At the moment the world is holdings its breath in anticipation of the corona virus outcome.  So what can you do while under lockdown?

You can be lazy and lie on the couch, watch series and get lazy.  My motto is to tackle only one task that I never get around to do or just always find an excuse for and get it done and dusted, but then thoughts wonder to travelling and I somehow still do not get around to completing my task. 

If you are hungry for a camping trip, but all the campsites are locked for safety reasons the next best thing to do is to unpack and check your camping equipment.  Get the kids involved and pitch the tent, check the zips and window gauze and give it a good waterproof washdown.  Put things aside that needs attention for another day when under lockdown.  Remember the aim is to keep busy!

We take time to plan the details our next off-road trip.  At the moment we are working on a trip to do the Ben 10 in the Eastern Cape mountains.  Hopefully we will be able to accomplish this before the end of the year still. 

While Googling I also discovered some live webcams.  Now I can take my own virtual trip around the world – from Alaska to Zambia. without being exposed to the virus!     Armchair travel at its best!  If you are curious to see what is happening in other parts of the world head over to:   https://www.skylinewebcams.com and https://www.explore.org to watch some wildlife action.

Lockdown also provides me the opportunity to edit pictures and compile some video clips that were pushed to the background for some time now due to other commitments, but now there is no excuse. Ride with us in the clip that we have compiled on the Saasveld Pass in the Garden Route.

And then my all-time favorite is to Google (and drool) about places that I have not been to yet.  The western part of Tanzania with Lake Tanganyika came up the other day when I Googled.  This destination for sure needs to be investigated more for a future trip into Africa ……

You see in the end it is not so bad to have the corona virus around.  It makes you slow down and appreciate what we have to our disposal.  On the flip side it is also really tough to be a travel addict and be restricted to your house, but this will also pass.

All travel plans are on pause, but dreams are on play!

– – – – – – – – – – –

The post UNDER LOCKDOWN DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS NOW WHAT? appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

Check your tyres before you drive off. It sounds a bit foolish, but this can safe you some embarrassment if you just walk around your vehicle once to check if all your tyres are still okay and inflated to the correct pressure.  Now you are ready to hit the road and enjoy the rest of your trip.   

Tyre compressors and gauges at garages, especially in remote locations, are not always correct.  Be aware of that.  We have a habit of using our own tyre pressure gauge that we carry in our cubbyhole.   Part of our standard equipment includes a tyre repair kit and the knowledge of how to use when necessary.

When visiting a sandy location remember that it is way easier to drive early morning when the sand is still cold and hard.  When the sand warms up later in the day it gets more difficult to drive and accompanying that fact it also increases your fuel consumption.  This is especially an important fact if you have to budget, and carry your own fuel in remote locations.   When sand is thick and slow deflate your tyres.  It makes a huge difference on your driving ability.  It will also let you look like a pro.

Africa is a dusty continent.  Drive with your headlights on even during daytime.  Doing this you might get stopped by the local police who will tell you that it is illegal to have them on during time.  (At this point smile and be nice and say okay sorry and switch it off).   Switch them off while standing there, but as soon as you pull away put them back on.  This makes your visibility in dusty conditions better to other hectic drivers.  This saved us a couple of times on our expeditions in the past!

Gravel roads are in abundance wherever you travel in Africa. There are two things that you should remember when overtaking a vehicle.    Due to dust you are not always visible to the driver in front of you (remember the tip on the headlights) and move as far right as you possibly can when overtaking.  Drivers are not always in control of their vehicles …  Many a time we were taken by surprise on their moves on the road. 

Look ahead of you when you are driving and keep your eyes on the road surface.  If you see that the road widens at the edges, be sure that you will soon hit a pothole if you are not observant.  Changes in the colour of the tar road – becoming more red/white – is a sure sign that there is a pothole ahead. 

A night drive can sometimes be challenging as you have to keep a look out for all the of the above as well as stray animals wandering onto the road, because of no fences on the farms.  

