Wednesday, March 05, 2008
New Adventure...
The adventure shouldn't stop with a wee jaunt around Africa... check out Marky and Nic's next adventure on www.markyandnic.blogspot.com
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Thanks for reading this blog
This is the last entry in this blog (probably). We've done the Cairo to Cape Town truck trip and it was great.
Thank you to anyone who has taken an interest in my (and truck buddies') travels by reading this blog.
I look forward to meeting up with everyone when I get back to London.
I've just talked to Nicci and she is at the hotel. I am going to meet her now. I'm so excited after four months of missing her beautiful face and sweet voice.
Take care,
Marky
Thank you to anyone who has taken an interest in my (and truck buddies') travels by reading this blog.
I look forward to meeting up with everyone when I get back to London.
I've just talked to Nicci and she is at the hotel. I am going to meet her now. I'm so excited after four months of missing her beautiful face and sweet voice.
Take care,
Marky
Cairo to Cape Town!!!
We drove to Cape Town to drop off the hire car.
We did it!! Cairo to Cape Town - the Eastern trans-Africa trip. Awesome.
We did it!! Cairo to Cape Town - the Eastern trans-Africa trip. Awesome.
Coordinates
Met up with the couples again. They simply sent us some GPS coordinates and said "meet us here!" It was great trying to use a GPS to find out where our mates were. We eventually tracked them down in a guest farm where they had already booked us into.
This time we made the dinner. A giant braai followed with cake. Yum.
This time we made the dinner. A giant braai followed with cake. Yum.
Fish river canyon
We drove to fish river canyon. It was nice. Met up with the truck there for a little while too.
Luderitz and the ghost town
We drove west to the coast. The couple also came after they decided that the ghost town would be fun.
We all met up on Shark Island and had a wonderful barbequed dinner. The fog and bell buoys made it feel like Britain again. Fantastic.
The next day we went to an old ghost mining town. It was ace and really amazing that they could just pick diamonds off the ground.
We all met up on Shark Island and had a wonderful barbequed dinner. The fog and bell buoys made it feel like Britain again. Fantastic.
The next day we went to an old ghost mining town. It was ace and really amazing that they could just pick diamonds off the ground.
Duwiseb castle
We went to Duwiseb castle, which is a nice house made entirely from imported brick from Germany. It is in the middle of Namibia in the middle of nowhere.
Once we got there we bumped into the Gary, Duncan, Alison and Robyn who were also there in their beast of a hire 4x4. So we had a bush fire and little party together.
Once we got there we bumped into the Gary, Duncan, Alison and Robyn who were also there in their beast of a hire 4x4. So we had a bush fire and little party together.
Dune 45
We went to Dune 45 and took some photos. Cool desert land. The dune was so hot you couldn't climb it with flip flops. Gaving managed to climb it by putting my flip flops inside his sandals and then climbing the dune while pouring water on his feet on the way up.
Bush camp gone wrong
We drove down through the Namibian desert heading south from Swakopmund. It was hilarious taking our little car through sand covered gravel roads with hardly a passing car - and still with the spare tyre not working properly.
Occassionally we passed a dried up river bed with dead acacia trees. We climbed them and stripped off branches for firewood. When it got dark we found a good place to bush camp.
We relax and start a nice fire.
Nothing for hundreds of kilometres...
...but then a pair of headlights appears. We watch them wind down through the desert road for about ten minute while it made its way towards us. We were sitting by the fire saying to ourselves, "please don't stop". But that is exactly what he does.
A petrol tanker stops in the middle of the desert, twenty metres away from our bush camp and sits there. The guy in the cab doesn't come over or anything; just sits there. He starts to use his radio. We aren't really sure what is going on.
After he uses his radio we see another pair of headlights come from the other direction. This is too weird for us and we quickly pack our tents into the car before the second car arrives.
We jump in the car and gun it out of there just as the second arrives. The second car turns around and high beams us and then tries to follow us. Too late; I'm topping 110km/hr on gravel roads in the middle of the night.
Afterwards we found a nice campsite and laughed about how silly we were.
The next day I see the petrol tanker parked and filling up the station next to the campsite. I ask the guy if he was the one (as I was quite embarassed that we thought he was an axe murderer). He said it was and he said the second car what the owner of that part of the desert coming to give us a bollocking for being on his land. Lucky that we did a runner.
