Cakes!

Happy birthday Danielle. Hope you remembered to buy cakes for everyone at work... Whoops, perhaps I shouldn't have said anything!

We are still in possession of the Camel - arranging shipping is a slow process. It's as clean now as it has ever been though. Hopefully into its little box on Wednesday.

More from us in a few days.

The Road to Hell

We had a relaxing time with Graham and Yvonne, although much more relaxing for me because I was not in the “Stopping oil leaks brigade”. Yvonne even took me to her hairdresser and I had a very much needed hair cut. My efforts at hacking off the end of my plats periodically was not really the best plan despite Patsy’s valiant attempt to tidy it all up in Paarl. It was also exciting to receive some mail which a few people had sent to Graham and Yvonne’s. Bank statements have never been so interesting.

The Garden Route of South Africa is really rather lovely and aptly named. It is such a verdant and lush area. Yvonne took us to their local farmers market and the produce really is amongst the best in the world I think, such delicious food. There is so much to do in the area and we did manage a short hike but as we had finally made up our minds to ship to Australia we were keen to get to it back in Cape Town.



With our tummies full of the results of Yvonne’s lovely cooking we carried on to Knysna before heading back to Cape Town via The Klein Karoo. We spent a few days exploring the dirt tracks and steep mountain passes. The road to Die Hell took us over the Swartberg pass, a very scenic road, through arid vegetation for ages and then suddenly we dropped down into a green valley dotted all over with Aloe Vera. This place is in the middle of nowhere and the road, tortuously clinging to the side of the mountain, was built to serve a very small farming community many years ago. WHY? Surely there are easier places to get to find for farming.



The next day we arrived back in civilisation and stopped in some very pretty towns, although they are looking to be very much in need of upkeep and maintenance. After a fresh chip butty in Calitzdorp we headed in to the wine and fruit area. No doubt about it, it is harvest time. Many times we got stuck behind lorries heavily laden with fruit crates on the windy roads. We also passed many large areas of fruit drying in the sun.

We had been recommended a mechanic in Strand and Gavin was a bit concerned about leak from the steering box so we made a bit of a detour to ask Schaulk’s opinion. Apparently the steering box is a particularly fiddly device and Schaulk could not fit us in for another ten days or so. This meant that shipping would be delayed by another week. Schaulk suggested a couple of other workshops we could try. One gave us a rather large quote and the other reckoned that Gavin should be able to change the seals himself- it would be quite difficult though.

We spent two nights in Strand at a rather strange campsite. It seems that many years ago part of the campsite was retained as a campsite and the rest became a sort of “white” squatter camp. The living conditions inside were certainly much better than the other squatter camp we visited in Cape Town, but it was rather bizarre.



We have been camped in Bellville, Cape Town for quite a few nights now. It is convenient for the shops, and more importantly- the industrial areas, which yet again I am getting to know very well. I am even getting to know the street hawkers now, they cannot understand why I am walking everywhere rather than driving. Gavin has repaired the leaking steering box and had such trouble with it that even my assistance was required- yes I was actually allowed under the car.

So we have scrubbed, hosed, power washed, scrubbed, hosed, washed, polished and even painted some parts of the car in preparation for the very fussy Australian officials. We started doing this before Easter and I think we are just about there. I now defy an Australian to find any Saharan sand, Nile silt, Ethiopian road dust, red African dust, Botswana bog or Etosha lime in any nook or cranny. As for the oil leaks I am sure Gavin will give a detailed account in the vehicle blog for anyone who is interested.



We are provisionally waving goodbye to the old car on Thursday or Friday and then all we have to sort out is……. how we are going to get to Australia. We are reluctant to book anything too soon in case anything should change with the shipping.

So, where to next?

Since Catkin posted her last entry we’ve been busy with a bit of visiting relatives, a little bit of sight-seeing and a whole lot of deliberating. So what have we decided and where are we off to next, I hear you all ask. Patience, young Skywalker.

For the first few nights of the Easter holiday we headed back to the Zandvlei Caravan Park in Muizenburg. The previous time we stayed there it had been very quiet, with a couple of permanent residents and a few others staying. This time, however, it was packed with partying South Africans. The permanent residents obviously knew what happens, and had left for the weekend. Party Central. The first two nights were very rowdy, and Catkin spent the whole night storming around the campground asking people to turn their music down, by which she actually meant off. Most of them were fairly cooperative. I slept like a baby, until one incident on the second night, when I woke up and had to politely tell a guy to take a running jump. Things changed on the third night, though, and a security guard spent the night driving around telling people on his PA system to turn off the music or there would be Trouble.

