A Day or two at the Cape

Staying with sailing buddy Pit and Gundi, Somerset West
in the Heldeberg wine producing country.  Grace in 3 acres

Uva Mira Vineyard in the Heldgerberg area of the Cape
My generous and gracious hosts: Pit and Gundi.  Note my new
South African hat: the new crew hat for Xena

Pit at St John's, East Cape peninsula

Bit of colour (bathing huts).....

... bit of black and white....

And bit of colour again (Flamingo Flower)

Probably should've started the Rally to Cairo from here.

Gundi at Cape Point

Cape Point cliffs, surrounded by bird life

View up the west coast of the Cape Peninsula; gorgeous desolation

And a couple from Pit:

Gundi and Peter at lighthouse, Cape Point

The once-a-month steam train, Simonstown, Cape Point

07:00 in Johannesburg....

... and gazing out at the high southern skies, clear as the broad, orange shimmers in the late winter's sun, high wide velt to the horizon.

The Road fromHell

Getting ready to head off to the airport and son John asks how I feel.  Answer is a touch excited and also a touch apprehensive.  The latter feeling added to by the post I came across yesterday from our "Namibian Expedition Team", who wrote about a bit of the road they call "the Road from Hell", in their post here.  Especially the bit about the "shifta bandits".  John says I should make sure I have no obvious jewelry -- "take off you wedding band" he says, not having noticed that I haven't worn one for about eight years..., and we discuss if I should take off the only piece I do wear, a necklace with a "good luck" Chinese character, which I argue should stay, as it's something I can give to the shiftas.... hmmmm....

Here's an extract from the post....

The second half of the journey moves into the rough stuff – over the equator at Nanyuki and past Mt. Kenya, Archers Post and Marsabit and into the rocky track trough the northern desert region known as the Road from Hell due to the suspension breaking road and the shifta bandits that roam the region. Upon reaching the Ethiopian border at Moyale the worst is over and we are back on tarred roads, albeit now driving on the right hand side of the road just to add to the confusion of overloaded trucks and buses along the route to Awassa and Addis Ababa.

After four days in Addis applying for Sudanese visas (and flying up to Lalibela to see the amazing underground stone churches) the African Odyssey drives through the Ethiopian highlands to Bahir Dar and Gondar and then, following the Blue Nile across the border into Sudan and on to Khartoum – no beer or whisky at the famous British gunboat which is now part of the Nile Sailing Club in Khartoum, due to the ban on alcohol in the Sudan, but perhaps a cup of tea in the old British tradition. 

Three days (with overnight camping) in the Nubian Desert finally brings us to Wadi Halfa where we load the cars onto the ferry for the crossing of the Aswan High Dam to Aswan in Egypt. Now that beer is back on the bar lists the African Odyssey will no doubt have a party but the officialdom and hassle of customs regulations surrounding the importing of a car into Egypt (hence the four days in Aswan) will apparently test the patience of many a driver as the cars have to be inspected, customs forms filled out and temporary Egyptian number plates fitted with (no doubt) many palms having to be greased to assist the process!

Once leaving Aswan the end is in sight as we travel on to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings for the compulsory and ancient Egyptian history lessons antiquities viewing and then on to the Red Sea town of Hurghada for two days rest and relaxation at the beach before the final push into the greatest traffic jam in the world in Cairo.

Kenya "Concours d'elegance"

Interesting info on the background to this Rally, that I didn't know till today, from Ian Gallagher's blog of the Namibian contingent's doings, here.
Apparently, we're going to enter the Kenyan Concours d'elegance 2011 (basically showing off old cars: the prettiest and best presented in their original condition, win).
Didn't know this, as we're still missing daily schedules for days 16-20.
Reading Ian's comments on some of the roads, especially north of the equator, some of them sound pretty hairy, with the "Road from Hell" featuring bandits amongst its other bone-jarring charms....(scroll down to "The Route")

"Namibian Expedition Team" head down to Cape Town

The "Namibian Expedition Team" on the road Namibia to Cape Town this week

There are four cars coming down to the start in Cape Town from Namibia: an MG and three ol' Mercs. They've just started their own blog, for the "Namibian Expedition Team blog".  So I guess we'll rebrand as "The Aussie Blog"!

