Kapp 2 Cape: Nordkapp to Cape Agulhas starting Oct 2012

Living my dream

10th October 2013

For a year I have been living my dream.

For a year, I have met the most incredible local people. I have been touched by the kindness offered, the smiles shared, the heartfelt waves. I have teased with the guides, laughed with the market sellers and listened to people’s stories. We have shared tea with some, meals with others. We have been given food to take with us on our way. We have been helped when we didn’t know which way to turn, and offered beds in homes of recently met people.

For a year, I have met the most amazing fellow travellers, kindred spirits. Some are travelling for a few weeks, some are travelling for many many months. Some are using public transport, some are in vehicles and some are bravely exploring on bicycles. And almost everyone is generous with their time, their company, their knowledge, their smiles, their hugs, their laughter – dished out liberally according to need. I have loved the openness and generosity that travellers share – no hoarding for personal gain, so familiar in corporate life. I have made many new friends with similar but truly unique experiences. I hope to see many of them again.

For a year, I have had no fashion police watching over my shoulder. No-one to check whether I am wearing this year’s clothes or last year’s. I am not worried about whether the colours I am wearing clash or co-ordinate – I am hopefully adding to the kaleidoscope of colours around me. I am complemented on wearing an authentic skirt – even if it is just a piece of fabric tied around my waist. No-one cares if I wore the same shirt yesterday as today, or my face is free of make-up, or my hair in need of styling.

For a year, I have escaped the entrapments of 21st century life and embraced a simple life. Everything I need is in the car – and at times, I feel that we still have too much, that day to day living would be easier with even less. There is no TV to soak up the waking hours, little internet to pass the time – so we chat more, read more and play games. We explore the markets for fruit and vegetables – enjoying the smells, listening to the sounds, and feasting our eyes on the colours and stomachs on the full flavours. We eat what we find in the roadside stalls, and test the new delights presented to us.

For a year, I have had the time to marvel at the world around me. I can move as quickly or as slowly as I desire – spending more time here and less time there. I have driven across deserts and mountains, through rainforests and wide open plains, along coasts and through gorges. I have climbed dunes and swum in lakes, hiked in the desert and lay on the beach. I have seen animals and watched birds. I have soaked up the sun and snoozed in the shade. I have felt the enormity and magic of this amazing continent.

For a year, I have seen the man I love come to life. And I have fallen in love all over again. I have watched him shed the work persona, the ‘conforming to a foreign country’ persona, the ‘juggling act’ persona. I have watched him warm from grey to full technicolour as he interacts with people, negotiates for my souvenirs, chats with the local children, barters in the market. I have fallen in love with his smile, his cheeky sense of humour, his adventurous spirit. I have valued his support, his strength, his determination. I have enjoyed being on his team – working seamlessly, unconsciously together, with little conflict or aggravation.

For a year, I have been free to be me – the real me. I have been free of job appraisals, telling me to do less of this and more of that, conform to this and adhere to that, stay in my box and think inside the circle. I am free to be peaceful and mindful, to savour the silence of solitude. I am free to be chatty and bubbly, and enjoy the company of others if I so choose. I am free to laugh and smile, free to joke and tease without fear of offending. I am free to share from my heart. I don’t have to convince or influence or change people’s minds – rather, I am free to inspire and help, free to show a world through my eyes. I am free to be me.

This is my dream.

Lovely piece straight from the heart ... from bubbly to bubbly!

Awesome!

Thanks for the photo - such a nice reminder!

Quick jaunt through Joburg

Oct 4th, 2013

Before starting our final whirl around South Africa, we made another stop in Jo'burg.  We are grateful for this mini base – where we can keep offloading our accumulating possessions!

Aside from offloading another box, cooking gas from Uganda, souvenirs and other odds and ends, the vehicle needed yet another stop in at Jonathan.  The timing belt installed in Rwanda needed a check as Viking Explorer felt it wasn’t quite right – we had lost power on the road, and the engine revved at a different pitch.  (It is funny – after being in the vehicle for so long, you just get to know what it should sound like!).  Turns out, the timing belt was one tooth out … such a small thing made such a big difference!  A bit of grease here and oil there, and soon Brodie was back on the road.

We also had acquired a crack in the windscreen from a flying stone as we entered Johannesburg.  This needed investigating.  PG Glass helped us out and ordered in new glass for us, and replaced it in an hour.

We also needed to change money – which was surprisingly difficult!  Exchange controls for South Africans meant that we needed rather a lot of paperwork to change dollars into rands!  Eventually, someone had an iota of sense at Standard Bank and we finally had local currency again.

Between taking care of other admin (lots of things need renewing when you have been on the road for a year …) and a quick visit to friends and family, we were back on the road again.

Destination: Northern Cape.

Off to the Northern Cape

6th Oct 2013

Despite my arguments, Viking Explorer wasn’t accepting that Northern Cape was a substitute for not visiting Nordkapp at the start of the adventure …

This is a special part of South Africa: more remote, more rugged, more arid, very beautiful. For me, it was a must-see, and I wanted to take Viking Explorer into Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. I visited 15 years ago when it was a little known park, deep in the Kalahari. Now, it is very popular, and I wanted to share the uniqueness of this arid park with him.

And we quickly realised how big South Africa is! After Uganda and Rwanda, where everywhere is only a few hours away, the distances in South Africa were astounding. The distance we travelled to cross Tanzania was the same as it took us from Johannesburg to the Park! Well, almost. But it was 2 long days in the car. And someone with a wry sense of humour enjoyed building the roads in long straight lines … numbing the mind.

We stopped overnight at Kuruman. This is the halfway point, and an introduction to the heat and dryness of the area. We wanted to visit Moffat’s Mission Station as well – now a museum – but the roadworks in the area made it a little difficult to find the entrance. Moffat’s daughter, Mary, was married to David Livingstone, and we wanted to link our visit here to our visit in Ujiji, Tanzania. Sadly, not to be this time.

