Sunday 25 September 2011

Namibia-SA

Namibia

We saw Namibia in a different colour! Where there was desert, its now green! The rainfalls from Zambia also fell in Namibia! It was warm during the day and every day was sealed with the most spectacular sunset! We drove to Windhoek and Walvis bay. We wanted to see all the small towns we only hear about. Everything happens slowly and relaxed here. We climbed dune 7 which is the highest dune in the world.
Namibian Sunset
My brother climbing Dune 7
After crossing the border into South Africa we went to the Augrabies falls. It is a waterfall on the Orange river in South Africa and is about 60m in height. This broad river roars through a massive canyon with a force only known to water. The rapids and cascades were breathtaking with the floods that were coming down from Namibia and Zambia.

We then drove through a tiny town, because small is big compared to tiny, and met up with my friend Rishon and his family. Rishon's parents place is the place where the movie about the horse named Tornado played off. 

Augrabies falls

Our friends in Nuniput
South Africa

Before this day I never realized what was meant when someone said there is no place like home.. Its one of the ironies of life. You need sadness to appreciate joy, noise to appreciate silence, absence to value presence, and away to appreciate home. Living many years might not be full enough, but a full life will be long enough. This is why we have to look for the things that challenge the way we perceive and experience life. This is the only way you would learn what is truth, when you settled for less, what really matters and who you are. By risking going too far, you get to know how far is too far and how far you can really go.

"Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time" Johann von Goethe
Table Mountain, Cape Town

Driving home via Knysna forest

Home


Home means something new to me. You really don't know what you have until you leave it behind. You don't have to lose anything to learn from it. Depth of mind is a place all of us should visit more often, without life forcing you to go there. Then when heartache and heavy emotions come, this place will not be totally new to you. There were many days I wished my mom could have been on the trip with us, but her health did not allow it. And on the other side I don't think we would have ruffed it so much if she was there! I think there is value in boys trips, for there is a lot less pretense and guys turn from Super beings to human beings. I wish every dad and son can do a trip like this. This is where you learn trust, friendship and sticking together. A someone becomes that someone because of other someones. I hope everyone can find the inspiration and the courage to leave their comfort zones behind and live a little. If not now.. THEN WHEN..?


" When the bush is on fire, the antelope ceases to fear the hunters bullet" African Proverb
70 days, 21000km later

Zambia

Zambia was flooded. Many of the roads washed away, but everything was very green! The main roads were in a good condition, but every time we decided to go off the beaten track we found holes with a little tarr around them. The clouds remained dark grey. We sang with Toto's "Bless the rains in Africa, dom dom dom" while we were driving with open windows through the rain showers! The air was so refreshing.



We camped close to the magnificent Victoria Falls. This waterfall is the biggest waterfall in Africa. Its something you have to experience for yourself. There are hanging bridges where you get soaking wet from the spray when you cross them. There are enough activities all around the falls to keep you busy for weeks! We decided to take on the mighty Zambezi river. This is by far the best river rafting Ive done, anywhere!

The Victoria Falls is one of the most spectacular natural wonders in the world. Locals call it "Mosi-oa-Tunya" which means the smoke that thunders. The Average flow rate 1088 m³/s (38,430 cu ft/s) of water that plummet over the edge every minute makes a roar like thunder. The falls are 1700 meters wide, which makes it the largest curtain of water in the world. The water drops between 90 and 110m into the Zambezi Gorge.




                  Victoria falls from Zimbabwean side 
Victoria Falls
The Zambezi river is the fourth largest river in the world. The 3,540-kilometre-long river (2,200 mi) has its source in Zambia and flows through Angola, Namibia, Botswana, through Zambia again, Zimbabwe to Mozambique and ends in the Indian Ocean.


Rafting the Zambezi

























We loved the back roads in Zambia, for everyone was very friendly and helpful. And off coarse mud and water is a lot of fun in a 4x4! Just before entering the Caprivi we camped next to a beautiful river with curious kids that were doing their daily fishing.


