Trip report: Southern Africa
OK, so I've had my takeaway and a bottle of Belgian beer. The cats have stopped attention-seeking and the house is quiet because Sally is 20 miles away with an IV antibiotic drip in her arm failing to...
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Day 1: Saturday - Johannesburg and Free Stage
Our flight landed around 07:00. Being near the front of the plane we we were near the front of the queue at immigration, and our baggage didn't take too long arriving either.
Baggage - there is something we aren't used to with the truck camper. We can just throw everything we want in before we leave. For this trip we were severely limited. Not so much by airline baggage policies - I have an offensively high checked baggage limit with British Airways, but by the fact that 1) everything in those bags needed to be stored in a small camper and 2) the bags themselves needed to go somewhere in the camper.
On exiting customs we quickly found the guy who was to take us to the rental depot and who would show us around our vehicle. The rental depot in Midrand (between Jo'burg and Pretoria) was a hive of exciting vehicles, and ours looked brand new it was so shiny. It was in fact 2 years old with over 100,000 km on the clock. We were given a thorough hand-over and signed the relevant paperwork.
Things to note when renting vehicles - obviously check for any damage and missing items before leaving the depot, but also consider whether you have unlimited mileage or not - paying in 500km packs can add up quickly. Also consider insurance and the excess (deductible). You don't want to find that the smallest scratch you think is insured results in a $1000 charge on your credit card because of a $1000 insurance excess in the small print. Often excesses for 4x4s are much higher than regular rental cars. Thankfully this vehicle, from a specialist overland vehicle renter - Bushlore - came with their super insurance, a very low excess and unlimited included miles. However, still watch for items not included in insurance, these are commonly windscreen, roof underbody and tyres / wheels. In a 4x4 camper driving dirt roads these are quite a risk.
OK, I've done enough talking about the vehicle - let's see what we rented. Here is Sally being shown the awning that we never used (generally too windy to use it):
It is a Toyota Land Cruiser 78 series. It has been converted into a camper by Alucab of Cape Town with a pop-up roof. Interior space is very limited unlike a truck camper, because it is already a narrow vehicle and there is no overcab area or wings extending the camper body out beyond the side of the truck.
Cooking is done outside on a single gas ring that slides out of the side. A table folds out of the side for food preparation. A 40 litre Engel fridge sits inside and a long drawer is fitted for storage. There is a small sink inside with water from an internal tank - this is not a very useful feature since you are doing all your cooking outside. You can sit inside if you are really desperate, but it is a long way from having a nice U-shaped dinette we are used to.
We hit the road in good time, and stopped after a short while at a major shopping mall to pick up groceries. Again, unlike with our camper, we had to be very careful not to over-buy things since we didn't have the storage space. We also had to consider that anything left over after the journey would have to be discarded. Being a rental we also had to consider everyday foodstuffs you would automatically keep in your truck camper - salt, sugar, BBQ sauce, matches, fire lighters, etc. I had prepared a list before arrival and it was worth doing that, or you could waste a lot of time stopping to buy bits and pieces as you found you were missing them.
The 78 series Land Cruiser is also called the Troop Carrier or "Troopy" due to its intended military / police role. This means it makes a very good overlanding base vehicle - since it is very simple and rugged. The diesel engine was a straight 6 4.2 litre naturally aspirated. It was incredibly underpowered, but also has legendary reliability and a look under the hood confirmed that unlike my own truck, this could like be fixed by mechanics in developing countries. It also came with plastic carpets and seats. Thankfully it did come with air conditioning, and I liked the fact that it had not just a fan control, but a separate control to adjust the temperature of the aircon.
The Troopy was fitted with a 9500lb winch, with tangled steel winch cable. It did include a tow / tree strap, but I couldn't see any gloves for handling the steel cable, shackles or instruction book - though my advice would be that if you need an instruction book to use a winch, you probably aren't experienced enough to be using one on a rental vehicle like this. If I was the rental company I would have considered removing the winches rather than have holiday-makers with no winching experience or training injure themselves attempting to use a powerful piece of equipment like this.
Finally out of the Johannesburg traffic it was nice to be on two-lane roads in the dry countryside:
We stopped for a cup of tea - a first chance for us to try the gas stove. It was pretty warm and a bit windy up here on the plains:
The Troopy is looking incredibly clean - it won't stay that way.
After a couple more hours we start seeing signs of the mountains in the distance. We are heading for the Drakensberg moutains that encircle the eastern end of the mountain kingdom of Lesotho:
I had originally intended to camp the first night, but after the vehicle pick-up, shopping and a long drive that seemed like a bad idea - turning up late and finding the campground full, struggling to work out how to use the camping equipment in the dark - it would have caused a stressful start to the trip. So instead I had searched for a lodge / B&B in the lovely little village of Clarens on the edge of the mountains.
I have had great experiences with lodges in South Africa and Namibia in the past - great hospitality, and this was no different. I like the little details (the owner has a pair of massive Great Danes):
We could park outside and have the French windows open:
This gave me a chance to sort out the vehicle before our first night's camping the following day, while Sally enjoyed a shower - she had to be careful though, solar water heating in the African summer doesn't stop heating the water when it gets to the temperature you are used to.
We walked up the dirt road into the village centre and found a nice restaurant where we could sit outside in the warm evening air. This was especially nice because it was February - and as most of you know, February up in the northern hemisphere wasn't quite suitable for outdoor dining.