For the remainder of the Easter weekend, we caught up with Catkin’s Uncle and Aunt, Deric and Val, at their place in Hout Bay. Her cousin Clare, Clare’s husband Chris and their daughter Sophie were also out from England, so it was good to see them all. The house has a spectacular view over the bay. We spent our time there relaxing, watching telly and eating delicious food. It was great.

On the 25th of March it was finally time to get back on the road and head out of Dodge. It was nine months to the day since we had left the UK, and after a very scenic drive along the coast, by the end of the day we had finally made it to Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. It was a symbolic point in our journey, not least because even though we had zig-zagged our way all over Europe, around the Mediterranean, though the Middle East and all the way down Africa, we had generally been heading in a southerly direction. Now we could go no further south.






The following day we made our way eastward, to George, and then slightly further, to Wilderness (what a great name for a town). Here we made our way to the home of another of Catkin’s relatives, Graham and Yvonne and family. In Wilderness we have had a chance to attend to a few more jobs on the Land Rover, as well as further contemplate and research our next move.

In anticipation that we would be going to Australia we have been going over the car trying to eliminate oil leaks. For those who don’t know, Land Rovers are notorious for dropping oil (that’s how you know there’s still oil in it), but the regulations for importation into Australia state the there must be NO oil leaks. The work on the gearboxes sorted out a couple, but we still had another couple from the engine and one from the rear diff to resolve. We had bought a pinion seal for the rear diff in Cape Town, but I’m not convinced that I’ve been sold the correct one, so have yet to tackle that job. We have, however, successfully tackled the engine leaks, replacing an ‘O’ ring on the oil filter adapter and removing and re-sealing the sump (as well as taking out the mystery dent in the bottom of the sump pan!?!).

So that only leaves our deliberations. Do we ship the vehicle to Australia, or do we just ship it straight to New Zealand? We’ve already had an amazing trip so far, and spent slightly more than we thought we would, so could save cash by missing out Australia. But it’s quite a large part of the trip we initially planned, and we had both been looking forward to it. We got some prices for shipping and agents – the South African agent fees were reasonable, freight was about what we expected, but the Australian agent fees nearly doubled the cost of the whole exercise. When we queried the cost and possible ways we could reduce it, we were told “we cannot reduce the price for this service.” Thanks for your help. We started to think that maybe it would just be too expensive, especially if we were going to have the same problem again getting the vehicle out of Australia. Maybe we should spend another four to six weeks in South Africa and then just send it straight to Auckland. It would be a shame though, to miss out on the Great Southern Land. Perhaps we could travel across Australia by other means. Maybe we could buy bikes and cycle across the Nullarbor (Catkin got really excited about this idea – I regretted mentioning it…). We also looked at buying a motorbike and going across two-up, but a suitable bike would be quite expensive. Perhaps we could leave the bike in Australia for a year or two and go back for holidays, or maybe import it into New Zealand. We ended up with all sorts of ideas, almost too many to choose from. It was looking very likely, though, that the Land Rover would not be getting to see Australia, whether we did or not. We have even considered throwing dice, or better still, asking for votes via comments on the blog.

In the meantime, I had emailed my cousin in Perth, and my Uncle near Brisbane to see if they could find out any information from the Australian side of things. Luckily, their outstanding efforts have brought back some very useful information, with a much more reasonable agent’s fee at the Perth end, and a couple of respectable looking quotes for shipping from Brisbane to Auckland. So much better, in fact, that shipping to Australia has become feasible after all.

So now we are back to full steam ahead preparing the vehicle for Australian shores. It needs to be spotlessly clean, no dust, soil, water, insects, bugs, fruit, vegetables, anything that pests could arrive in. Oh, and no oil leaks.

From Wilderness, we will probably go slightly further east to Plettenberg Bay, then make our way back to Cape Town for the final departure arrangements.

So Riggsy, it looks like Giles owes you a pint of London Pride at Motspur Park.

9 months to the day since leaving London and we are at Cape Agulhas, southern-most point of Africa. Had a great time in Cape Town, now headed for George.

We came for dinner and stayed a week

Well, it was longer than a week, but I will get back to that later.