Tanzania

Tanzania is a warm hearted country. Everywhere you go you are welcomed with a smiling face and "Jumbo" which is their greeting. Its a beautiful country with green landscapes. We loved everything about Tanzania. We camped close to Mt. Kilimanjaro. We waited for clearance from Government to allow us to pull my dad up Mt. Kilimanjaro.  We built my dad a chariot and got all the gear together. Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres.
Mt. Kilimanjaro in the back
Preparing my dad's "chariot" and gear

As we prepared to ascend the Government cancelled our permits. They were scared my dad would not make it back down. Disappointed we returned to camp to prepare to leave the next day, but could understand their concern.

We decided to make our next stop the Serengeti. Its very expensive, but absolutely worth it. Driving kilometers next to the Great Migration was an unforgettable experience. There are 1.8 Million animals migrating together.. Now that is enough to give any logistics planner sleepless nights! 

The Serengeti




The Great Migration
Over two million herbivores partake in this annual journey, with about 200 000 zebra and 500 000 gazelle behind the 1.5 million wildebeest! This is the largest mass movement of land animals on the planet, mainly herbivores, but followed by a hungry constellation of predators -mostly lions and hyenas- all along their 500km clockwise migratory route. The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem provides an unforgettable spectacle in the natural world.

One of the most profound African Proverbs says: " Every morning in Africa a gazelle awakens knowing it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten. Every morning a lion awakens knowing it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It matters not whether you are a lion or a gazelle, when the sun rises you had better be running"

There is something in nature that makes you turn inwards. You start to question what people are surviving for and not living anymore.. What does any thing help if you are not really happy? Some times we exchange real joy for temporary happiness, just because we do not know what the cost is. When you sit in the quietness of the Serengeti and you hear all the grunting sounds of the Zebras and Wildebeest you realize that happiness is a combination of past memories, current experiences and future hopes.








After the Serengeti we wanted to exchange the green for a little blue.. We reached a town called Tanga, on the East coast of Tanzania. Here the sea was calm and the water very warm! Our drive though Tanzania was very relaxed. On the border to Zambia we met a very nice guy called Tom. We decided to share a chalet and get a good night rest. People were amazed to see my dad have the courage most normal men do not have. My dad does not use his disability as an excuse. My dad did not just inspire all the people that met him, but to me and my brother this trip was worth more than anything anyone could give us. Its these shared experiences that money cant buy. Not even close.

" Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it" African Proverb



Tanga

Time for Monthly bath

Kenya

The last 250km in Ethiopia was bad. It felt like one of those old computer games where you have to drive through the obstacles without touching one. Here we dodged potholes, but could not help hitting every third one because of its size.

What a shock to return to the "right side" of the road again! Its also in Kenya that you cross the equator. We have to return to the right lane and this means no more help needed from passenger side to pass a truck! The first 500km in Northern Kenya was the worst road we have traveled on the whole trip. Those corrugated roads vibrated our car apart. We were shaking a 7 on the Richter Scale!  Our gas-bottle broke off the back, we had a flat tire, our roof rack shifted forward, our speakers tore out of the roof, our diesel tank tore out of the bolts, we went through a pair of shocks and I think our intestines were in a knot. They call it a rocky desert, felt more like a shaky desert to me. We stopped after driving 14 hours on 250km. We could take it no more and poor Landy could not either. We found a place to camp in a small town and then pitched the tent and prepared some food. We were still shaking. The next morning we assessed the damage and found the diesel tank would need to be welded. We will need to go find someone with the right tools. We had to drain all the diesel and take the tank off the car. We took 3 days to repair the car, and we got a chance to rest from the driving.




Once in a while an overloaded vehicle would come shaking and rattling past. At some places the island between the wheels of our car would scrape the bottom for miles. All you can do is to sit through it. We were thrown with rocks by nomads. For some reason they did not like the thought of us being there..
We did not even stop for lunch. We would drive and eat out of tins. At one stage my dad said shaking: "..IIII aaamm sssooo ggglllaaad yyoou gaveee meee a a a a sppoon. If thiss waasss aaa forrk, my face woullldd bbee full ooff hhhholes..!!"


