Back in Cape Town Two Weeks and Nothing To Do!! After three weeks overlanding I’m back in Cape Townfor a bit of rest and relaxation in the sun. After some really early starts (out of sleeping bag, tents packed, breakfast and truck loaded all before sunrise on some days) I think I’ll enjoy a couple of weeks of sleeping in a bed with no particular plan for the day ahead. You Can Take The Girl Out of Sutton But…. My Sister, Helen, chose the apartment we are renting and she chose well. The only guidance she got from me when she was looking for somewhere to rent was that I needed somewhere with a washing machine after my overland trip! We are staying in Devonshire Apartments on Main Road in Green Point. We have a seventh ... read more

Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls Friday 19th February I really don’t know what to expect in Zimbabwe. Many years ago I worked with a number of exiles from Zimbabwe. They were exiles from the Ian Smith government and that was more than 30 years ago - it seems that the only things to come out of Zimbabwe since then are good people and bad news. The group I’m travelling with are reaching the end of the tour now and everybody is in party mood. It’s likely to be a sharp contrast between our celebrations and what we expect to be a fairly depressing situation within the country. Canadians and Mexicans Are Not Welcome in Zimbabwe I’ve re-checked the visa requirements several times - I didn’t expect that British passport holders would be too welcome in Zimbabwe. As ... read more

Botswana - The Okavango Delta Saturday 12th February After our adventures in crossing the border from Namibia we eventually arrive at our base in Botswana, the Delta Rain campsite near Maun on Saturday afternoon. We've stopped off in Maunfor supplies, to change money and to try and use the internet before arriving at our campsite in the late afternoon. Botswana has a record of stability since independence. This, together with its natural recourses of diamonds and minerals, have given the population one of the highest standards of living in Africa. Surprisingly it also has the second highest HIV infection rate in the world with nearly 40% of the adult population infected. This has reduced life expectancy from 65 years to less than 40. At all the border crossings in Southern Africa and at som... read more

Etosha Wednesday 10th February Today is mostly a driving day as we head towards the Etosha Game Reserve. We set out early {again!!} and make just one brief stop at Outjo to pick up supplies {including a large chocolate cake for Andrew’s birthday}. We arrive at Etosha Camp Site, just outside the reserve, in the early afternoon, giving us time to dry out our tents after the previous night’s rainfall, do some washing, and still spend some time in the pool. Like all the other campsites the facilities here are excellent. Apart from the pool, electricity and hot showers, the flushing toilets here have a can of air-freshener in each cubicle! Etosha Game Reserve We get up early the next day to go to the National Park at Etosha and to try and cat ... read more

Spitzkoppe Monday 8th February On the Monday afternoon we head out of Swakopmund and head north towards our next major destination, Etosha Game Reserve. Quite a few people are looking the worse for wear as we have a number of adventure sports injuries and bad stomachs. Spitzkoppe is a suitable stopping point along the way. Spitzkoppe Spitzkoppe is one of three mountains rising out of the dry gravel plains as we head north from Swakopmund. It provides a spectacular camping spot as we sit on a rock, admiring the views and watching an approaching rainstorm. There are supposed to be some rock paintings nearby but we don’t find any. Flap My Bitch Up This is the first place that we have had to “bush camp”. The overland trucks are equipped to that we can camp in ... read more