The Red Sands Lodge was a perfect base for the night. They had plenty of cold drinks – perfect for weary, hot travellers – and a TV to watch the last of the rugby (what used to be called Trinations). Viking Explorer had to supress his true loyalties (All Blacks!!) to avoid a lynching from the South African supporters, so kept his mouth very quiet as the South African lost. We set up camp under one of the trees – and listened as the weavers and other birds twittered, watched as they built nests, and savoured the feeling of being in the dry, arid Kalahari environment. Red Sands is a small game farm, and so we were treated to (exotic) fallow deer wandering through the campsite at night …

Next morning, we continued to Upington to pick up the last few supplies and fuel before entering the park. This is Big Sky country: the landscape is flat, stretching from horizon to horizon, and the sky seems endless! It feels so big. And it is dry. The grass is dry, the bushes and trees no longer lush green, the landscape has a brown and red colour to it. Rather spectacular.

It was almost eerie as we drove through the towns and villages along the way – Sunday is very much a day of rest: shops were closed, streets were quiet. Only the parking lots of churches were busy as people dressed in their Sunday best and went to worship.
We were worried that we were find the same in Upington – but fortunately Pick n Pay does a roaring trade from tourists into and out of the Park, so they were open. The only other place open – aside from the fuel stations – was a little coffee shop! We had a break and a drink before starting the last 250km to the Park gate at Twee Rivieren.


Kgalagadi, here we come!

Nossob 4x4 Eco-Trail

10th October 2013

We spotted this trail in one of the South African 4×4 magazines, and it looked like a very good option to experience the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park up close and personal. The booking was soon made with the park directly, and we were very excited as we pulled up in front of the petrol station at Twee Rivieren to meet our guide and the other vehicles.

After introductions and a short briefing from our guide, we left Twee Rivieren just before nine in the morning. The drive to the trail head took us about an hour, and we stopped twice for lion and once for a pale-chanting goshawk eating a snake. Off to a good start.

The trail is beautiful as it winds its way along and over the sand dunes between the two river beds. It forms a two-spoor ribbon of red sand cutting through the grass and shrub clinging to the sand dunes. As the trail crests a dune the landscape opens up, providing sweeping vistas of rolling sand dunes as far as the eye can see, and at the taller dunes subtle changes in vegetation and sand mineral contents can be spotted. In the troughs the grass turns greener, posing a striking contrast to the red sand.

There is not much shade here. Hence, we did not see much life. There was the regular, and by now common, faces to be seen; gemsbok, the occasional stray springbok, red hartebeest, and a fleeting glimpse of a steenbok, but most of the two and four legged creatures had found a shady spot to spend the day. Easily understood when the temperature crept just above 40C during the day. As we were travelling north we had the sun in front of us the whole day.

The bush camps are basic and functional, and the two northernmost provide a bit of shade from the beating sun. They are all unfenced, giving free access for wildlife to investigate. There is a certain magic to sitting around the campfire at night, not quite knowing what is watching you from just outside the ring of light provided by the flames. And it is always interesting to have a close look at the ground around the vehicle in the morning to see who came to visit during the night.

Our first full day started at eight, only because we were all ready to go by then. This turned out to be the hottest day, and some of us were getting very grumpy from starting this late, missing out on at least an hour of cooler driving if starting earlier. We, and some of our fellow travellers, made a strong case of starting earlier to avoid the heat. This was accepted by the guide, and only grudgingly accepted by the last vehicle in the group. Hence, the two last days were better, and not as hot, as we started at seven in the morning.

Our guide provided us with handheld radios so we could keep in touch on the trail. They sort of worked. Not all vehicles could hear all messages being sent from the guide, nor could the guide hear all communication from the vehicles at the back. Sadly, the radios were also a bit under-utilized, in that very little information came from the guide about what we were passing in regards to wildlife and vegetation.

The trail is a good contrast to remaining on the tourist roads, and we were fortunate to be a small group of four vehicles and eight people in total. For us, the four day trail turned out to be one day too many. There is not enough variation to keep interest up for four days, especially in the summer months when the heat is on. Although spectacular, the landscape becomes monotonous in the end, and all the sand dunes are starting to look the same. Occasionally there is one dune that requires a bit more attention, but the monotony quickly creeps back in. The lack of game – and of birds – also contributed to the thought that a three day trail might be a more suitable offering.

Summary:

The Nossob 4×4 Eco Trail is a guided four day trail that runs off the beaten track in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It follows a two-spoor jeep track, more or less paralleling the main road along the Nossob river bed. The one trail head is about 40km north of Twee Rivieren, the other is about 60km north of Nossob. On odd months it runs in one direction, on even months it runs in the other direction. Our trail went south to north. We recommend choosing an odd month during summer so as to travel southwards.

Facts:

The trail is about 300km long, spanning four days of driving and three nights in bush camps.
The price for the trail is ZAR2,500 per vehicle, plus conservation fees.
The trail will be run with a min of two vehicles and a max of five or six (guide said five, website says six). Max occupancy per vehicle is five.
4×4 only, and no trailers.
All provisions, including water and wood, must be carried in, and all refuse carried out.
The days are very hot in summer, but the nights can be cool. In winter, night temperatures drop below freezing, sometimes to as low as -10C.
Booking of rest camp for the night before the trail is mandatory, and for the night after is highly recommended.

Hi all

We are working hard at the moment at bringing the blog and travel stories up to date! Scroll up for the latest few installments, and more will be added in the coming day.

Enjoy!
rgds
African GirlChild

October 15th 2013

Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park

What a fantastic week this has been! First we took part in the Nossob 4x4 Eco Trail, and then we explored the park for a few days. The sightings were many and good.