If you look at the tarred roads on major Kenya city maps it looks like a big hand. They tar the roads in the city and then build all the roads leaving the city at once. They keep going until the money dries up, leaving these fingers that just suddenly turn into a dirt road. We were so thankful for a tar road when we reached Nairobi. We found the Kenyans the most friendly and professional people on our trip.

Unfortunately we entered Kenya at the height of the election killings, when the rebels burnt down 14Ha of houses, super markets, churches and other buildings. The military hid us behind big steel gates with a couple of other foreigners. We had to wait until they told us its safe to leave. The next day we were forced to obtain another third party insurance from Kenya, in addition to the Carnet de passage that we paid a hefty price for.
When the military came to fetch us they said that the fight is not over and we must leave Nairobi today. We packed and did not need to be asked twice.. I realized that some parts of adventure is like bungee jumping. At first you cant wait to do it. Then, as you approach the edge, you wonder what the hell you were thinking, as you fall you don't think at all and afterwards you realize the worth and what a rush it was. This leads to you getting onto the edge for the next jump.

"People that say it cant be done should stop interrupting those that are doing it" George Bernard Shaw

Saturday 24 September 2011

Ethiopia

We were welcomed with open arms into Ethiopia, or must I say open hands? Ethiopia is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 80million people. Ethiopia is a land of natural contrasts, with waterfalls and volcanic hot springs. Ethiopia has the lowest points below sea level in the world and some of Africa's highest mountains, as well as the largest cave in Africa. Ethiopia is also known for the hottest place year round (Dallol, Afar) and is one of the countries with the most rivers in the world.



As we entered the customs building on the Ethiopian side, we were told that we need to wait for the next day. They only have electricity every second day and they need electricity to power the photo-copy machine which should print the forms which they forgot to print for the day without electricity. So we camped in front of the Customs building. The officers were friendly and helped us with everything we needed.  We were on the road short after 9h. Ethiopia is a beautiful country with every scenery you can imagine.The Blue Nile falls can also be seen on the Ethiopian money notes. The Blue Nile Falls are known as Tis Abay in Amharic, when translated, means "smoking water". The 400m wide falls plummet 40m down and causes a large spray in the air. We saw interesting stone formations which were formed by wind erosion.


400m wide Blue Nile Falls
Rock formations in Ethiopia

There is a lot of history in Ethiopia. From the founders of coffee to having their own calender. There are many old Russian tanks scattered next to the main road. We also visited a church that has caused wars. It is in
Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia, called the Debre Berham Selassie church. Inside is an illustration of the prophet Muhammad on a camel, being led to hell by a devil
Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia: Debre Berham Selassie church














Every day you wake up and go to bed with the sound of kids asking for pens and sweets. I found it sad that 3/4 shops sell alcohol while the 1/4 of the shops sell food. This country has so much potential. How would you know what is important and what is real if it wasn't for tough times? And how long do you need to stay in this state of mind before you are willing to make a change? Anything unattempted remains impossible.

We could not find any European toilets. This was a problem because my dad couldn't use the Muslim toilets. We have a toilet that fix to the back of the vehicle, but where do you go to get privacy. We drove around looking for a place to hide, the crowd opening in front of the vehicle and closing at the back. Then we saw it. It looks like one of the earth's plates sunk at the one side and made a high cliff on the other side. After I had put the Landy in 4-wheel drive low range, we chased up this mountain. We got to the top, turned the vehicle around and gave my dad a view. In less than 2 minutes after we stopped, people started to appear. I then got a back-flash of when I stayed a night among the Swazi's in their huts. The next morning I crawled out my hut the same time as the witchdoctor. I don't know who got the bigger freight! My heart nearly stopped when I saw this man looking at me with red-orange hair! I then remembered that we had an orange towel in the Landy. I thought I will keep the people occupied till my dad is finished... I put the towel over my head, hunched my back, walked on all fours and made the most unearthly sounds I could.. in all my life Ive never seen people roll down a mountain like that, getting back on their feet and running further! My dad nearly fell off the toilet when he thought we are being attacked by a wild animal!