The long and the short of this is keep your eyes open and be wide awake.  We know that African roads are not always on par with rest of the world, but this is part of the charm of the African continent.  Everything does not always work as they should.  Keep you cool and enjoy the ride!

Also read our post Going solo off the beaten track for more practical advice.

The post TIPS ON HOW TO NEGOTIATE AFRICAN ROADS appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

I prefer to travel as light as possible and keep the kitchen equipment/ utensils to the minimum.  Fancy cooking is something that I will attempt when I am at home with all the crockery and cutlery at hand.  After all, this is why we come to the bush – to get back to basics again and appreciate nature.  I can proudly say that I have had a braai in countries like Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Zambia!

When camping there are basically two ways to cook – either with a gas cooker or over the open fire.  We make a fire every night when camping so that is the obvious choice for us when we travel in Africa.  You will find wood or charcoal almost everywhere in Africa as it is an integral part of rural living on the continent.

There are various ways and methods to braai as this is second nature for us South African.  Read more on this topic in my post a  “Braai – a way of life”.

When we come to potjiekos which is made in a cast iron pot (three-legged or flat bottomed) over flames and not coals like when you are braaiing.  I prefer the flat-bottomed pot as my dish normally burns in the three-legged one.  I do not know what I am doing wrong!

When making potjie your choices of meat are endless – venison, beef, lamb, chicken, etcetera.  I even make a kick-ass lasagne potjie.  The best thing about a potjie is that you can add what you can find on the local markets.  In our case this mainly determines what type of potjie we are having that night.  (I will post on how to buy food on the local markets in a separate post).  However, I prefer to make a potjie when we are making camp for more than two days at a place, especially if you arrive late, there is not always enough time to make the potjie as it requires simmering over the fire.

A potjie is a good alternative to a braai as quality meat can at times be hard to find in Africa.  I am pretty sure that we had donkey tails once (sold as ox tail) in Choma, Zambia, but we survived that too!  When you are hungry and there are not a lot of options available, you just give it and go ….

My flat bottomed potjie also serves as an oven in which I bake bread.

Buy food that will last in the African heat.  Refrigerator space is always limited.  Butternuts (hard to find in Africa), gems and potatoes, onions and cabbage can take you a long way and sometimes it is the only vegetables that you will source for a couple of days.  So you need to be innovative with your recipes.  Aluminum foil comes in handy when doing vegetables over the fire.

I also take some dry rations such as pasta and couscous for emergencies – you never know what can happen in the African bush.  Rusks and coffee is also a quick breakfast fix when you have limited options in the bush.  Eggs are always problematic to pack and keep them whole, so I only buy it when I am pretty sure that it will be used the same day – boiled for lunch later or scrambled for breakfast.

Share your cooking experience in the commentary section of the post.  It may be useful to some newbie camper that is unfamiliar with local customs and conditions.

–oOo–

The post COOKING IN THE BUSH appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

If you like your own company and have some travel savvy then going solo is for you.  Going solo gives you freedom of choice and total independence to change your travel plans on the spur of the moment if something interests you on the wayside.

Things that you need to consider when planning your next solo African trip are the following.

You will need the ability to navigate.  There are not many countries left on mother earth that is unexplored, thus you will need a basic ability to navigate as there can be hundreds of tracks and footpaths not necessarily indicated on maps.  You must be able to understand and read maps whether it is a paper issue or a digital issue.  Sometimes you need to trust your instinct and basic sense of direction to find your way.

So you own a GPS, but do you know all the functions of your GPS, such as marking waypoints that you can return to later?  This can be of great value when bush camping as you need to mark a nice camping spot early in the afternoon but need to return to it later in the evening after dark when things have quietened down.

A reliable vehicle is not even questionable and some bush mechanics can take you a long, long way as everything is not always available in remote areas.  Even if you can phone somebody on your satellite phone it may take days or weeks for a specific part to arrive.

You will need a willingness to interact with the local people to ask directions or permission to camp or even buy some firewood.  If there is a village around do the decent thing and ask permission from the headman to camp there for the night.  They may even provide some security to you as a sign of respect.

