee-eater

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Cattle Egret

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While bird photography was not as good as I have expected, the whole mokoro thing was a memorable and pleasant experience. Once we have reached the middle of the river it was so cool and calm, our poler was an experienced guy who never as much as tilted the boat, less to rock it, and Isabel, she kept me informed about the birds we have seen reading from her bird book, and when the wildlife thinned out, we have more of the pleasant conversation. Soon also the rest of our group joined us in their mokoros. All said, as a lover of any water, I highly recommend a mokoro boat trip to anyone. And have no fear about your gear! Chances of it landed on the bottom of the river are much smaller then being stolen from your room (or tent).

 

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Elsa Hoffmann

@xelas thank you for the Fish Eagle shot. my absolute favourite. I was quite surprised to read that Isobel had a chance to talk to you. :P:P

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4 minutes ago, Elsa Hoffmann said:

@xelas thank you for the Fish Eagle shot. my absolute favourite. I was quite surprised to read that Isobel had a chance to talk to you. :P:P

 

Ha, ha, ha ... but I can be a good listener also. 

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Rest of this day Peter spent working on producing a workable towing bar out of scrap metal. I have volunteered to help him, but he has wisely decided for a younger set of hands; keeping me away from working welding and grinding and cutting machinery is generally a good idea ^_^.

 

That gave me plenty of time to roam around or camp and its approach road. Years of birding (OK, 4 years of birding) has told me that electrical wires are popular with all sort of flying subjects. No different here in Seronga.

 

Entry to our camp

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African Green Pigeon

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Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

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Long-tailed Paradise Whydah female

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Juvenile Fork-tailed Drongo

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Cape Turtle Dove

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Lilac-breasted Roller

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Peter and Jason were commuting between the camp and the village several times before Peter was happy enough with his work.

 

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And to end this day, two photos that are more artistic expression of what I have seen, late in the afternoon

 

African Jacana

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Day has ended with another communal dinner. And to my surprise, there was a "Pokaži kaj znaš" type of presentation by each (almost each) family. Some excellent contributions. Sonja and Peter sung a very romantic song about birds. I have videotaped them and one day I might be able to show you also this footage.

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Peter Connan

Day 10, 11 &12

 

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Dawn patrol

 

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Spurwing

 

Due to the problems, we had almost all decided to can the rest of the trip, and today would be the start of the trip home. However, to get there, we had to go even further north, to cross over the Okavango river using the Mohembo ferry.

 

On the road outside the camp, we lined up and waited for everybody to find their way out, and we took the opportunity to do some last-minute birding.

 

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Grey-headed Sparrow

 

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Glossy Starlings

 

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Go-away!

 

CameropteraODP.jpg.833df205986057170be0f1065e4e9090.jpg Grey-backed Cameroptera

 

This ws my first-ever ferry crossing, something I had long wished to do, as for me it is the very embodiment of travelling to little-visited places.

 

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Lesser-striped Swallow

 

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Ferry coming to fetch us

 

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Wire-tailed Swallow

 

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Another load

 

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And off we go

 

There were two families who carried on to Ngepi for a couple of day’s fishing.

 

From there it was tar road all the way home. As a matter of record, we overnighted at Ghanzi and Swartruggens.

 

Just a final and very big thank-you to Errol Wilken, who towed us home (1700km) without a single word of complaint, and who, since then, has been helping me re-build the engine.

 

Edited by Peter Connan
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Elsa Hoffmann

Thank you Peter and Alex - this trip report was really great and you both know I really enjoyed it. Alex   - I am sure by now you have brass b*lls and Peter - ones made of steel. This must have been a challenge on all levels - but you must be proud of yourselves for doing this. I am looking forward to the next trip report. 

Edited by Elsa Hoffmann
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Peter Connan

Byt vas @Elsa Hoffmann, @xelas still has to get his last worrd in edgewise!

