SCOTTISH film actor Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman slipped under the radar last week as they zoomed through Namibia unnoticed by the local media.
McGregor, Boorman and their support team arrived in Cape Town on Saturday (see photo) at the end of a 24 000-kilometre motorcycle journey from Scotland. They had crossed into Namibia from Maun in Botswana, and passed through Windhoek, with other rest stops at Sesriem and the Fish River Canyon before crossing the South African border at Noordoewer. The actors set out on May 12 from John O'Groats, Scotland, travelled through Europe and African countries including Libya, Rwanda, Zambia and Namibia before arriving in Cape Town. McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films and stared in 'Trainspotting', 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Down with Love', said the journey - dubbed the 'Long Way Down' - had been "fantastic". "I'd quite like to turn around and just carry on back again," he said as the pair posed for photographs on the beach against the backdrop of Table Mountain. The two actors met on the set of the 1997 film 'Serpent's Kiss'. The pair bonded over a shared love of motorcycles. McGregor may have mastered his motorbike over miles of rugged African terrain, but he was no match for a champagne cork. After struggling unsuccessfully to uncork his celebratory bottle, he took a swig from Boorman's champagne bottle. The two previously circumnavigated the world by motorcycle, in 2004, passing through Russia and ending up in New York on a journey televised as 'Long Way Round'. 'Long Way Down' will also be televised on the BBC Prime channel on DStv. |