We arrived at Twee Rivieren Gate in the afternoon after starting from Kuruman in the morning and stopping off in Upington for food, fuel, and a cup of coffee. We had already made our bookings so the check-in procedure was straight forward. On the drive to Kgalagadi Transfronier Park we had also decided we wanted to stay longer than just the Eco Trail, so we looked into booking a few extra nights. Fortunately there was space at the main camps – no space at the wilderness camps we had hoped to stay at – probably as a result of travelling outside the main seasons. We headed off to find a stand at the camp site where we had a brief rest in the shade before embarking on an afternoon drive to the closest waterholes.

The Kgalagadi Transfronier Park is a park spanning South Africa and Botswana. It is situated in the Northern Cape, wedging itself in between the southern tip of Botswana and the southern end of Namibia. At Twee Rivieren it is possible to clear both SA and Botswana Immigration and Customs if using the Botswana part of the park. It is also possible to enter Namibia using the Namibian Customs and Immigration facilities at the border gate in the west of the park. For the South African part there is a basic road structure in the shape of a V with two connecting roads between the two main roads. Along the roads there are more than 40 waterholes mainly operated by solar power.

Our afternoon drive took us to the two closest waterholes heading towards the Mata-Mata Camp. Before we set off we had had a look at the game sighting board, and we were hoping to catch a glimpse of a group of cheetah hunting in that area. Unfortunately they were elusive that afternoon, but we did see herds of springbok, gemsbok and wildebeest, and a few pale-chanting goshawks. On the way back to camp we also had a good look at the verraux eagle-owl family nesting in a tree by the road.

The next morning we were due to meet our trail group at nine – this would give us plenty of time to do an early morning drive. Up at 0500, departing at gate opening time at 0600. Early, but still cool and with super light for early morning photography. We headed back up to the same road as the day before to hopefully see the cheetahs. We were not disappointed. We could sit quietly watching the female teaching her three cups how to hunt. They approached a herd of springbok very quietly, but the springbok must have been spooked by something because they ran off. Seeing their prey run away the cheetah decided to rest a bit more. It was now heading towards meeting time for our trail, so we headed back to camp.

Our trail ended about 60km north of the Nossob Camp. We said farewell to our group, and started our meander south to Nossob. We took our time, enjoying the sights, stopping at each waterhole to scan the surroundings for life and action. At the Kwang waterhole we were handsomely rewarded. On the approach we noticed a log with lots of birds on it. We stopped, took our binoculars out, and had a good look. The log was full of vultures, both white-backed and lappet-faced. Next to the vultures, under a tree, was a male lion. And under the next tree was a female lion. They were still quite far away so we inched closer to get a better viewpoint. There was obviously more to be seen as there were about four vehicles parked at the waterhole. When we arrived there we understood why; one male and two female lion were resting under the tree, panting away in the heat, still pink on face and paws from a recent meal. They had no intention of going anywhere for a long time; we had about an hour with them under the trees. While there, the two other lion came to join, and all the vultures – plus two secretary birds, two tawny eagles and a black-chested snake-eagle – came in to drink. For a period of time it looked like a busy airport with vultures queuing up to land. Magic.

That night at camp we were also treated to a lion roaring just outside the fence. We could almost feel the vibrations in our tent.

The next morning we left Nossob early to head to Mata-Mata. This also turned out to be a enjoyable drive – although hot – with a total of eight lion in three different sightings. The road we took is called the Upper Dune Road. It crosses between the Nossob river bed and the Auob river bed, traversing the dunes. This provides some spectacular views of an undulating road disappearing and reappearing amidst the red sand and the yellow grass. Mata-Mata turned out to be very hot, a lot hotter than both Nossob and Twee Rivieren had been. Having had some long days in the car we decided to stay put that afternoon, enjoying a cold drink and a dip in the pool (yes, all the main camps have pools!).

We again departed camp early, hoping to see more lion and cheetah. Again, we were fortunate to see both on our drive to Twee Rivieren, although they were very content to stay in the shade. On this drive, and on the short drive the following morning, we were also treated to some other special sights: pygmy falcon, cape fox, bat-eared fox namaqua sandgrouse with chicks, and a brown hyena.

At Twee Rivieren we caught up with a couple we had had a brief chat to at one of the waterholes, and were invited to join them for dinner.  This nicely rounded off a superb stay in Kgalagadi Transfronier Park.

We will be back!

Facts:
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park covers 3.6m hectares in South Africa and Botswana - this is the size of Switzerland.
The park is an arid park with semi-desert conditions. The average rainfall is 250mm per year.
Access in South Africa is via Upington on the N14. Upington is the place to stock up before heading north to the park and the Twee Rivieren gate.
There are three main camps with shop, fuel, and pool. Twee Rivieren also has a restaurant. These camps have power during the day (0530-2200).
There are a number of wilderness camps with chalets and/or tents, and a luxury lodge.
It is possible to enter the park from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Some of the border crossings can only be used if you have booked two or more nights’ stay in the park.
All bookings for accommodation can be done via SANParks central reservations, although last minute bookings can be made at the three main camps.
Gate opening and closing times varies throughout the year.

Augrabies Falls National Park

18th October 2013

After Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park we headed towards the next park to the west; Augrabies Falls National Park. We made another stop in Upington to stock up on food and fuel, had a quick cup of coffee, and set off. From Upington the road to the park follows the Orange River, and we soon found ourselves in a completely different landscape to the Kgalagadi; there were vineyards as far as the eye could see.

Augrabies Falls NP lies to the south of Kgalagadi, just north of the N14 and has a tiny border stretch with Namibia. It is a relatively small park at just over 55,000ha, established as a park in 1966. Accommodation includes chalets and family cottages, plus a large campsite. There is also a well-stocked shop at reception, and a privately owned and operated restaurant.