Can you adapt and react to changing situations such as hazardous roads,  political climate, etc or are you set in your ways and love your comfort zone?  If you love your comfort zone you need to reconsider the urge of going solo.

The bottom line, and I think the most important aspect, that you must ask yourself is if you are prepared to rough it at times and skip a shower (or maybe two) to experience the joy that wild camping can offer?

Wanderlust: === the desire and irresistible urge to travel

The post GOING SOLO OFF THE BEATEN TRACK? appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

• Which border post? In all our years of travel we found that it is much easier to enter/exit at smaller border posts.  At the bigger border posts, the officials are sometimes tired and irritated and will take their time to work through the processes.  Our experience is at the smaller posts they are friendlier and welcome a chat while doing their work.
• When? Try to avoid peak times, if possible, like month end, late Friday afternoon or popular public holidays like Easter.  Everybody is in a hurry and the queues are longer, the tempers flare quicker and willingness is shorter.
• Be positive! No matter how frustrated you get, try to smile and be friendly.  They are only doing their job.  A positive attitude goes a long, long way.
• Take your own pen. Pens are rarely supplied at most border posts. If you have your own, you can get a jump in the queue while filling out the form.
• Keep it simple. A clear plastic folder works wonders to keep all the documents together.
• Step out of your vehicle. When you get swamped by all the touts, step out of your vehicle, pick one, and tell him that you will contract him if he makes sure all the other touts disappear, agree on a price beforehand to go with you to customs, immigration, third party, police clearance and sometimes the health department.  In some places, the third party office can be a container hidden behind other buildings and difficult to find.  Keep a watchful eye here on your tout!
• Keep your eyes on your stuff. Even though the border officials may be above board, opportunistic thieves and pickpockets spot you long before you spot them. Make sure your vehicle is locked.  We have a standard habit of one of us stay at the vehicle while the other do the paperwork and then rotate if necessary.  Rather be safe than spoiling your trip from the word go.
• Money matters. Know the current Rand // USD exchange rate before you arrive at the border. There are APPS available for this purpose or phone a friend if needs be.   If possible, use local currency and give exact  It is easy to “not have change” available and is sometimes a standard answer (and can be very profitable)
• Never flash the amount of money you have on you – be discreet.    If you need to change money at the border, count it slowly and make sure you received the right amount.  There are “experts” out there with very swift hands.   We rather exchange Rand // USD before we leave home to avoid the risk of using money changers.
• Some borders do take bank cards, but on the other hand this is a great way to get your bank card cloned. Officials are not always willing to offer a card machine due to the “not have change” rule.  As in many situations – use your discretion!
• Check the stamp. Before you leave the counter make sure that the date stamps are correct.  You won’t be able to change anything easily once you leave.
• Obey the rules of the road. The areas around border crossings are particularly happy hunting grounds for traffic police.   Remember to stop at stop signs and stop behind the line even though they eagerly wave at you to come forward.
• Remember that as soon as you cross into another country you are on roaming charges for your cell phone.  If you plan to phone a lot rather buy a local SIM card – it is a lot cheaper.

Do you have any questions?  We will gladly give advice if you ask the question.

—oOo—

This is Part III in the series of articles.  Remember to read Parts I and II as well.

The post CROSSING THE BORDER (PART III) – ARRIVING AT THE BORDER appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

