How a chance meeting with an old friend in a London pub, lead me to a 20 day trip across 5 countries.
A report of my 1st overland experience and in fact my introduction to Landcruiser ownership.
Aug-Sept 2000
Participants:
J Tee, T Tee, A Goodin - 60G
J Ardagh and family - 80GX
C Nortjie and family - 80VX
Day 1 -1 week:
I wake early, it is going to be a long day. One last check to make sure I have everything ready for the trip and head outside and into the early morning hustle and bustle of London. I ride the Piccadilly line to work, fighting with my backpack through the crowded station. God I wish this day was over.
Finally it is time to go and Andrew and I head for Heathrow and the flight via Luxembourg, Johannesburg and finally to Cape Town.
Day 1 -6 days:
Cape Town, time to meet with Julian and sort out the purchasing of the Cruiser, he is sad to see it go a lot of memories there for him, but he now has the 80, and so the 60 is mine, well it will be by the end of the day after I have sorted out the registration and new license docs.
Day 1 -5 days:
To get a feel for the Cruiser we head out of town and up to Knynsa for a few days, I want to familiarise myself with the Cruiser and at the same time show Andrew a bit of the Cape.
Day 1 -3 days:
Back in Cape Town, and it is time to visit TW&T to fit a new set of tyres, I had done my research and had chosen Conti-something-or-others, "No we don’t stock those" the salesman says, "but we have these, the best tyre on the market" Yokahama Geolanders, and so I was mislead by a salesman, and not for the first time
After the tyres, we head of to Macro, to by essentials like food and camping equipment and the next few days are spent packing and trying to find space in the Cruiser everything.
Day 1:
I wake Andrew and Tristan and head the packed Cruiser towards Julian's house and the start of our African adventure. Only Julian has been called to JHB for a last minute meeting, so he waves us off, and Simone(Julian's wife) will drive the first leg, and we will meet up again in Gabs.
We head out of Cape Town and up the N7, waiting at a filling station for Carl and the 3rd Land Cruiser in the convoy. We drive on - Vanrhynsdorp, Calvinia, Kenhardt, Kakamas, and on to Augrabies our 1st nights stop. If I think how long it took to get settled this first night, to set up camp and prepare the supper, I am surprised we didn't pack it all in and head home, but we didn't and eventually found ourselves around the campfire with full tummies and a bottle of port, which mysteriously vanished in the night
Day 2:
I think it took longer to pack up, than it did to set up last night, but we are done, and head back through Kakamas, to Upington, where I have to find the PG Autoglass, as it suddenly dawned on me that I had forgotten to insure the 60 :shock: So while I spend an hour or so sorting that out the others do some last minute shopping and replenish the depleted port stocks.
Sishen, Kuruman, Vryburg, Mafikeng, Zeerust, and we decide not to camp as it is late and we want to get an early start to meet Julian at Gabs international airport. Can't remember the name of the place we stayed, but we could not find food that night, the town was locked up tight, and all we could find was a dodgy café, with shrink wrapped sandwiches. So we went to bed, tired and hungry.
Day 3:
Our early start is out the window, breakfast is just too tempting, Julian will have to wait. We cross the 1st of many borders into Botswana and meet Julian, but only after being forced off the road for an official convoy to pass. We camp that night at the Khama Rhino sanctuary, and have our first real bush fire and settle in with stories of our journey thus far.
Day 4:
On to Kubu Island, with a brief stop at Letlhakane for petrol, we head out onto Sowa Pan, using only the Veronica Roodt guide and an old Magellan GPS (no T4A here) we make our way to Kubu. The attendant meets us at the big baobab, and asks us to follow him, he jumps on his ancient bicycle and races of at speed, with his assistant on foot behind. We ask about the wildlife and if there are any lion in the area, he tells us with a smile there are not.
We quickly setup camp and set about exploring the island, walking firstly across and then back to camp around the circumference towards the setting sun. You feel really remote and alone out here, and after a while your mind starts to play tricks on you, and you wonder if the attendant was right, and just what you would do if you did come across a lion in the wilderness.
The sun sinks in a firey sky and a million stars leap into the inky black heavens, we spent some time laying flat on our backs on the roof-rack, gazing up at the milky way. (Living in London you do not see many stars, and not many people there believe you can see so many with the naked eye).
