I’m told blogs should be either funny, interesting or provocative so here’s a picture of Ross and I to kick things off.
More photos to come but first, a quick update on the preparations for this epic road trip. It seems I have been packing FOREVER! It started when I packed up my apartment in Johannesburg leaving only a backpack of clothes behind. With my other worldly possessions (two bicycles and an espresso machine) packed into long term storage, I was ready to travel.
Three weeks later and life on the road is maybe on the horizon. After a two week delay on Land Cruiser engine repairs, today our travel machine was approved as roadworthy and the correct license plate was issued. It’s comforting to know that in Africa, dealing with road and transport authorities is no less frustrating than anywhere else in the world.
The past weeks have been spent with Ross trying to get the final details sorted and travel preparations made. It has been a little stressful to assist Ross with the various last minute pieces of this massive jigsaw puzzle called “Travelling Overland in Africa”. He has spent the past year doing most of the hard work and planning so as a last minute participant I tiptoe my suggestions and ideas out. So far I have mostly contributed my enthusiasm regarding the coffee and beer we will encounter along the way as well as the team uniform concept.
We’re both cautiously optimistic about the prospect of sharing a roof top tent for 3-4 months. I’m a little nervous for passing through Uganda as two men sharing a tent but despite this potential hazard, the “partnership” is off to a great start with each of us exhibiting different strengths and strategies for problem solving. For instance, in our preparation session last weekend when using the satellite phone . . .
Ross said “yea, it’s cool, it’s like working in a remote mine.”
I said “No, it’s cool, it’s like calling in a drone strike.”
I’m sure that over the course of the trip, Ross’s inclination toward efficiency in exploiting remote resources will balance out my American instinct for problem solving and bridge building with explosives.
If all goes well, the roof top tent, camping awning and other accessories will be installed tomorrow. Then we just need to load and organize inside the car a small amount of gear and we will be ready to depart.
Joburg to Scotland 