• If your vehicle is still under a finance agreement, you will need to acquire a letter of permission from the applicable financial institution. Each institution has its own requirements and procedures to follow as to how to obtain it.  Allow enough time to obtain the required paperwork.  If you are planning to take a trailer or caravan remember to do the same, if financed.
• Make sure your ID number matches that used on your vehicle documents. If your registration papers show your RSA ID number, then take it with you.  Rather take too much proof than be in a predicament.
• Take a colour copy of your vehicle’s registration papers. This is very handy. It is a popular document and it is frequently asked to produce at roadblocks and/or border posts.  Important:  hold on to the original document and never let it leave your sight.  I always make some extra copies to hand out if required.
• Apart from the document itself I also write down the VIN number, etc in my diary and keep it apart from the official documents. You never know what can happen …
• If you’re covered by your SA insurance, then get a letter to prove it. Not all insurance policies provide cover when traveling in neighbouring countries.  If this is not the case you will have to buy insurance at the border post.
• When planning a Northern African trip and entering/exiting several countries consider buying a Carnet de passage en Douane. This allows you to import/export your vehicle without incurring extra fees.  Of course, a Carnet de passage en Douane attracts its own specific costs depending on which countries you plan to visit, but the cost and paper trouble is worth it in the end.
• Note that a carnet can only be obtained in your country of origin.   For example, if your vehicle carries a South African registration plate, you need to buy it in South Africa, etcetera.
• You will need to display a ZA sticker (or your country of origin) at the back of your vehicle. If you plan to visit Mozambique they have additional requirements regarding trailers.  You get different types of ZA stickers – magnetic and a sticker type.  We first tried the magnetic ones, but kept on losing and replacing them until we draw the inference that the African dust gets underneath and it does not want to stick anymore.  The traditional sticker ones still works the best for us.
• 
• Red and white reflective tape are required especially in Zambia and Zimbabwe.  Remember you can be fined in each country for not having the right stickers.  So this can become a costly exercise if you do not do your homework in advance.
• Also check the Zambia regulations as at some stage they required that you carry metal red triangles and not the standard plastic ones.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in your vehicle where you can quickly access it in case of an emergency. You do not want to loose your vehicle and spoil your whole holiday!
• A reflective jacket provides more visibility when changing a flat wheel after dark at the roadside.  This precaution saved hubby a couple of times in deepest darkest Africa.
• A handy site where you can check the specific requirements for each country is the Automobile Association’s web page at:  https://www.aa.co.za/services/travel-services/into-africa/cross-border-information.html

***Need some assistance in planning a route?  Feel free to contact me.***

The post CROSSING THE BORDER (PART II) – VEHICLE AND INSURANCE appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

Where are we going – love the planning stage!

You see this is where the practical me jumps in again.  I like it because:

There is nothing more rewarding when you are planning a trip than to spread out the map on the table and say that is where I want to go.

Yes, yes, I know the GPS shows me where I want to go, but sometimes we get so blinded by tunnel vision  focussing on what the GPS tells us what to do that we do not actually know where we are in the bigger picture.

Driving in town that is fine, you can just replace/recharge the batteries or plug into your car’s power source, but what happens if you are in deepest darkest Africa with no shops around to get the right size of batteries and/or no auto electrician to find the electrical failure and fix the problem while out there?

Seeing the bigger picture – nice!

Theft is a real issue these days in our day to day existence.  You are in Africa and jump out in a small village to buy that cold Coke to quench your thirst, but forget to press that button on the remote ….. Gone is your GPS!

You can even scribble a quick note or telephone number to someone on a piece of your map if needs be!

Ever spared a thought what you will do if you loose that vital satellite signal?  It is unbelievable what a piece of paper in your hand can do towards reassuring you on a remote adventure trip.   In our travels we have learned a few times that the GPS is not always right.

And then there is the me thing.   I do not always want to follow a tinned voice telling me what to do, because

I am me:

I am an individual …

I want to explore more …

I do not always want to follow …

I want to test my own navigational skills …

And what else tells a better story than a well travelled map with pigs ears, creases and plotted routes?

Our well travelled pig eared, coffee stained map from our Sudan trip – such good memories!

Hopefully I have planted a map “seed” while you were reading this.  So go out and buy that map, learn to orientate and read the map – sooner or later you will need that map!  And do not fret, we take our trusted Zumo on all our trips into the unknown.

…. and if you need some assistance in the planning department – I will gladly help!  Just email me.

“This heart of mine was made to travel the world.” – Unknown

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH PLANNING ROUTES DROP ME AN E-MAIL

The post THE GOOD OLD PAPER MAP appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

The picture I had in my mind of Ethiopia was of famine ravished people as thin as sticks living off parched land.  Sooooo wrong – well at least the parts of the country that I have visited.