On arrival to the campsite we found a welcome spot in the shade, packed our groceries away, and enjoyed the birdlife around us. There is a research project involving pale-winged starlings at Augrabies, so we kept an eye out for those. Then, as the sun started to set, we headed down to the Falls. They are magnificent, especially in the glow of the setting sun. The access to the Falls consists of a walkway, and there are six viewing platforms within easy reach from the campsite. We were joined by a baboon who was sitting on a rock enjoying life and a beautiful sunset sky.

The campsite saw a steady trickle of people coming through; most stayed two nights, some only one, and our neighbours had set up camp for a week. They had also brought mountain bikes and running shoes, fully utilizing the offers of the park. With only leopard from the Big5 there are no restrictions to getting out and about on foot, as long as you stay on the trails. The biggest surprise for us was when one of the overland trucks came in to the campsite. Fortunately they were only three clients! and did not make any noise.

There is not a huge road network in the park. In essence it looks like a tennis racket with three different loops available; 68km, 80km and 100km. After the turnoff to one of the look-out points (at about 11km) only 4×4 is allowed. Unfortunately, the road out to where the loops start at 22km is very corrugated, which really takes away from the experience. We managed to reach the place where the loops start before our patience ran dry – and we decided to turn back. During the last 15km up to this point we had only seen a herd of kudu – other than that, the park looked like a deserted moon landscape (although we saw two groups of giraffe much closer to camp).

The park is beautiful, the landscape is stunning, the open areas are vast, and the mountains to the north are fascinating to look at while heading deeper into the park. We did not manage to do the park justice (probably because we had been so spoilt in the Kgalagadi) so it is still on our list of parks to visit in the future. When we come back we will bring our mountain bikes!

Facts:
The park entrance is just off the N14, about 120km west of Upington.
There is plenty accommodation, so drop-in in low season should not be a problem. Make sure you book in high season, though.
Most stands have access to power and a braai. The water is drinkable (use marked stand-pipes or ask at reception). There is also a campers kitchen, and a laundry with three washing machines.
Ask specifically for lists for birds, mammals and reptiles at reception when checking in.
The baboons and vervet monkeys are bold and naughty, and they will steal anything food related you have lying around.

Time for R&R

19th October 2013

While we were in Augrabies, we realised that we were both exhausted. Physically exhausted and mentally exhausted.

We had planned to continue onto a 4 days offroad trail along the Orange River, but when the reports we read talked about corrugations on the roads (just had 4 days of that in Kgalagadi) and talcum powder dust (had too many days of that in Tanzania), neither of us felt like subjecting ourselves to that. We wanted to explore the west coast too – but the weather forecast was the same as in the UK: 14C, rain and winds. We had no desire to subject ourselves to camping in the wet, nor sleeping on top of the vehicle in a gale!!!

So, we decided that it was time to rest our bodies, rest our minds and take time to recover. The most convenient place for that is … well … Johannesburg.

We packed up, and started the journey back. On our way, we stopped in at Orange River Cellars to buy some local wine. We had noticed rather a lot of vineyards on our way into Kgalagadi National Park, and also towards Augrabies. It was rather surprising to us, because the climate in the area is a lot drier and a lot hotter than the traditional wine producing region of Stellenbosch. Anyway, we decided we definitely needed to visit at least one of the wine estates. We thought wine tasting at 0900 was possibly a little too early, aside from that fact we were driving the rest of the day, so we settled for a few bottles to be enjoyed later.

Back onto the road, we stopped past Upington to top up airtime, and then continued on the road eastwards. It was still hot, although not quite as brutal as the 43C in Kgalagadi, and by 3pm we had had enough of being in the car. Once again, we spent the night in Kuruman at Red Sands lodge. Again, we met very friendly fellow campers, and one chap came and chatted to Viking Explorer for ages about the vehicle, the travels … we love sharing our story!

Next morning, we were up early and back on the road. This stretch is having major road upgrades, and we negotiated our way through the roadworks towards Johannesburg. By mid-morning the sun had been heating our faces for a few hours, so we stopped at Sannieshof at a magic little coffee shop! The break in the shade was very welcome, and we enjoyed an ice cold milkshake. Perfect!
After a few more hours on the road, we had joined the motorway network and drawing in on our resthouse …

Now, time to rest and recover.

We are working hard to add useful information to the blog – the sort of information that we would have loved to have when preparing for our adventure! Thanks to Viking Explorer, we have now added:

Visa information:
Please refer to our “Obtaining Visas” page for information about all the visas collected so far. There is also a tab at the top of the screen that will take you there.

GPS Waypoint downloads:
Viking Explorer has created GPS waypoint files for the countries we visited, including waypoints not on Tracks4Africa, which we thought you would find useful. Please feel free to use and share with other travellers. These can be found on our “Downloads” page on the blog

There is lots more information to come … so watch this space!

rgds
African GirlChild

Stunning!  

Relaxing in Jozi

25th October 2013

Our time in Johannesburg – known as Jo’burg or nowadays even Jozi – has been an interesting mix of relaxing and active. Most importantly for us, though, was to rest and recover and catch-up on our sleep.

It is interesting to be in Jozi after travelling through Africa. It is such an interesting mix of African and western cultures, with an incredible buzz of “aliveness” everywhere. The smiles we have been treated to as we explored southern and eastern Africa, have continued. I love the fact that even the tellers in the supermarkets return a greeting of “Good morning, how are you” with a flash of pearly whites and “fine thanks”. It makes for enjoyable interactions.

The driving is insane. Even after our experiences driving in Dakar, Senegal and Kampala, Uganda! Here, people drive fast. And I mean FAST. The roads are generally in good condition with few potholes, and people just wizz down as they rush from place to place. We have avoided the rush hour traffic times – just not brave enough.