A report of my 1st overland experience and in fact my introduction to Landcruiser ownership.
Aug-Sept 2000
Participants:
J Tee, T Tee, A Goodin - 60G
J Ardagh and family - 80GX
C Nortjie and family - 80VX
Day 1 -1 week:
I wake early, it is going to be a long day. One last check to make sure I have everything ready for the trip and head outside and into the early morning hustle and bustle of London. I ride the Piccadilly line to work, fighting with my backpack through the crowded station. God I wish this day was over.
Finally it is time to go and Andrew and I head for Heathrow and the flight via Luxembourg, Johannesburg and finally to Cape Town.
Day 1 -6 days:
Cape Town, time to meet with Julian and sort out the purchasing of the Cruiser, he is sad to see it go a lot of memories there for him, but he now has the 80, and so the 60 is mine, well it will be by the end of the day after I have sorted out the registration and new license docs.
Day 1 -5 days:
To get a feel for the Cruiser we head out of town and up to Knynsa for a few days, I want to familiarise myself with the Cruiser and at the same time show Andrew a bit of the Cape.
Day 1 -3 days:
Back in Cape Town, and it is time to visit TW&T to fit a new set of tyres, I had done my research and had chosen Conti-something-or-others, "No we don’t stock those" the salesman says, "but we have these, the best tyre on the market" Yokahama Geolanders, and so I was mislead by a salesman, and not for the first time
After the tyres, we head of to Macro, to by essentials like food and camping equipment and the next few days are spent packing and trying to find space in the Cruiser everything.
Day 1:
I wake Andrew and Tristan and head the packed Cruiser towards Julian's house and the start of our African adventure. Only Julian has been called to JHB for a last minute meeting, so he waves us off, and Simone(Julian's wife) will drive the first leg, and we will meet up again in Gabs.
We head out of Cape Town and up the N7, waiting at a filling station for Carl and the 3rd Land Cruiser in the convoy. We drive on - Vanrhynsdorp, Calvinia, Kenhardt, Kakamas, and on to Augrabies our 1st nights stop. If I think how long it took to get settled this first night, to set up camp and prepare the supper, I am surprised we didn't pack it all in and head home, but we didn't and eventually found ourselves around the campfire with full tummies and a bottle of port, which mysteriously vanished in the night
Day 2:
I think it took longer to pack up, than it did to set up last night, but we are done, and head back through Kakamas, to Upington, where I have to find the PG Autoglass, as it suddenly dawned on me that I had forgotten to insure the 60 :shock: So while I spend an hour or so sorting that out the others do some last minute shopping and replenish the depleted port stocks.
Sishen, Kuruman, Vryburg, Mafikeng, Zeerust, and we decide not to camp as it is late and we want to get an early start to meet Julian at Gabs international airport. Can't remember the name of the place we stayed, but we could not find food that night, the town was locked up tight, and all we could find was a dodgy café, with shrink wrapped sandwiches. So we went to bed, tired and hungry.
Day 3:
Our early start is out the window, breakfast is just too tempting, Julian will have to wait. We cross the 1st of many borders into Botswana and meet Julian, but only after being forced off the road for an official convoy to pass. We camp that night at the Khama Rhino sanctuary, and have our first real bush fire and settle in with stories of our journey thus far.
Day 4:
On to Kubu Island, with a brief stop at Letlhakane for petrol, we head out onto Sowa Pan, using only the Veronica Roodt guide and an old Magellan GPS (no T4A here) we make our way to Kubu. The attendant meets us at the big baobab, and asks us to follow him, he jumps on his ancient bicycle and races of at speed, with his assistant on foot behind. We ask about the wildlife and if there are any lion in the area, he tells us with a smile there are not.
We quickly setup camp and set about exploring the island, walking firstly across and then back to camp around the circumference towards the setting sun. You feel really remote and alone out here, and after a while your mind starts to play tricks on you, and you wonder if the attendant was right, and just what you would do if you did come across a lion in the wilderness.
The sun sinks in a firey sky and a million stars leap into the inky black heavens, we spent some time laying flat on our backs on the roof-rack, gazing up at the milky way. (Living in London you do not see many stars, and not many people there believe you can see so many with the naked eye).