Up in Paarl we spent a few very relaxing days with Patsy in her comfortable home. It really was decidedly strange, but very welcome, to be in a home again. Although I must admit that it has taken me over a week to get used to sleeping in a bed again and initially I found myself sleeping on the floor. We also caught up with her husband Mike, who has written many articles and books for “Getaway,” a South African travel magazine, sharing stories of Africa.

During our stay at Patsy’s Gavin had another look at our leaking NEW fuel tank. Not really a minor job. It involved removing the drinking water tank, the step, the fuel tank guard, the exhaust and finally the fuel tank. This time the fault was with a dodgy NEW part attached to the fuel tank. In no time at all (many hours later) Gavin had used some magic silicone stuff and the leak was no more. We also made use of Patsy’s washing machine, for the first time since leaving the UK. I was a bit surprised to note that pretty much all of our clothes fitted into one wash.

We took the scenic route back to Cape Town via Stellenbosch and enjoyed a delicious lunch at a vineyard to celebrate my birthday and even bought a few of their wines to take home to New Zealand. I think Gavin was a little surprised at the excellent value the wines and dining in South Africa are. Also the vineyards are in such delightful locations, it really was a treat.

Having decided to have the work to our gearbox completed, we emptied out the car back at Charles and Vals and first thing Monday morning drove it round to the gearbox exchange. Gavin coped very well with the emotional wrench of being separated from the car and handing it over for someone else to work on. It was rather odd not having the car. The next day we trundled back to the workshop to find out what the problem had been and how much it was going to cost us- so I spent my birthday hanging around a workshop looking at our gearbox in pieces. The quote was very reasonable so not such a bad birthday gift. That evening the Kadalies (always keen for cake) took us for cake all the way over to Camps Bay (on the other side of Cape Town). Another lovely treat.

The next morning we were up bright and early to get a lift into Cape Town with Charles and to join him and his colleagues for breakfast. South Africa is in the midst of an energy crisis. Charles works for the Cape Town energy board which is having to load shed daily (cut off power to different areas). Charles has the unenviable role of communicating most of the changes and load shedding to the public. So Charles and his team are under a considerable amount of pressure at the moment but they never seem to let it get them down and it was certainly a fun breakfast.
We had hoped to visit Robben Island the same day but they were booked up for nearly a week, so we went to the cinema instead. “No Country for Old Men” is a very well acted film but as the first film we have been to see since “James Bond” early last year I think that maybe we could have chosen a more gentle film.

Back at the ranch we continued with our ongoing pursuit of affordable shipping and a freighter ship for us to travel on as well as other interesting admin which we can complete having electricity available to us (when they are not load shedding) to power our computer as the battery is now dead.

Another day we took a stroll up to Table Mountain. We had deferred the expedition a couple of times after looking out the kitchen window which affords a wonderful view across the city to the mountain which is often covered with cloud. We chose a steep route, but then they all are, which started in the gloriously sunny Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and proceeded up the aptly named Skeleton Gorge. Once we were on the top we could have been anywhere, the Table Cloth (cloud) had descended. There was no one else around and there was a wonderfully eerie atmosphere. But, boy was it fresh. The wind was coming straight off the Antarctic and felt as if it had icicles in it. Standing right on the edge the cloud periodically lifted affording a fleetingly tantalising glimpse of the city and Table Bay a kilometre below. We knew that the cable car was not running, due to high winds, and so made a steep descent down Platteklip gorge. Aagh, going downhill can be so much more difficult than going up hill. However, before long we were below the cloud and the views were stunning. At the bottom we refreshed ourselves with a beer. I was stiff for a couple of days afterwards; going downstairs was not the easiest task.

One evening we joined Val and Charles on their Missionary work in one of the many squatter camps in Cape Town. It is amazing how some of the people they have been working with have made such changes to their lives and have created well functioning communities, despite still living in poverty. There are many services for the residents. Most of the children go to school and receive childhood vaccinations. One lady, a resident, manages to feed most of the 350 children in the camp daily from a donated old container. I don’t think she even knows where the food comes from most of the time. On the camp perimeter the local authorities have provided facilities such as composting toilets, installed floodlights and standpipes with drinking water and collect rubbish but are powerless to provide anything more without permission from the landowner, which has been refused.

Another day Gavin and I visited the City Mission’s Rehabilitation Centre and Sheltered accommodation units that Val spent so many years planning and finally oversaw the construction of. When I was last here they had not started digging the foundations yet. It really is an impressive centre providing for stroke rehabilitation and dementia respite and day care.