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1 hour ago, Elsa Hoffmann said:

Thank you Peter and Alex - this trip report was really great and you both know I really enjoyed it. Alex   - I am sure by now you have brass b*lls and Peter - ones made of steel. This must have been a challenge on all levels - but you must be proud of yourselves for doing this. I am looking forward to the next trip report. 

I can only agree with every comment of @Elsa Hoffmann.

This trip will certainly gets stuck in your memory and for a captivating campfire story in decades to come. :D

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Day 10, 11 & 12 (7th, 8th & 9th April):

 

 

Last day of our adventure group being together; a bit of a sad day but no one was showing any sadness. The camp was buzzing with positive energy and preparation activity. Due to "force major" we will not be able to return at home on our own power.

 

It is 1.573 kms between Seronga and Kempton Park, Johannesburg. If asked on TripAdvisor if that is doable in 3 days my reply would be: it is but it is crazy! Well, we had to do it (Peter and Sonja had work on 10th and I have my flight out) ... and not only to conquer those 1.573 kms but being towed all the way back home. Whoever was once on a towing bar he knew how risky this is. It requires a total concentration of both the drivers. One tiny mistake from any of them end in a disaster. The two masters of the steering wheel, Errol and Peter (and not to forget Sonja, she did a marvelous job replacing Peter behind the steering wheel when Peter was just too exhausted) have executed this incredible task in perfect harmony, like two dancers they have navigated the heavily potholed stretch of the so-calle road between Shakawe and Sehithwa, and were gliding smoothly past Central Kalahari Game Reserve, enetring South Africa on Day 11. The last stretch from Swartruggens to Johannesburg was a walk in the park for those two extraordinary drivers! 

 

Speaking of Errol, I have all the respect for him. About my age but way more driving stamina! I would have melted down probably at the end of second day driving a fully operational vehicle, and he has time and strength to wash his vehicle clean before starting our last day of driving!! Chapeau to you, Errol.

 

Peter has posted photos of birds so I will posted snapshots of our long drive home.

 

Early morning was sunny and crisp, like Botswana would like to tell su "Sorry guys, but do come back soon!"

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Peter showing his bird photos to Sonja ...

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... and checking if towing bar is securely fitted to Errol's Patrol ...

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... and JJ and Jonas probably discussing if they have not thrown too much of an exercise at us ... no way, JJ, we can handle more (although it was plenty for Patrols).

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Waiting for the ferry ...

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... while JJ is probably showing to captain from where we came from ...

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... and although it was tough we have all looked in past days with joy and pride.

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Refuelling at Shakawe ...

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... and Sonja and Peter meeting a well known photographer, Jens Cullmann aslo coming from Botswana

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Shiny Errol's and less shiny Peter's Patrols under the sunny Botswana sky (yeah, at the end of the trip ...)

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That was it, folks! 

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What an amazing adventure! I am in awe of both of you and everybody else to took part in this, kids included. I would never attempt anything like this, but I enjoyed a lot your trip report and all the photos. You both did well and convinced me I want to go to Botswana. Not camping. Not self driving. Not in the rainy season. But I really, really want to go. Thank you.

 

 

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Peter Connan

Thank you very much @TonyQ and @xyz99

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Thanks for an excellent report @Peter Connanand @xelas. Hats off to you you both for your perseverance through difficult circumstances. 

 

When Pippa and I got home from our first trip to Botswana in 2012 our "kids" reaction to our breakdown was: "you could have come home with stories of how many Lion, Elephant and other animals you saw...instead you've come home with a story of a real adventure which is far more interesting!" They were right but we certainly didn't enjoy the breakdown experience at the time! :o

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Towlersonsafari

Bravo @Peter Connan and @xelas what a fine adventure! (Typed from the safety of my living room)

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kittykat23uk

Wow! What an adventure!  Thanks for sharing  guys. Reminds me of our mobile guided safari. We obviously weren't looking for trouble but our guide still managed to get us all stuck in a big puddle withseveral inches of water in the cab of our vehicle ! 

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