Occassionally we passed a dried up river bed with dead acacia trees. We climbed them and stripped off branches for firewood. When it got dark we found a good place to bush camp.
We relax and start a nice fire.
Nothing for hundreds of kilometres...
...but then a pair of headlights appears. We watch them wind down through the desert road for about ten minute while it made its way towards us. We were sitting by the fire saying to ourselves, "please don't stop". But that is exactly what he does.
A petrol tanker stops in the middle of the desert, twenty metres away from our bush camp and sits there. The guy in the cab doesn't come over or anything; just sits there. He starts to use his radio. We aren't really sure what is going on.
After he uses his radio we see another pair of headlights come from the other direction. This is too weird for us and we quickly pack our tents into the car before the second car arrives.
We jump in the car and gun it out of there just as the second arrives. The second car turns around and high beams us and then tries to follow us. Too late; I'm topping 110km/hr on gravel roads in the middle of the night.
Afterwards we found a nice campsite and laughed about how silly we were.
The next day I see the petrol tanker parked and filling up the station next to the campsite. I ask the guy if he was the one (as I was quite embarassed that we thought he was an axe murderer). He said it was and he said the second car what the owner of that part of the desert coming to give us a bollocking for being on his land. Lucky that we did a runner.
Monday, February 12, 2007
On the truck - Off the truck
Made it back to the truck in Swakopmund yesterday. It was 4000km of driving fun.
In fact, this part of the trip was so much fun that we've decided to do it again. We're off the truck for another week as we cruise down Namibia and into SA again.
More madness and fun. Yay!
In fact, this part of the trip was so much fun that we've decided to do it again. We're off the truck for another week as we cruise down Namibia and into SA again.
More madness and fun. Yay!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Windhoek!!!!
So, the main goal of getting off the truck and going it alone-ish was to get to Winhoek and drink a Windhoek in Windhoek. We arrived, checked into our hotel and I am proud to say we accomplished that task while relaxing in the pool at the hotel.
Windhoek in Windhoek - highly recommended.
This city is great! Small, but really lovely. Go there.
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Windhoek in Windhoek - highly recommended.
This city is great! Small, but really lovely. Go there.
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Damned speed traps!
Got done again. This time for a 72km/hr in a 60km/hr speed zone. The Botswana police didn't seem corrupt though.
I didn't have any Bots Pula money to pay them so told them I was only going to pay in SA Rand. They didn't seem too happy but I just said that they could take me to a Bureau De Change if they wanted Pula. They eventually relented.
Two speeding tickets in two countries in two days. All the speeding tickets in my life are these two in Africa.
I didn't have any Bots Pula money to pay them so told them I was only going to pay in SA Rand. They didn't seem too happy but I just said that they could take me to a Bureau De Change if they wanted Pula. They eventually relented.
Two speeding tickets in two countries in two days. All the speeding tickets in my life are these two in Africa.
Ghanzi
Ghanzi - the original destination at the beginning of the trip off the truck. We arrived six days later than expected and took a 1000km flying and 3400km driving detour, but, we finally got there! A few beers were had in Ghanzi that night to celebrate.
The day of the Kalihari Crossing
So the big day of crossing the Kalihari comes around. Hundreds of miles of desert scrubland without water or food, and what happens? Our tyre with the slow air leak is completely down and we have to switch to our spare. So, we now have to go through the desert without a good spare and have to hope that nothing bad happens. This is all taken with a bit of a laugh and while I'm changing the tyre I find I have Kath and Gav laughing away taking photos!
The desert crossing went without a hitch (literally and metaphorically). We had plenty of water and food to keep us going and two eskis filled with ice and some beers and water. It was rather luxurious to be honest. When we stopped we had ice cold water and yummy snacks while land rovers and expedition vehicles occassionally passed by. We often got funny looks while we stood beside our old, little VW Golf - as if to say, "you're crossing the desert in that!"
The desert crossing went without a hitch (literally and metaphorically). We had plenty of water and food to keep us going and two eskis filled with ice and some beers and water. It was rather luxurious to be honest. When we stopped we had ice cold water and yummy snacks while land rovers and expedition vehicles occassionally passed by. We often got funny looks while we stood beside our old, little VW Golf - as if to say, "you're crossing the desert in that!"
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