Planning

Planning involved - in that order, with overlaps :

- dreaming and talking a lot
- buying maps (Michelin) and posting them on the wall
- reading books and other's websites and blogs. The website www.africa-overland-net was a great source of inspiration ; with many references to past, present and future overlanders's websites.
- getting Scarlet ready (more about that on our post about the vehicle)
- finding out a way to pay for the trip: which went from investing in property to actually saving enough for what we would need
- making check-lists for about everything: from personal equipment and documents, to car's equipment and documents, first aid kit, camping stuff, etc. We tried to go by the rule that says that we should take the bare minimum and as much cash as possible.
- finding out about travel insurance, car insurance, cross-border requirements, carnet de passage, vaccinations, etc
- testing mefliam for 3 weeks (the generic equivalent of lariam) before buying a whole six month's supply
- ticking stuff from the check-lists one after the other

Our vehicle

A Toyota Hilux Raider 1991. 2,2 petrol. Single cab.
We call it "Scarlet".

We chose an older car so there won't be electronics involved...

...and a HiLux because it is the work horse of Africa.

It is more versatile than a LandRover. And we have used it countless times for the heavy work involved in refurbishing our house in the past 4 years.

And it is lighter than a LandCruiser.

But it is still tough enough ;o) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhoOkMccPZo

About us - Steve

Steve is a 31 year old South African civil engineer. He was born in Namibia (then Southwest Africa), and bred in Zimbabwe (then Rodhesia) and Johannesburg, South Africa.

He has been living - and surfing - in Cape Town since 2001. That is when he is not travelling, climbing, or fly-fishing in Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, the Alps, or South America.

Steve chose the car, designed the canopy, equipped it, learnt to drive it on any roads (or lack thereof), and will be responsible for keeping the engine running during the trip. He has some idea fo what to expect along the way (He's done the trip twice before as far as Uganda) and is teaching Caro to enjoy Africa time. He takes stunning photos, knows most of the birds we happen to see, and prepares the best potjies ever.

About us - Caroline

Caro is 31, and French born and bred. She was educated in France, Mexico and Canada, and first set foot on the African continent in 1998.
She met Steve in 2003 through common friends and the Mountain Club of South Africa, and has since been living - and trying to surf - with him in Cape Town. She teaches History and Geography, and runs a Student Placement Agency: http://www.kunjani.org/

Caro was the one who, as we were driving along South Africa East Coast on our first weekend together as a - still secret - couple, said the "We could just keep driving North.." sentence which was to become this trip. She loves not knowing what to expect along the way, camping under Africa's huge skies, trying to recognize African birds, and eating Steve's potjies. She is responsible for the paperwork and turning Scarlet into a home : she made check-lists, got infos on visas, carnet de passage and vaccinations, organised boxes of equipment, music, and this blog.

Intended route

This is the plan.
But the plan remains very open.
Our main goal is to just be on the road and enjoy it.

Ethiopia and Erithrea are a focus, because they are the least easy to visit from South Africa. And we also really want to climb the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda. Apart from that ? We are open to any adventure that might come up... along the way.

Njiani

"Njiani" means "Along the way" in KiSwahili.

And so it seems like a fitting name for this blog.

We have been dreaming and talking about this trip for the past 4 years. Our friends and family probably thought we would never leave. But there we are... Ready to make it happen at last !

Vehicle and camping boxes are packed. Jobs have been put on hold for a while. We are ready to hit the road, and looking forward to the ultimate pleasure of sitting beside a campfire in the bush night after night, under God's canopy of stars, with the sounds of the wild all around, and tucking into a great potjie that has been slowly simmering over the coals for hours and hours.