Five locations you might see in the adventures of Bongo and Sandy
5x5 Today’s Travel Tuesday is another live ponderpiece as I prepare to start NaNoWriMo in just over a week’s time. I’ve decided to take on The Adventures of Bongo and Sandy (working title), as it’s hopefully a more manageable project, and because Bongo will murder me if I don’t.
I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, least of all to myself, but here are a few locations which you can expect to discover when the finished work bursts into the public consciousness.
1 Mongolia Bongo realises his vocation in Mongolia, where the giant statue of Chingis Khan speaks to him (oooh, literally or metaphorically?) that humanity is lost, caught between terrible leaders and broken democracies, and a new leader must arise. The people of Mongolia, though friendly to strangers, must embrace the destiny of the great Khan under their new leader. Not only that, it’s a beautiful place with lots of horses and camels.
2 Russia Conquering Russia will deliver both Europe and Asia to Bongo’s empire, but how can our plucky little hero succeed where Napoleon, Hitler and countless others failed? From the desolate wilderness of Siberia to the grand boulevards of modern Moscow, Bongo will need all of his cunning and hyperviolence to free the Russian people from the spell of their wily leader, Vladimir Putin.
3 The Himalayas Superman has the Fortress of Solitude, Batman has Wayne Manor, and when a little stuffed monkey needs to rethink his plans, he seeks out the wisdom of the great monkey Jack. This wise older monkey lives in a secret retreat high above the clouds, sitting on a comfy sofa with a mug of hot chocolate while he catches up on Netflix.
4 The Middle East There’ll be no conquering the world unless Bongo can snap off the thorn of apocalyptic religious fundamentalism, so he’ll need to make his own journey into the modern heart of darkness to face down the mad mullahs. Sandy, meanwhile, needs to reconnect with ‘his people’ and raise a camel corp to control the desert.
5 America It’s all very well dominating Europe, Asia and Africa, but taking over the world means that the wealth, power and people of the USA will have to embrace their new master. November itself will decide whether he encounters the cool strategy of Hillary Clinton or the lord of misrule, Donald Trump. Obviously Trump’s more fun, but it would be selfish to wish him victory just to fit my story. He’ll probably be leading a second civil war by January anyway.
