Due to the changing transport issues, we don't have any cooking equipment with us until we meet up with Shashe, so its an easy first breakfast as all we have to do is roll out of our sleeping bags, rub the sleep out of our eyes, and head up the hill to the bar where food is waiting. Everyone has been warned not to get used to this - slave labour starts soon!
This trip is a participation tour, which means that everyone gets involved with cooking, cleaning, washing up and the all-time favourite - packing. We've chosen not to run a rota except for cooking - which technically means no one ever has a day off!
With duties still a distant threat until the afternoon we pack up and leave Highlanders for the border. We follow the Oliphants wine route for a while and pass through Springbok, which features mountains where gold was mined. The drive is uneventful and we reach the South African border in good time. Some time later and we're through, all in one piece. We only have 10km to go after the border (the Orange River is the actual physical border between South Africa and Namibia) until we get to our Camp - Felix Unite.
Felix Unite is a beautiful campsite, with a much needed pool overlooking the very swollen river (we couldn't stay at our usual campsite on the South African side as its currently underwater - on the way down last time we were getting reports that the water levels of the river were rising 1m per day - so no canoeing then!)
Tip of the day: South African Rand have the same value as Namibian dollars and can be used in Namibia
Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Day 1 - And we're off...
Its only day one and already this tour is different! South African authorities have decided to limit foreign registered trucks in and out of the country, so we've had to 'make a plan' (a necessary skill in Africa).
Letaloi and Shashe left the workshop and headed over the border yesterday, and we will be following tomorrow, but in the meantime we're in a special South African charter vehicle for the first two days of our adventure. A sense of flexibility and willingness to adapt is definitely a bonus when it comes to overlanding, and two phrases should be kept in mind at all times - "TIA" or 'This Is Africa' and of course, Africa time!
There are 14 pax (passengers) starting from Capetown and the first stop is a highlight, as well as an eye-opener. The guys head off on a township tour, run by guides who live in one of the largest townships in the area (Langa). The tour includes a visit to local homes, community buildings and historic areas, such as the old overcrowded hostels where men used to live in appalling conditions to be close to their areas of work. On a lighter note, lunch in a local restaurant is included as well as an obligatory trip to a local bar where the guys could try the local ale (looks, smells and tastes like off milk - nice!)
I use the time during the township tour to go shopping for the fresh ingredients we need for the first couple of days of the tour - and once we're reunited, we load onto our temporary truck and start the overlanding element of the tour.
Day 1 is a nice easy drive - only 260km on sealed roads - luxury! We travel past the Cederburg Mountains, and the famous flower fields (its not the season, but still a pretty drive). Home for the night is Highlanders Campsite, with an awesome bar overlooking vineyards and mountains - a perfect setting for winetasting and sunset pictures.
Winetasting is the perfect icebreaker for a new group, and the African Ruby (the local fortified red) goes down especially well...
Letaloi and Shashe left the workshop and headed over the border yesterday, and we will be following tomorrow, but in the meantime we're in a special South African charter vehicle for the first two days of our adventure. A sense of flexibility and willingness to adapt is definitely a bonus when it comes to overlanding, and two phrases should be kept in mind at all times - "TIA" or 'This Is Africa' and of course, Africa time!
There are 14 pax (passengers) starting from Capetown and the first stop is a highlight, as well as an eye-opener. The guys head off on a township tour, run by guides who live in one of the largest townships in the area (Langa). The tour includes a visit to local homes, community buildings and historic areas, such as the old overcrowded hostels where men used to live in appalling conditions to be close to their areas of work. On a lighter note, lunch in a local restaurant is included as well as an obligatory trip to a local bar where the guys could try the local ale (looks, smells and tastes like off milk - nice!)
I use the time during the township tour to go shopping for the fresh ingredients we need for the first couple of days of the tour - and once we're reunited, we load onto our temporary truck and start the overlanding element of the tour.
Day 1 is a nice easy drive - only 260km on sealed roads - luxury! We travel past the Cederburg Mountains, and the famous flower fields (its not the season, but still a pretty drive). Home for the night is Highlanders Campsite, with an awesome bar overlooking vineyards and mountains - a perfect setting for winetasting and sunset pictures.
Winetasting is the perfect icebreaker for a new group, and the African Ruby (the local fortified red) goes down especially well...
Capetown - the calm before the storm...
Arriving back in the office is always a bit strange after 18 days off in between circuits - during which the most challenging thing we have to do is decide where (and when) to sleep. This time, its out with the old and in with the new as we find out we are changing trucks - so goodbye 'tati' and hello 'shashe'!
Before a trip starts, we (the crew) are in the office for three days, preparing the truck, making sure everything is in place and doing possibly the biggest imaginable food shop to (hopefully) set truck supplies up all the way to Uganda - 11000km and over 50 days away.
This time, we must move all our equipment from one truck to the other, not forgetting the essentials that make the truck our home on the road - photos, information sheets, and of course skeleton duty rosters - which can only be filled in once we've met the awesome people who are travelling with us for the next 11, 19, 34 or 41 days.
Tomorrow Letaloi and I will head to Makro, then off to Ashanti Greenpoint for predeparture - we'll next be in Capetown after 120 days on the road...
Overlanding must haves:
Before a trip starts, we (the crew) are in the office for three days, preparing the truck, making sure everything is in place and doing possibly the biggest imaginable food shop to (hopefully) set truck supplies up all the way to Uganda - 11000km and over 50 days away.
This time, we must move all our equipment from one truck to the other, not forgetting the essentials that make the truck our home on the road - photos, information sheets, and of course skeleton duty rosters - which can only be filled in once we've met the awesome people who are travelling with us for the next 11, 19, 34 or 41 days.
Tomorrow Letaloi and I will head to Makro, then off to Ashanti Greenpoint for predeparture - we'll next be in Capetown after 120 days on the road...
Overlanding must haves:
- Sense of humour and willingness to get up early!
- Sleeping bag (and check first which weight you'll need - the Namibian desert and Ngorogoro Crater in the African winter are COLD)
- Closed shoes and flip flops
- Waterproof (for rainy season)
- Torch (preferably head torch)
- Ipod or similar (audio books are a good option as you can look out of the window at the amazing scenery)
- Passport/ yellow fever certificate
- Camera, batteries, charger (plus spare memory cards, or USB sticks)
- Phone charger
- Adapters for chargers (and note - South African adapters are not part of a universal charger)
- Small padlock and key for internal lockers on truck
- Pens, paper, cards etc
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