Finally Friday came around and we hung around most of the day waiting for the workshop to ring to tell us that the work was all done. True to form they rang in the afternoon, but were sorry to say that while they were test driving it something to do with the rear drive had broken and the rear wheels would not drive. Gavin knew that they were pretty worn out and had planned to install new ones the following day after we had the car back so we could buy the spare parts. What it really meant was that even after having loads of work done we would still not notice a difference until this new problem was sorted. We could still drive the car with the diff lock on. By the end of the following day Gavin had it all sorted and what a difference we noticed- we could actually talk to each other whilst driving along, rather than shouting.

We eventually made the trip to Robben Island on a beautifully calm day. The views from the island looking back to Cape Town were lovely and we saw a lot of wildlife including a colony of penguins. We were guided through the prison which housed political prisoners including Nelson Mandela until the 1990’s, by a former prisoner. His stories made the place come alive and the overwhelming sense of looking forward rather than harbouring resentment was inspirational.

Sadly it is time to wave goodbye to Charles’ and Val’s household. We initially came for dinner and have ended up staying for over a week. We still have some decisions about shipping and transport to make which we will deliberate over as we catch up with the Bowleys and the Rowleys.

Namaqua(land) in the Bartlett Defender Anyone?

A big sorry to Gavin and Catkin for the delay in becoming the guest blogger and adding my comments to the site. Obviously I have become as unreliable as some of those Land Rover parts you are nursing along.... But better late than never and now 11 days since my return to NZ here is my update:
I arrived in Springbok, Namaqualand on a bus that travelled through the night like a bat out of hell. It was one of the most value for money trips I have ever taken on public transport - R205 for nearly 9 hours entertainment and stops at more petrol stations and Wimpy bars than I ever new existed in South Africa. I was looking forward to the trip back to Cape Town as there was not a lot visible once the sun had set on my ride north. Gavin and Catkin kindly picked me up at my ridiculous arrival time and we stood round talking waiting for an elusive lunar eclipse until 3am. Needless to say, the eclipse did not happen and the people who camped right next to the Land Rover deserved to be kept awake for passing on duff information! It was great to see them looking so well and so tanned.

The highlight of Springbok for me was the lime milkshake at the Springbok Restaurant and a visit to the supermarket. I always love looking in supermarkets and seeing how much I am being ripped off in the UK. For me the most amazing thing was that every item purchased had a special place in the Land Rover. I have never seen a more organised set up - and I can see why after a few weeks on the road why this was so important.

Our first bush camp was on the way to Hondeklipbaai amongst the shiny quartz littering the ground. I do wonder now, after spotting all those diamond mines and dredges on the coast whether I slept on a bed of diamonds and should have picked up a few rocks just in case! I loved the misty and spooky outlook on the coast, with ships wrecked on the beaches but could not ever imagine living in such a remote place in the tiny houses that they had there.

We camped in a beach reserve one night before heading to Cedarberg. It was a lovely wide beach but the wind was a bit cool and I was not really tempted into the sea. All the signs said that off road driving on the beaches and nearby land is prohibited to save the fauna and flora. We stopped and camped before the signs so we were not technically doing anything naughty but I did spend all night waking to the smallest sound thinking we were going to be kicked off the beach. We were buzzed by a very low flying microlite the next morning but I don't think that was the beach police!
On our way to Clanwilliam we walked up to visit some caves used for shelter by the Voortrekers in the 1800's which were interesting. Some of the names carved into the walls were on letter boxes in the surrounding districts. My favouite lunch spot was on the way to Clanwilliam as well when we put the awning up over some contrete table and chairs in a layby above a dam/lake and hid from the midday heat.
Catkin had a great cask of Namaqua red wine that improved with drinking and the cooler it was. It was so lovely to end the day sitting on the chairs looking at the view with a glass of red wine in hand. These guys even had wine glasses so it was very civilised. Unfortunately after a long sojourn at Cedarberg we had finished the wine (much to Gavins disgust) so when we departed for directions south we had to stop at a supermarket to get a new 5 litre replacement (which I am sure is well gone now as well). Amazing cooking skills shown in Cedarburg where we stocked up on wood from the eucalyptus trees and some kindly family left a bag of wood behind which I quickly snaffled for the fire that Catkin cooked us fresh bread on. Awesome. I am well impressed with the great meals I was served up. My contribution was to the dishes rather than the cooking as Catkin had it all sorted and on the plates in a flash.
We spent an interesting evening in a camp ground in Citrusdal (citrus not quite in season) where we met some bikers who were on their way north to Luderitz on the Namibian coast. They amazed me with the amount of luxury goods they carried including the massive blow up matresses and automatic pumps for them. I think they amazed Gavin with their homemade luggage carriers. Considering they were going to be on some rough roads we were not sure if they would make it intact. Anyway, they were lovely people and on the first day of a 2-3 weeks motorcycle jaunt and kindly gave us their left over beers the next day. Great thing the Land Rover has a luxury fridge! We had great BBQ'd corn and an awesome pumpkin and smoked chicken pasta (it took a while but it did happen) and plenty of that red wine.

