Author: Ross

Our first evening of the trip was spent in Gaborone, Botswana, where Hugh and Coral Ross treated us to a feast of an evening with their friends Charlie, Jill, Julia, Reliable Rod and Tinkles followed by dessert and coffee with their Ozzy neighbours Peter and Audine. They have been incredibly generous hosts and invaluable guides for future bushwacking up in Northern Botswana.

We’d noted a duration of 10 days for our transit through Botswana which our hosts in Gaborone later pointed out may be a bit tight if we have vehicle issues. Hugh and Coral stay only 20 minutes from the border so it looks like we will be making a 10 minute transit back into SA tomorrow morning to upgrade to 30 days. It’s a 500m walk between the SA and Botswana border post, marking the start of our overland exercise regime.

After tying up the “last few loose ends” for the last 12 days we are finally on our way. It seemed only right to depart with a champagne send-off for our “champagne” coloured car (code name: Bubbles).

We are short a second spare rim but will sort that out in Botswana. At least we’re on the road!

After a long and arduous search (on an ultra tight budget), we have finally secured a car for the trip. The goal posts have shifted significantly since we started the search three months ago looking for a Diesel Land Rover Defender 110. We have eventually found our match in a 1995 Petrol Toyota Land Cruiser in a colour the previous owner called “champagne”. The engine needs a bit of a rebuild but she should soon be in tip top shape.

Numerous lengthy discussions with 4×4 enthusiasts have made me realize there are essentially two types: Land Rover drivers and Toyota drivers. Ownership of a Land Rover gives you access to a tight knit community. Their drivers give a friendly wave to every Landie they pass on the road, they view mechanical failures as “part of the adventure” and a chance to make new friends and, in the words of my Landie mechanic friend Org from East Pretoria, think that “all Toyota drivers are c*nts”.

Toyota drivers, on the other hand, are completely indifferent to this rivalry and do not support the idea of spending most of their holiday staring into their bonnet. After many years as the flagship vehicle for UN operations in Africa, Land Cruiser spares and expertise are about as common as cockroaches throughout the continent. Considering Shea and I are both equally useless at navigating our way around an engine, this seemed the logical choice.