I have been surprised by how many shopping centres are springing up everywhere – as modern and upmarket as the best of the UK! In fact, I prefer this variety: the gorgeous weather means many have more open designs, and cafes and coffee shops are frequently situated under shady trees or parasols.
Not without activity our first days in Jozi. We visited our dear friends the Dorset Crew who are about to become the George Crew as they relocate the coast of sunny South Africa. Viking Explorer enjoyed a day out with the male members of the George Crew at the Johannesburg International Motor Show just outside Jozi.  I am not sure who enjoyed it the most – but I don’t think it was the 8 year old ;)The highlight for the Viking definitely seemed to be the test drive in the new FJ Cruiser. All I kept hearing about was the 43 degree ramp that they went over, and how the Audi stand only had a mere miniature version “Pretending to play with the big boys” I think was the expression.


Our exploration of markets continued – but this certainly was a far cry from those we explored in Lilongwe or Uganda. The Bryanston Organic Market has long been a tradition and has grown to a rather spectacular market with all sorts of crafts and items on sale in addition to the organic produce.

We even saw a typical Moroccan tagine – something Viking Explorer had been wanting to invest in. There were paintings, brightly coloured clothing, beadwork – a complete feast for the senses. We met up with our dear friends Weavers Nest for a few hours of exploration. The kids were amply provided for with candle making, sand art and other activities available. A fabulous morning spent.

We have also been working at uploading content to the blog for other travellers. This week Viking Explorer worked hard at adding information on obtaining visas (see “Obtaining Visas” page on the blog) as well as creating GPS waypoint files for download (see “Downloads” page on the blog). It is so important to us that we share our knowledge while it is fresh and relevant.

And so we slowly emerged from the exhaustion.

Hi all!

We have now uploaded all the Fact Sheets from the countries we have visited so far. They are on the blog under "Downloads"

Please download them and use them – that’s what they are there for

Enjoy!!

PS Many thanks to Viking Explorer who worked so hard at these.

rgds
African GirlChild

Catching up in Jozi

1st November 2013

Despite the fact that we are in Jozi in early Summer, we haven’t been experiencing the typical scorching temperatures that we expected. In fact, it has been on and off drizzle for a few days – exactly what the parched African landscape needs. The most enjoyable of all – according to Viking Explorer – are the afternoon thunderstorms. It is quite spectacular to watch the dark clouds roll in, hear the booming thunder and literally feel the crackle of lightening. Then, the heavens open for a short sharp downpour … and within half an hour, clear blue skies return. It is quite magical to watch.

We have been enjoying catching up with friends while we are here. Not only spending time with Weavers Nest, the George Crew, we have also spent time with our Fairy Godchildren, and the Vets’ Menagerie (children, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, chickens …). It has been a very special time for us. The warmth of Africa continues as everyone welcomes us into their hearts and homes.

Slowly we are emerging from our exhausted stupor.

It is interesting for us to view South Africa again after our journey through many other African countries. In particular, it is interesting for us to see people’s attitudes towards the many many challenges that South Africa undeniably has. There are people who have actively chosen to live in South Africa – South Africans who have returned from abroad, foreigners who have moved to South Africa or South Africans who have passed on an opportunity to live abroad. They face the challenges with a smile, slightly more tolerant for the quirks of dealing with inefficient systems and generally a love of being in such a beautiful country. But I do recognise that there are many others who view mainly “problems” – from the traffic (which is surprisingly heavy most of the day), to the challenge of finding jobs, to the inefficient service associated with any interaction with a government or municipal department. I have to confess, my experience of renewing my driver’s license – a chore to be repeated only every 5 years fortunately – was fairly trying. It was quite shocking to queue outside until doors opened at 8am, only to discover that somehow about 50 people were already in the room inside waiting!

The safety issue is still a highlight on people’s minds, and while we haven’t experienced anything ourselves, the news is filled with some scary stories. I am unsure how to process information such as “be careful shopping at <such & such> shopping centre because the tsotsis (thieves) are bussed in”. Yes, certainly we are always careful, but we haven’t felt like we were being stalked. We keep valuables out of sight when in the car. We keep doors closed to the garden after dark when at my parent’s house. But we certainly don’t feel unsafe or threatened in any way. I think that cautious would be the relevant interpretation.

We have also continued to work had at adding more new content to the blog in the form of Fact Sheets. We hope that these will prove to be valuable for future travellers (see the Dowloads page).
We have been doing a little vehicle check over too. Our rooftop tent has made at least 1 trip through Africa prior to our adventure – and I suspect another previously. It is getting a little tired, and we have been looking at having repairs done. I have also wanted to fill the gaps in country flags. Is hasn’t been very easy to find flag stickers from each country we explored, so some “fill in the blanks” has been needed. I have finally placed an order.

And we continue to relax, drink coffee, and read. It is lovely to have time to catch up with ourselves.

Visits in Jozi

9th November 2013

After months on the road, we are quite enjoying the modern conveniences – a “normal” bed, a roof over our heads, our own bathroom, hot running water and internet access! Our definition of luxury has changed over the year – it is incredible how easy it is to keep us happy now

It is carnet renewal time. From the UK travellers we have met on the road, we have learned about changes that have taken place in the RAC this year on the road. The people we dealt with last year in the issuing of the carnet are no longer there, and it certainly feels like there has been a bit of tightening up of the issuing. That said, so far I have found them to be reasonably efficient in email correspondence, and I have only had to call them twice so far, once about the delivery address and once to pay. However, the strictness has been felt in that they won’t send the new carnet until we are inside 2 weeks until the old one expires, and the overlap between old and new carnets is … well … only 1 day. Sadly, that only gives us 1 specific day that we can sort this out, and that specific day happens to be a Saturday. More updates as this progresses.

Our flag stickers for the vehicle have arrived! I engaged the help from Viking Explorer, and we spent some time taking off our large flags and replacing them with medium flags. This freed up space for all the small country flags, as well as leaving gaps for new countries! We are very happy with how it has all turned out, and realise – visually – how much we have travelled.

We have also been caught up in a whirlwind of visitors! The first to arrive was family from the UK – my brother and sister-in-law and newest addition to African GirlChild’s family clan. I had a fabulous few days to play aunt.