Gavin and Catkin introduced me to the BBC World Service. It is a bit dodgy and they have some very strange programmes on it. The music theme tune to one programme in particular is the most memorable for me as well as the phone in show they have where Africans call in and have their say on whatever the topic of the day is. Apparently George W Bush is doing everything he is doing out of the goodness of his heart. What can you say. Interesting views.
Cape Columbine was a lovely place to visit and stay awhile. The sea was so blue and the beaches where they managed to have them amongst the rocks were so white. Water not warm and only Catkin braved it. I preferred to stay out of it in case I was eaten by a whale - however we passed through during the only two months of the year the whales are not there. Typical luck!
Once we had tickets for the rugby from Vredenburg we were heading south to make sure we did not miss it and stopped in Langebaan for a final night before hitting Cape Town. We played frisbee on the beach in the wind where it was great to stretch our legs and I think Catkin did a few laps of the beach the next morning for some exercise.
It was great to be back in sight of Table Mountain eventually and I really enjoyed eating my fish and chips across the bay from the city. It was quite funny when we were waiting for our fish and chips that a South African guy came up and told me he was from Paternoster near Cape Columbine and had seen my vehicle there a couple of days previous. I didn't try to explain that it was not my Land Rover, just accepted that it was my vehicle and waved as we drove off. Not many people really listened when I tried to explain that Gavin and Catkin had driven from London over the previous 8 odd months. I think they thought I was saying they had come from East London, RSA so were not all that impressed!

The hospitality of the South Africans at the rugby was amazing - not sure I would give up my beer and chops to random strangers who were camping on a school ground. We had a lovely time at the rugby and it was neat to say that we went to a Super 14 game - it will be a long time before I get to another one. I slept in the back of the Land Rover and covered myself up with the sleeping bag completely so that no one would see me in there and knock on the window. However it was pretty hot and I soon had to give up on that and ditch the sleeping bag and luckily no one was really interested in waking us up!
It was a trauma getting a picture free of the busloads of tourists at Cape of Good Hope as already mentioned by Gavin but very entertaining all the same. It is such a beautiful place and the views are stunning. It was quite an exciting time to be with Gavin and Catkin as they made it to the western most point in South Africa. We stayed at Sweet Water camp site which was full of Capetonians partying up over night. It was amazing to be camping near the massive Snakes Head Lighthouse and take a walk up the 145 steps the next day.
The drive along Chapmans Peak Road to the city was beautiful and I wished I could win the lottery and get a place there for a while and look out at the sea. Lucky for me Gavin and Catkin were willing to take me into the Waterfront area the day before I headed out to NZ so I could get a present for the brother and his to-be wife Rachel before leaving Cape Town. Stupidly I wanted to get some ceramics but they made it all the way to NZ unscathed so I am pretty happy!
Gavin and Catkin have had one amazing adventure and I was lucky to share in it for a few weeks. I think I invited myself along really so they were very kind to let me stay so long with them. I was pretty rubbish at the dishes but learned to put the tent up and down pretty well by the end! I was just getting the hang of putting everything in the right place and then I had to head off.
I am sure they will be having more adventures in Australia soon!!

The Fairest Cape in All The World

Next stop for us after Stompneusbaai was Cape Columbine. An area of the park right on the shoreline has been set up for camping, and we found a great spot in amongst the rocks. The caretaker came to see us in the morning to collect the fees, and kept us entertained with his stories of his years working there. He was very enthusiastic about the park, and was quite reluctant to be retiring in just over two weeks. When we enquired about campsites between there and Cape Town he told us we should stay where we were, because there was nowhere as good as Cape Columbine. It was a pretty great spot.


By this time, though, we’d already bought tickets for the Super 14 game between the Stormers and the Crusaders, so we had to push on. It was Thursday, and the game was on Friday night.

