Skint Adventure

After an epic 4595km trip around the country, the road trip has finally come to an end. It's been a fantastic journey and one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. However, as covered in some of the posts, things didn't always work out according to plan. So, for people who may be planning a similar trip, here's a little analysis of what worked and what didn't. In case you haven't read it, here's the post on some of the planning we did before the trip . Let's get to it. Data Connectivity Having data connectivity got us out of some sticky situations, especially when we were looking for last minute accommodation. The Huawei modem was a lifesaver, it worked pretty much flawlessly. As for the networks, MTN performed pretty well. There were some areas that were complete signal blackspots, but overall, it worked. Blogging Blogger itself is a nice platform. Unfortunately Blogger's mobile app is, well, a bit rubbish. It's really old and in desp...

After the extreme heat in Augrabies we were looking forward to some respite from the sun. We hit the road early on Saturday morning and headed for Garies, another little remote town in the Namaqualand region, but this was our half way mark between Augrabies Falls and home. The journey to Garies was pretty dry for the most part until we hit Springbok where we parked up and stocked up on supplies for dinner that evening. Our guest house for the evening, was a lovely little cottage in the heart of Garies called Sophia's (which is pretty much one main road/ high street) and since it was after midday on a Saturday afternoon the whole town, including the high street had pretty much shut down for the day and would only reopen again on Monday morning. We decided to make the most of our living quarters for the night and cooked a good old "home cooked" meal, which we hadn't had much opportunity to do for most of the trip. Over dinner that evening we reminisced about o...

All backpackers are the same. The one that we are staying at in the remote town of Augrabies features all of the usual characteristics you find in places like this around the world. Pretty run down and dirty, that glossy orange paint on the walls that you assume is only there because it makes it easy to wash off bodily fluids, messages written on the walls from previous travelers, grim toilet and, most importantly, really odd people. Whilst sitting in the bar area a man who looked like he could be in his 50s (although I suspect that he is probably in his 40s and let himself go a bit) starts talking at us. I say "at us" because he was drifting between a mumbling stream of consciousness and the occasional question directed to us. He was friendly enough, asking about where we were from and where we were headed. A French traveler in the bar asks the (potentially) old man where he is from, to which he replies, "I live here sometimes". The man gets up and says "I...

It was meant to be an 8 hour drive from Ficksburg to Kathu but, as with most of this trip, things didn't end up as we expected. We are now driving into the Northern Cape. The lush green hills slowly disappear to make way for barren desert. After about 7 hours of driving we stop at a small town to fill up the car. As we pull away, our phone directs us through the town. We expected to be sent back on the highway, instead we were being directed to a long dirt road. There was no way the car was going to be able to do this, we would have to crawl through it and if we were to break down, there probably was very little chance of being picked up. I checked the map, we were miles off course. We must have taken a wrong turn a couple of hours back, and the phone was desperately trying to get us back on track, even if it meant going through hostile terrain. We decided not to take the dirt road, instead we got back on the highway where we were going to get to the nearest town, Upington. From t...

We set out toward the Free State on a busy Wednesday morning. As we got ready for our next adventure, it was very clear that the city around us (Johannesburg) was still very much going about it's daily business.  We were headed for Ficksburg in the Free State, land of the cherries. This small town is located on the foothills of the Imperani Mountain and was founded by General Johan Fick in 1883.  The journey to Ficksburg was mostly smooth aside from a few roads riddled with potholes we made it there in one piece. The most amazing thing to see during this journey is the changing landscape, leaving a land of high rises and apartment blocks (Gauteng) and heading into the Free State with its gorgeous mountain range and wildlife, even the birds are amazing The long-tailed male widowbird (Google it) is one of the most magnificent creatures I spotted on this route. It graciously glides through the air with its long beautiful tail swishing along behind it and it moves at a moderate pa...

Kaif and I have been regular visitors to Johannesburg over the past couple of years, however this is the first time we have actually gone there on a holiday with the intention of exploring all the city has to offer. Our previous visits were always for business and we were both united in our mutual dislike of the city (sorry Joburgers) and the general consensus that "we could never live there". However this time around we discovered a different city to what we've become accustomed to, one with historical beauty, booming entrepreneurship and let's face it some pretty awesome hangout joints. We visited quite a couple of places during our stay (which you can read more about in Kaif's last post- Johannesburg Electricity). One of the highlights was a journey we took out to a little town called Parys. The one thing that stood out for me about this quirky little town, aside from all the very niche shops was the fact that most things were labelled "vintage" an...

It's 2am and I'm laying in bed. Outside the rain beats against the window. Then a flash of lightning quickly followed by roaring thunder. The lightning storms in Jo'burg are a magnificent sight, they are intense and are usually over in about an hour or two; then it's back to glorious sunshine. The storm sums up the hostile nature of Jo'burg, everything is out to grind you down, even the weather. But the power behind Jo'burg, the lightning within the storm, is the people. The city is young, just over 120 years old and was fuelled by the gold rush. The hunt for riches left behind it a rapidly developed city and a mindset that lives on to this day. People in Jo'burg don't fuck around. It seems as though everyone is here to make it big. Earlier in the day I saw a woman come out of a hair salon with curlers still in her hair as she marches over to the shops to finish her errands whilst texting on her phone. People are on a mission here, and that drive is wha...