Stay tuned for the Drakensberg Mountains...
Our flight landed around 07:00. Being near the front of the plane we we were near the front of the queue at immigration, and our baggage didn't take too long arriving either.
Baggage - there is something we aren't used to with the truck camper. We can just throw everything we want in before we leave. For this trip we were severely limited. Not so much by airline baggage policies - I have an offensively high checked baggage limit with British Airways, but by the fact that 1) everything in those bags needed to be stored in a small camper and 2) the bags themselves needed to go somewhere in the camper.
On exiting customs we quickly found the guy who was to take us to the rental depot and who would show us around our vehicle. The rental depot in Midrand (between Jo'burg and Pretoria) was a hive of exciting vehicles, and ours looked brand new it was so shiny. It was in fact 2 years old with over 100,000 km on the clock. We were given a thorough hand-over and signed the relevant paperwork.
Things to note when renting vehicles - obviously check for any damage and missing items before leaving the depot, but also consider whether you have unlimited mileage or not - paying in 500km packs can add up quickly. Also consider insurance and the excess (deductible). You don't want to find that the smallest scratch you think is insured results in a $1000 charge on your credit card because of a $1000 insurance excess in the small print. Often excesses for 4x4s are much higher than regular rental cars. Thankfully this vehicle, from a specialist overland vehicle renter - Bushlore - came with their super insurance, a very low excess and unlimited included miles. However, still watch for items not included in insurance, these are commonly windscreen, roof underbody and tyres / wheels. In a 4x4 camper driving dirt roads these are quite a risk.
OK, I've done enough talking about the vehicle - let's see what we rented. Here is Sally being shown the awning that we never used (generally too windy to use it):
It is a Toyota Land Cruiser 78 series. It has been converted into a camper by Alucab of Cape Town with a pop-up roof. Interior space is very limited unlike a truck camper, because it is already a narrow vehicle and there is no overcab area or wings extending the camper body out beyond the side of the truck.
Cooking is done outside on a single gas ring that slides out of the side. A table folds out of the side for food preparation. A 40 litre Engel fridge sits inside and a long drawer is fitted for storage. There is a small sink inside with water from an internal tank - this is not a very useful feature since you are doing all your cooking outside. You can sit inside if you are really desperate, but it is a long way from having a nice U-shaped dinette we are used to.
We hit the road in good time, and stopped after a short while at a major shopping mall to pick up groceries. Again, unlike with our camper, we had to be very careful not to over-buy things since we didn't have the storage space. We also had to consider that anything left over after the journey would have to be discarded. Being a rental we also had to consider everyday foodstuffs you would automatically keep in your truck camper - salt, sugar, BBQ sauce, matches, fire lighters, etc. I had prepared a list before arrival and it was worth doing that, or you could waste a lot of time stopping to buy bits and pieces as you found you were missing them.
The 78 series Land Cruiser is also called the Troop Carrier or "Troopy" due to its intended military / police role. This means it makes a very good overlanding base vehicle - since it is very simple and rugged. The diesel engine was a straight 6 4.2 litre naturally aspirated. It was incredibly underpowered, but also has legendary reliability and a look under the hood confirmed that unlike my own truck, this could like be fixed by mechanics in developing countries. It also came with plastic carpets and seats. Thankfully it did come with air conditioning, and I liked the fact that it had not just a fan control, but a separate control to adjust the temperature of the aircon.
The Troopy was fitted with a 9500lb winch, with tangled steel winch cable. It did include a tow / tree strap, but I couldn't see any gloves for handling the steel cable, shackles or instruction book - though my advice would be that if you need an instruction book to use a winch, you probably aren't experienced enough to be using one on a rental vehicle like this. If I was the rental company I would have considered removing the winches rather than have holiday-makers with no winching experience or training injure themselves attempting to use a powerful piece of equipment like this.
Finally out of the Johannesburg traffic it was nice to be on two-lane roads in the dry countryside:
We stopped for a cup of tea - a first chance for us to try the gas stove. It was pretty warm and a bit windy up here on the plains:
The Troopy is looking incredibly clean - it won't stay that way.
After a couple more hours we start seeing signs of the mountains in the distance. We are heading for the Drakensberg moutains that encircle the eastern end of the mountain kingdom of Lesotho:
I had originally intended to camp the first night, but after the vehicle pick-up, shopping and a long drive that seemed like a bad idea - turning up late and finding the campground full, struggling to work out how to use the camping equipment in the dark - it would have caused a stressful start to the trip. So instead I had searched for a lodge / B&B in the lovely little village of Clarens on the edge of the mountains.
I have had great experiences with lodges in South Africa and Namibia in the past - great hospitality, and this was no different. I like the little details (the owner has a pair of massive Great Danes):
We could park outside and have the French windows open:
This gave me a chance to sort out the vehicle before our first night's camping the following day, while Sally enjoyed a shower - she had to be careful though, solar water heating in the African summer doesn't stop heating the water when it gets to the temperature you are used to.
We walked up the dirt road into the village centre and found a nice restaurant where we could sit outside in the warm evening air. This was especially nice because it was February - and as most of you know, February up in the northern hemisphere wasn't quite suitable for outdoor dining.
Stay tuned for the Drakensberg Mountains...