The next day, even the final run into Cape Town was not without mechanical incident. What initially sounded like all the air escaping out of one tyre turned out to be a burst intercooler elbow hose. Metres of duct tape later and we were back to full power. We stopped at Bloubergstrand for lunch, and some photos of our first views of the magnificent Table Mountain.


By mid-afternoon we had officially arrived in Cape Town, eight months and four days after departing from London. No time to pause and reflect on our achievement though, it was only five hours to kick-off and we needed to find somewhere to camp and sort out how we were going to get to the game. Fortunately, all of those issues were resolved in one fell swoop. After finding Newlands Stadium, we were directed around the corner to where a few schools provide their playing fields for parking, for a small fee. Thanks largely to the generous hospitality of the South Africans, in no time at all it was all arranged that we could park in a quiet corner and could spend the night there after the game. All our prayers had been answered. Best of all, it gave us time to go and enjoy a few quite celebratory beers. I have to admit though, it felt really strange to be sitting in a bar on a Friday evening having a beer. Almost like a normal person. There was even entertainment when a bit of a donnybrook broke out between the drivers of two cars after one changed lanes into the other right across the road from where we were sitting. Fabulous stuff.

Back at the carpark we got talking to a bunch of locals who had been setting up their braai when we first arrived. They insisted that we join them for beers and food, and it would have been very rude to say no. They had already been tucking into the whiskey, so it was very entertaining. Newlands Stadium was packed, but there was just enough room for the three of us in a broom cupboard at the far end of the back row of the main grandstand. We had a great view of the first half. As usual, there was a loud mouth sitting right in front of us. He thought he was pretty funny; those of us around him weren’t so sure. Crusaders won 22-0.

The party in the carpark carried on for a couple of hours after the final whistle, but eventually everyone trickled away and we got some sleep.

On Saturday we wound our way around False Bay toward Cape Point, stopping briefly for a chat with the penguins at Boulders.


The Cape has been described by Sir Francis Drake as “the fairest cape in all the world” and it is an apt description. We jostled past busloads of Russian tourists up the hill to the old Cape Point lighthouse, then down the hill to the new lighthouse. The old lighthouse was built to high up the hill, and for 900 hours a year was unable to be seen through fog, when it was needed most. So the new one was built much lower down. We even spied Bellows Rock, which sunk the Lusitania.

From there we made our way to the “Holy Grail” for most overlanders aiming for Cape Town – The Cape of Good Hope. The most south-westerly point in Africa. We bided our time until we could get in between the groups of tourists for a photo. One group, part of the 14th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists, had their photo taken with their conference banner completely covering the sign – they might as well have been anywhere! It was hilarious watching people push in to get their photograph – some people have no manners. We had people posing in front of the Camel, as if they had just driven across Africa to get here. One guy even sat up on the bonnet.


We camped that night at another park campsite just up the coast at Sweet Water, under the watchful eye of the Slangkoppunt lighthouse with its four flashes every 30 seconds. The lighthouse is one of very few working lighthouses that the public is allowed to visit, so the next morning we did. The keeper gave us a very informative talk on the history of South African lighthouses, their role in the rescue of people off stricken ships and the operation of the Slangkoppunt (Snake Head Point) lighthouse. After that he unlocked the door and we were allowed up the tower, right up to the lens. The lighthouse is now electrified and motorised, but the old paraffin tanks, small hatches in each level for the wick, and the weight system for revolving the lens are still on show. The 400 watt bulb shines about 70 kilometres out to sea. It was a spectacular view.

After spending the last ten days travelling with us, Ianthe had now become an honorary “Camelrider” and had given up trying to explain to enquiring people that she had only recently joined us. She was even giving people permission when they asked to have their photo taken in front of “her” vehicle. Now, sadly, it was time for her to leave. We camped on the Sunday night in a campground not far from the airport, and dropped her off there the next morning for her flight out. It was really good to see her, and we probably saw a lot more of the Northern and Western Cape areas than we would have otherwise. It was quite strange to be back to just the two of us again.

Since then we have been living the luxurious life, staying with Charles and Val, who are friends of Catkin’s, and then out to see Catkin’s 2nd cousin Patsy in Paarl. We have focussed our efforts on planning the next leg of the journey, looking into shipping options and costs and the bureaucracy of importing a vehicle into both Australia and New Zealand. We are still considering having our gearboxes looked at, so have spoken to an expert about that as well. The decision on exactly where we will head to from South Africa is yet to be made.

Ianthe has agreed to be a guest author on the blog, so hopefully sometime soon we will all get her take her time with us.