Sunday, June 12, 2011

WHO LIKES EXPLOSIONS?!

{Video of a truck exploding at the end of this post!}

I went with some guys on Thursday to blow up a Chevy Suburban.

It was awesome!

We drove an hour outside of town to a beautiful rural area where it was sunny but windy and cold, but overall it was QUIET.

Until we blew up the truck.

Me, Mr. Wonderful, and a random hook and rope that fell off the car en route to its destruction.
Me and Mr. Wonderful on the drive out there. We stopped to pick up a hook and rope that fell off the car.

Using a shovel handle to break up explosives ... safe?
The Botswana Defence Force team used plastic explosives, which are malleable explosives that look like sugar cookie dough. Not sure how technical the use of a shovel handle is for breaking it up ...

I think if I had asked, they would have let me make a plastic explosive dough ball of my very own.
They kneaded the plastic explosive dough into balls, which they then distributed all over the car and molded along tubes of explosive powder.

I am pretty certain that if I had asked nicely, they would have let me make my own plastic explosive dough ball.

Lovely place to blow up a car.
Beautiful landscape. This was the farthest outside Gaborone that I've been in my 3 mos. here in Botswana.

"Oh crap," I thought. "I come to watch a car get blown up and I die from being stampeded and gored by cattle."
Luckily Mr. Wonderful, aka The Cow Whisperer, herded these cattle down the hill and away from the truck. Although when I turned around and saw this stampede headed toward me, especially those horns, I thought "great, I come to see a truck get blown up and instead I get trampled and gored by cattle."

If it goes, at least if I'm this close I won't feel a thing.
I decided this was a better place to risk it: They told me that if it accidentally blew right now, I wouldn't feel a thing ...

You missed a spot.
This is some serious explosive power.

These guys are pros.
Almost ready ...

I'm laughing stupidly here because one of the soldiers said "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!" after I totally leaned back on the car for the photo. Darwin Award, anyone?!
I'm laughing stupidly here because one of the soldiers said "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!" after I totally leaned back on the car for the photo. Darwin Award, anyone?!

Ready for blastoff.
Ready for blastoff. All of those tubes are filled with explosive powder.

THE EXPLOSION!!!!!!!
There was a delay between seeing the blast and then hearing and feeling the BOOM!

Crap, I left my phone in the car ...
Not much left!

Me and the demo team leaders.
Me and the Botswana Defence Force demolition team leaders.

4 comments:

Becky said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Becky said...

Wow, that is gone! Is it an old vehicle disposal?

Bfiles said...

just one question remains...why??

beautiful landscape, wow.

Anne said...

Ok, I don't have your email address and I'm not sure you'd go back and look at the comments, so here's the super top secret clam dip recipe you asked for. Well really it's more of an idea than anything else...

1 brick cream cheese, room temperature (preferably full fat)
1 small can (6.5 oz) chopped or minced clams in clam juice. Reserved clam juice
lemon juice
onion powder

Mix together cream cheese and clams. Add lemon juice and onion powder to taste. I would say I use about 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and like 6-8 shakes of onion powder. You can add more clam juice if you like a thinner consistency, or if you accidentally put too much lemon juice or onion powder. It's pretty fool proof. I hope you like it!

Also, thanks for the consumables tips. I think I'm going to bring the entire baking aisle with me to post!!