The Bulgarians arrived in full force! Although my dear friend Borislava didn’t make it out, her son, her brother and her father did. I take my hat off to the youngster taking his uncle and father on his Gap Year trip.

My aunt and uncle made the journey from Cape Town, and a lovely evening was spent recreating a mock Christmas Eve meal … at least, it felt like Christmas Eve to Viking Explorer as we had a delicious roast pork, which is traditional Norwegian Christmas food in the Viking Explorer household.

Our hard work – well, Viking Explorer mainly – has continued to the creation of Fact Sheets from every country that we visited, as well as an accompanying GPS waypoint file. Please do have a look at he “Downloads” page, and feel free to download and use.

Apartheid Museum

12th November 2013

For years we have wanted to visit the Apartheid Museum, and we made it a priority this time. It is an enormous museum, and while they suggest setting aside 2 hours for a visit, that certainly wasn’t nearly enough.

The temporary exhibition was about the life of Nelson Mandela, but unfortunately was laid out very badly, and we never worked out the order to the display – one minute we were reading about his childhood growing up in the Transkei, the next it was about his political involvement as a young man, and then suddenly he was being freed from jail! Rather confusing, but I am sure it would have been more engaging had it been sequentially laid out.

The rest of the museum housed the permanent exhibition, and this was very well laid out, very comprehensive, and gave me such an insight into what happened, and what the issues were. The museum starts the story back in the 1800s, even before the first settlers arrived from Europe, when the southern African tribes were moving around and warring with each other. After the arrival of settlers, together with their slaves, the story unfolds.

It was mainly posters, but the exhibition was dotted with TVs showing mini documentaries, a full size casspir was on display (anti-riot vehicle) and a mock up of a tiny cell used for solitary confinement. It was a mere 2.5 metres long, and I could touch both walls across the width. No window. In 2 places, there were also small theatres which showed 20 minute movies. I found it incredibly moving, and at times I certainly shed a tear or two as I listened, read, watched.

I was a child of the 70s and 80s, growing up in apartheid South Africa, and was finishing high school the year that Mandela was released. I remember very little of the political goings on at that time, aside from the trade union demonstrations and marches that took place in downtown Johannesburg. I remember some of the TV news broadcasts of the activities within the townships, including the bright yellow casspirs, but didn’t really understand what the political wranglings were.

The one aspect that was really missing for me at the museum, though, was the fact that not all white South Africans bought into apartheid. The museum unfortunately makes it appear that as a white South African, you were all in favour of the state of apartheid, when this isn’t the case. The portrayal is that resistance to apartheid was from the blacks, and while on the whole this is true (due to sheer numbers) it overlooks the fact that most whites were not supportive. This was echoed so loudly in the referendum in 1992 when we whites could vote on whether the government should proceed with its plan to dismantle apartheid. The 68% majority YES vote is a powerful indication.

The other aspect for me, is what a miracle it was that South Africa did not descend into civil war in the run up to Mandela’s release, as well as in the ensuing years. I was intrigued to discover that there were a lot of discussions taking place between the government and Mandela in the years prior to his release, in an effort to bring about change. The museum even had footage of Mandela meeting the then president PW Botha – complete with suit and tie and not a handcuff in sight! And when change did come, it came swiftly: FW de Clerk took over from PW Botha as President in September 1989. In his first speech after assuming the party leadership, at the opening of Parliament on 2nd February 1990, he called for a non-racist South Africa and for negotiations about the country’s future. He lifted the ban on the African National Congress (ANC) and a few days later, released Nelson Mandela. He brought apartheid to an end and opened the way for the drafting of a new constitution for the country based on the principle of one person, one vote.

It is an incredible story, and we should never forget.

Sandton Craft Market

16th November 2013

It was opening day! When we arrived, there were still powertools and powermen wandering around putting the finishing touches on the new Sandton Craft Market. Not all the stalls were occupied yet, and the crowds hadn’t yet discovered the market, tucked away off Nelson Mandela Square next to the Sandton Library.

It gave us a chance to savour some of the cuisine without fighting our way from table to table. Our favourite was sweet mini-pizzas, complete with chocolate spread and melted marshmallows!

Inside, the crafts were innovative and creative! We particularly liked the wine glasses made from wine bottles, and the ornaments made from discarded flip-flops. There were lots of other arts and craft, though, from handcrafted wooden toys to plates, clothing to table mats – definitely something for everyone.

A particularly family friendly touch was the central garden with shaded tables and bouncy castle!

Health Round-up

17th November 2013

One concern on the road is always keeping healthy and avoiding any major illnesses. We have been extremely fortunate on our travels, with few major incidents, and I thought it was worth sharing our experiences.

On the whole, we were a lot healthier than we ever were in the UK – the constant niggle of colds and flu were fortunately absent for the most part. However, we were inflicted along the way, though fortunately nothing stopped the adventure.

Reaction to anti-malaria medication: Lariam

In Senegal, I finally realised that the depressed and anxious feelings I had were more than just travel fatigue – in fact, I was reacting to the anti-malaria medication that I was taking. Read more about this on the post “Those darn anti-malarials”.

Malaria

We were very fortunate in this case – we never contracted malaria during our travels, despite others in the vicinity catching it. Either our anti-malaria medication really worked, or we were just extremely fortunate that the bites we had (a lot of them!) were not infected. We were good about covering up the evenings, and used insect repellent, so it all helped.

Tonsillitis

Well, this was a huge surprise. I had been fighting a sore throat for about a week in Botswana and into Nambia, and had no idea what it was. Having never had tonsillitis as a child, I couldn’t quite fathom what was happening. When I woke up one morning and couldn’t swallow properly, and it took an hour to drink a cup of tea, I realised that a visit to a doctor was in order. He diagnosed it immediately, put me on a course of antibiotics, strong pain killers and a medicated mouthwash. I was completely unfit to drive – the painkillers were incredible – and within a few days I was right as rain.