Near Awassa

This was the first of the East African countries that we have entered into per vehicle on our trans African trip that drives on the right-hand side of the road.  This immediately says that there is a whole lot more surprises waiting for you.  When we entered at Moyale on the Ethiopia/Kenya border you immediately notice all the changes in yet a new country.  Suddenly you cannot read the sign boards next to the road as it is in Ahrmeric (only spoken in Ethiopia,) the Samburu women carrying barrels of water in a unique style on their backs with different looking cattle grazing in the harsh background,  coffee served in small cups which let all the hair on your body stand up straight and blue Fiat taxi’s all over the city in Addis Ababa.

A Samburu woman near the Moyale border post

Still driving without any brakes, after our breakdown in the Kaisut desert in Kenya, and only relying on the hand break we slowly progressed up along the Rift Valley while the rain came down in torrents.  At a nerve wrecking snails pace and with a  miracle or two we managed not to run over one of the 75 million people that live in the country.  Progress was slow and night was falling.  We need to get a place to sleep where we could fix the pick-up (in Afrikaans we call it a bakkie).  Until now nothing came up.  Late night we reached Awassa and our trusty Garmin GPS told us there is accommodation in town!  Up and down and up and down the street we drove.  Nothing looked like any sort of accommodation to us.  Out of despair we decided to park in front of a steel gate where the GPS said it should be and I knocked – what are the chances?    Well, the chances were good as the guard opened up on the knock.  After pitching and breaking up camp in the dark  every day for about 11 days in a row a bed and hot shower were appreciated.  This comfort was much needed to recharge our personal batteries before the challenges to fix the pick up the following day.

On a snail’s pace through a village in the Rift Valley

We asked the German owner where we can have the vehicle repaired and she directed us to a massive Toyota dealership in town.     Our hopes were high, but quickly hubby returned as they could not assist, because our specific model of Hilux was only built for the South African market and were never available in the rest of Africa so the parts they have do not fit.  Great – on to plan B or C or D …?  Luckily Plan B lead us to a local mechanic with a very primitive garage in his backyard.  This did not look good at all, but what are the choices?

The workshop

Worth to mention is that  the work that was done in this backyard workshop lasted for a couple of months after we arrived back in South Africa!   This was once again a friendly reminder to keep  a couple of back-up plans up your sleeve, because Africa is not for sissies!

In Awassa we were recommended to an establishment in Addis (which turned out to be not exactly what we had in mind) with hourly patrons coming and going.  So time for plan B – again!

We are now running out of time as hubby needs to be in Khartoum, Sudan to start working in four days’ time.  Now we have to make a decision whether I will drive with hubby (and take a chance to get entry into Sudan) or fly to Khartoum as a land entry visa was not granted by their embassy in South Africa.   They probably do not get many requests in South African for a land entry visa so they just issued the standard air travel entry – but we only found out in Nairobi there is a difference between the visas.  Lesson learned:  make sure you receive the right entry visa on  your application.    The decision was now taken:  I will fly to Khartoum and hubby will drive there.  We agree that if he is not in Khartoum after three days I will need to mobilize a search party as there is no cell reception on the road he is traveling.

What a welcome site in Addis Abeba

With my ticket bought we set off to Bole International Airport where I will be dropped and hubby will then hit the road to Khartoum as he really is pressed for time.  Staying about 8 km from the airport we reckoned this will not take long, but little did we now that it was Ethiopia’s millennium celebrations! They use a calendar which is seven years behind the Western calendar so it was the year 2000 for them.   We mastered the crowds celebrating their new millennium in the streets of Addis Abbaba on our way to the airport and I was dropped outside the airport building as only the traveler is allowed to enter the building on departure (unlike South Africa).  So off I go on my very first international flight ever on my very first visit to Sudan in the hope to see hubby again after four days!

Stuck in Addis traffic

The impressions of Ethiopia will always stay with me as a country full of surprises and what a privilege to add another smiley to my travel bucket.

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
Lao Tzu

Want to follow our route?

We can help with your route planning – send as an e-mail

The post ETHIOPIA appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.