" Evil enters like a splinter and spreads like an oak tree" Ethiopian Proverb

Sudan

Sudan is a friendly country. We misjudged them after the experience on the barge. We heard that as we approached the border of Sudan, a politician was killed and they were extra alert after that.

After all the foreigners were reunited with their vehicles we left to get our passports stamped at Customs. It was quite an interesting group of people from all over the world. We were the only ones from the African continent. Communication was difficult as there were quite a few language barriers. For a moment I felt what it would have been like to build the tower of Babylon. Asking for sugar was difficult! The foreigners consisted mostly of Germans, Italians, Swiss, French and Netherlanders. We all sat down for lunch together and afterwards we decided on a town where we will all meet up again.  

The port entrance
Convoy of foreigners

The Table of Babylon

We decided to travel together with our Swiss friends, Marko and Daniella. To us the safety was only the second benefit to the good food and chocolates! Daniella's Land Rover had everything, from a multi-fuel stove to a Christmas tree! And they were good cooks too! We lived off tinned food while traveling. The Swiss made better food in the back of their vehicle than most fully equipped restaurants!  And this in the middle of a desert with no other sound or light or people. We traveled together for almost 2 weeks.

We camped in deserts and next to the Nile. Most places were very isolated and we did not see anyone. We always left enough sunlight to pitch camp and have enough light to enjoy the surroundings. And when it got dark we had a couple of curious jackals that came very close to investigate.



Daniella and Marko were both Swiss pilots. Driving..ffff.. in Africa.. Our nights were filled with laughter and star-gazing like Ive never seen before. Marko taught me about the stars and showed me the shapes and formations that we walk under every night, but rarely see.. The next few days we camped in the most beautiful isolated spots and we used a ferry to get across most rivers. And when we found a small town with a place that provides local food, we tried it. Ok, some times we only looked and opened a tin of food.


We were meeting the other travelers in 2 days at a town called Dongola. It was extremely hot, 49'C. Everyone had to find a way to get there as our Gps's only gave a spot on the screen to show where it is, and nothing in-between. We would be driving and then there is a river or a mountain in the way. Finding a way around it some times meant a 50km drive off course and getting lost in the small towns and farms.. We even found small villages that has never seen a white man before. It took us 2 days to get to a town 250km away. Meeting up with the foreigners at Dongola turned out very funny. Some found easy routes, others struggled like us, some people were still lost and some were at the next town, missing Dongola! 


After Dongola everyone split up to see different places. We drove a short distance with our Swiss friends and then we went our separate ways. It was quiet without our friends. As we crossed the next desert the sand turned to powder like coffee creamer. Where dust usually came up and fell behind us, it now came up from the front tires straight up and were making clouds that open and close in front of the windscreen. The next moment our Gps were so confused it thought we were in South Africa! ..Durban.. Recalculating.. Cape Town.. REcalculating.. And we were in the middle of Sudan. Now we were trying to stay in the direction we were traveling. Barely able to see through the dust, lost and unable to stop. If we stopped we might get stuck and we have no one else to pull us out! Best is to keep our momentum going untill the Gps figures out where we are! The next moment there was an opening in the dust and I saw a trench where someone else got stuck, right in front of us. No space around, only way is through. I gave a panicky yell "hold on"! The Landy nose-dived into the hole, then the nose went up into the air, the bonnet with the spare wheel on opening, and with the back hitting the bottom of the trench. As the front wheels came down, the bonnet slammed closed, and then it was a balancing act to keep the Landy from rolling over. As everything returned to normal the Gps also got its bearings in place and we were on route again.