Giardiasis

This is easier to identify after the fact. Viking Explorer was unwell while in Katima Mulilio (Namibia) and Livingstone (Zambia) – just feeling a bit under the weather, nothing that we could really identify. The ‘unwell’ symptoms seemed to disappear and reappear, and were accompanied by particularly odorous burps. At the time we had no idea what it was, but a trip to the pharmacist in Livingstone resulted in a course of antibiotics and Viking Explorer came right.

African GirlChild then followed suit when crossing from Tanzania to Uganda. The symptoms were slightly different: no potent burps, but stomach cramps and slightly upset stomach. Eventually, a visit to the local pharmacist resulted in a course of anti-giardiasis treatment which seemed to clear up all ills.
Giardiasis is caused by cysts of the parasite Giardiaintestinalis which is carried in water. Chemical treatments of water – chlorine or silver ions – do not kill the cysts; boiling does. For the rest of Uganda we bought bottled water or boiled water to prevent a re-occurance.

Malawi Bug

No idea what this one was. We had stayed at the Mabuya Backpackers in Lilongwe, which was a hive of activity and the starting and finishing point for many backpackers in the area. As a result, I am sure that there were many bugs being carried around by other travellers. Both Viking Explorer and Tom (cyclist from opdentandem.net) succumbed to the bug on the last night we all stayed in Lilongwe. Viking Explorer was generally under the weather, suffered a fever and runny nose for many days until we visited a clinic in Northern Malawi. A dose of antibiotics took a week to knock it back, but Viking Explorer was generally an unhappy traveller for those 2 weeks.

Tumbu Fly / Putzi Fly

This makes for a great story over drinks! I noticed a few bites when we were camping at Red Chilli Backpackers in Kampala, Uganda. These later developed into rather uncomfortable small boils – which of course I just HAD to squeeze. To my initial horror – a tiny little larva came out!

It turns out that this is quite common in the tropics of east and central Africa (and other continents). The Tumbu fly lays eggs in clothing hung out to dry. When the clothes come into contact with your skin, the eggs hatch and the larvae burrows into the skin. These develop into full grown maggots if left alone – but I would imagine the boils would be quite painful by that stage.

The larvae are easy to remove: a dab of Vaseline or other ointment over the top (which is the breathing hole) followed a while later (next day or so) with a squeeze usually gets rid of the little critter. In themselves, the larvae don’t cause any harm, but be sure to look after the wound after the larvae has been removed.

Poor Viking Explorer had to play doctor for the 5 bites that were on my back and buttocks. Not fun for him at all! When we told the story to Tom and Jemina, Tom laughed, nodded knowingly, and told us his mom and aunt had grown up in Belgian Congo and this was quite a regular occurrance!

In theory, avoid hanging clothes outside to dry. Which is all fine and well if you aren’t on an overland trip camping your way around …

Summary

When I look back on the post, it all looks like we had more serious health issues than it felt! Considering we were on the road for over a year, and explored so much, I feel that we had relatively little to deal with.

It was helpful that we had a little “Lonely Planet Healthy travel: Africa” pocket size book with us – at least we had some sort of reference while we tried to figure out what we had

At the end of the day, we always found help when we needed it, and fortunately never succumbed to anything life threatening.

Those darn anti-malarials

18th November 2013

It is such a tough decision: First, whether to take anti-malarials while travelling, or not. Second, which ones to take. For a short trip to Africa – or any malaria area – the answer is straight forward: definitely take them. For a longer trip, especially for a year or more, the answer is less straight forward. Is taking strong medication for such an extended period more harmful to the body than dealing with malaria itself?
In the end, we decided that it was worth taking anti-malarials. While there is no one medication which is 100% guaranteed to prevent malaria (it is important to realise this), we felt that only relying on covering up and insect repellent was taking a bit of a risk.

Lariam / Mefloquine

First, we started with Lariam / mefloquine. Mefloquine is the ingredient, Lariam the brand name drug. To my mind, these are one and the same, but some people we met were reacting to one and not the other – which confuses me no end.

Unfortunately, I reacted to the Lariam – but not in the way I expected. If I had had hallucinations, I would have known immediately what the problem was. Instead, I was anxious. And I realised much much later that the “anxious” side-effect is different for each person, which is why it is difficult as a sufferer to know when you are reacting to Lariam.

It seems that the Lariam takes whatever your natural, every day anxiety is, and grows it into a super-sized monster that controls you. For me, my natural anxiety is about personal safety, and a fear of being physically attacked. The Lariam did a stupendous job on this – I got to the point in Senegal where I was physically unable to get out of the car at markets to browse and buy groceries – I was petrified that I would be attacked. I had to sit and compose myself for 5 minutes in the car before I could contemplate opening the door and stepping out. I would behave like a frightened rabbit the whole time I was in the market – ready to bolt at the slightest nudge or bump from a person – and would rush back to the vehicle as soon as I could. Horrible for me. Horrible for Viking Explorer.

Even after I worked out the issue and stopped taking the drug, it took many weeks to come out of the system. While we were camping south of Dakar (for 2 weeks), and I was cleaning out the system, I was physically afraid to walk 300m out of the campsite to the bakery to buy bread. I was terrified.

We met cyclists when we were in Namibia, and the lady had also reacted to Lariam earlier in the trip. In her case, her natural anxiety was her nut allergy, and making sure that she didn’t eat any foods containing nuts. The Lariam made her similarly neurotic: she tells how she would be halfway through eating a meal containing no nuts, when she would be convinced that there were indeed nuts in the food, and so stop eating. It got to the point where she wasn’t eating very much at all – all because of the drug. She too came off it.

Doxycycline

Then, while we were in South Africa waiting for the vehicle to arrive, we visited Kruger National Park for 10 days – a known malaria area. This time, we opted for Doxycycline – mainly as it was about 2% of the price Malarone / Malanil. There was some concern about sun sensitivity, a known side-effect of Doxycycline, as we were going on a walking trail. Fortunately, we were unaffected.

However, our nut-allergy friend told us that when she switched from Lariam to Doxycycline, she had extreme sun sensitivity, and as they were cycling, this was a real issue. Despite layering the Factor 50 sunscreen, and covering up with bandages and clothing, she was being severely burnt, with oozing welts.

She stopped taking this too.

Artemisia Annua

When we were preparing to depart from South Africa on stage 2, we again needed to make the decision about anti-malarial medication. We were reluctant to take Doxycycline for an extended period as it is an antibiotic. This time, 2 different friends in South Africa recommended going down the natural route, and so we decided to give Artemisia Annua a try.

Artemisia Annua has been used by the Chinese for over two thousand years in the treatment of many illnesses, including skin diseases and malaria. More recently, in the 1960s and 1970s a Chinese research project was set up under the Chinese Army to find adequate treatment for malaria. Artemisia annua was one of 5,000 traditional Chinese medicines tested, and was found to be the most effective, and cleared malaria parasites from patients’ bodies faster than any other drug.

There is some scepticism from WHO about using Artemisia for prevention, and there also seems to be confusion caused as the name Artemisia is used to indicate both the natural compound (grown from the plant) and the most active ingredient of the plant which is synthesized chemically in a laboratory.

In spite of WHO scepticism, we decided that taking a natural remedy was likely to be less damaging to the body than antibiotics, and was certainly better than taking nothing. We took the natural, whole plant version, manufactured by Nordman.

We had no side-effects, and were fortunate not to contract malaria while taking this. We may just have been extremely lucky, but we felt that the natural remedy was instrumental.

Treatment of malaria

We were extremely fortunate not to contract malaria while travelling – as many people still do even while taking anti-malarials. That said, it seem to us that treatment for malaria in Africa is probably some of the best, since these countries deal with it day in and day out. Testing for it is almost routine, and treatment starts immediately. Many aid organisations and charities have poured a lot of money into malaria treatment in Africa, and the treatment seems readily available. Our dear friends Tom and Jemina (cyclists from opdentandem.net) contracted malaria in Tanzania, and said that they received excellent treatment. Malawi had many clinics and health centres, also appearing to provide easy access treatment.

Summary

This article by no means constitutes medical advice, but we want to share with you our first hand experience of trying to prevent malaria while on the road.

Christmas Wishes

25th December 2013

Well, I really can’t believe how Christmas has snuck up on us this year!  It is amazing to think that this time last year we were in Western Sahara – Dakhla to be precise.  We were enjoying the sun and warmth, and savouring the freedom of our life changing decision to travel through Africa.

Stage 2 of the adventure was the completely unexpected, the completely replanned part of the trip.  For us, it was the surprise and planning on the road that was most enjoyable – we had never expected to be travelling in the eastern parts of Africa at all!  Truly magic.

But we reached the point where we were tired on the road, suffering from sensory overload.  I liken our adventure to 25 years of 2 week holidays:  with all the excitement of anticipation, the enjoyment of the experience, and the remembering afterwards – all rolled into one.  It has been amazing.

So for us, it is time to pause, reflect, consolidate and take stock.

At the moment, our focus is on sharing all the information with fellow travellers.  We have already created Fact Sheets and GPS waypoint files (please visit the Downloads page) which we hope will be useful for others.

Now, we’ll be engaging a little more creativity as we write a book about the adventure, and plan to also put together a selection of some of our favourite photographs and publish in some format.  With our faithful followers dotted all over the world, the distribution part of the book is likely to be an adventure in itself!  Viking Explorer is also working hard at creating some videos from each country we visited, so that everyone can experience a little taste of the adventure with us.

We’ll keep you updated as our many ideas take root, sprout, grow, and grow!  Videos, books, photos … and anything else we come up with.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support, encouragement and good wishes.  We wish you a festive Christmas, and may 2014 bring you much love, fun, happiness, safe travels and abundance in all your pursuits!

"We’ll keep you updated as our many ideas take root, sprout, and grow!"

Please, the very thought of sprouts ...   

A belated Merry Christmas to you two as well. By the way, congrats are in order, do you realise the views for this thread have now reached over 5,000? Wey hey, apart from the generic post entitled What are your overland drive(s) which is always going to be a winner, yours is a first for an individual post on this forum!    

Tom Mc wrote:

Please, the very thought of sprouts ...   

Hehehehe  Post duly edited to save you the thought

Tom Mc wrote:

By the way, congrats are in order, do you realise the views for this thread have now reached over 5,000? Wey hey, apart from the generic post entitled What are your overland drive(s) which is always going to be a winner, yours is a first for an individual post on this forum!    

Wow!      

That is amazing!  We hope that everyone has enjoyed following our adventure as much as we have enjoyed sharing it with you all as we travelled The support has been incredible - and we particularly appreciated it while on the road.

It is incredible to think that the last year actually happened.

In many ways, it already feels like it was a dream – thank goodness we have the blog and the many photos to remind us of what we experienced, lived, enjoyed!

Together, we have been in discussion about the book. Our aim is create something that appeals to the wider audience than just fellow travellers. We want it to be a piece of work that will share our incredible adventure, but not necessarily be a handbook for someone to prepare for their own adventure. We feel that there are many excellent books out there which serve this purpose very well, and there is lots of information on our website too.

This is a massive learning curve for us! Writing a book is not something either of us have done before. But then, embarking on an overland adventure was new to us too, and I think we did OK on that And similar to the overland adventure, there is lots of research involved … the publishing world has changed so much, and the possibilities seem endless!

So, we are balancing our time between the writing of the book, and the research of what, how, where we can publish our story. The writing has reached 15,000 words so far, with much of the story left to be written!

Do keep following our progress!

Hi Happy new year, and still enjoy following your posts.