Staying South of the Haimish Line

David Brooks contemplates the camping experience in Kenya and Tanzania, and in his musings, introduces the lovely concept of "haimish"... I think Germans would call it Gemütlichkeit...

Recently I did a little reporting from Kenya and Tanzania before taking a safari with my family. We stayed in seven camps. Some were relatively simple, without electricity or running water. Some were relatively luxurious, with regular showers and even pools.

Track where we are...

Well, track Roger's car, the Rally Organiser.  We should be somewhere nearby, all being well...
Go to this site and then:
Username:  afriod
Password:  mg

Then click on the little car in the left column ("Assets") which will show you Roger's MG.
Site: http://www.anfs.co.za

Yikes! We'd better get to Egypt pronto....

.... if we want to visit the Pyramids, the Spinx and Sharm Al-Sheikh....

They'll all be shut down if this guy guy gets his way....

Adel Shehato, a senior official in Egyptian Islamic Jihad ... said that if the mujahideen came to power in Egypt, they would launch a campaign of Islamic conquests aimed at subjecting the entire world to Islamic rule. Muslim ambassadors would be appointed to each country, charged with calling upon them to join Islam willingly, but if the countries refused, war would be waged against them. He also described the nature of the Islamic state to be established in Egypt: there would be no trade or cultural ties with non-Muslims; tourist sites at the pyramids, the Sphinx, and Sharm Al-Sheikh would be shut down "because the tourists come [there] to drink alcohol and fornicate," and all tourists wishing to visit Egypt would be required to comply with the conditions and laws of Islam; all art, painting, singing, dancing, and sculpture would be forbidden, and all culture would be purely Islamic.

Kissing it goodbye?  Hope not....

Another report here.
What at time for us to be arriving in Saharan Africa, in the wake of the "Arab Spring", but in the Fall....

All ok for the Aussie campers

I was asking Gordon (owner of the 1968 Ford Mustang that I'm "co-piloting" as they say in South Africa) whether he thought our little "pop-up" tent was big enough for him and me, which he does -- "looks ok" he says -- and led to an exchange of emails, Gordon  to Roger (the race organiser)...
__________
Roger,
How self sufficient do we have to be regarding camping. Do we have any food and cooking facilities provided or are we expected to 100% sort ourselves. Need to get camping gear next week end and want to know if I get stoves pots pans etc.
Thanks
Gordon
__________
Gordon:

Good one. There is a night near Marsabit where we are expecting to camp. The next night at Moyale the same thing. Then the first night into the Sudan the same thing and also the three nights north of Khartoum. Being a large group of people I have said we must camp as facilities in these areas are very limited if anything at all.

However, at Marsabit there is a Catholic Mission that has a few rooms, in the village are a few rooms and the same goes for Moyale and the Sudan. I am taking a sleeping bag and a popup tent in case but I am not doing any cooking stuff as I reckon I will find a meal when needed and all the food, cooking apparatus, utensils is a hassle.

Regards,
Roger
___________
Roger,
In OZ we eat Witchety Grubs or Kangaroo when it gets desperate – like the concept – get a goat on a spit! The Beer is the real problem and getting it cold another!
Gordon
____________

Is this tent big enough for two big Aussies?...

Update: Gordon's response, 27 Aug:

Pete
Looks OK bring it along. We will have a look if it's too small I will grab another. I will be in CT Wednesday and will pick up the car, buy some tools (there are no tools not even a jack in the car) and head to Segefield which is 5 hours down the coast. Will be back Friday. I will be staying in the Hotel from Friday. On the week end I will finalise camping gear, so if you want to lend a hand feel free. I thought a ground sheet, two camping chairs, and I will have to check with Roger re cooking etc. Not sure how self sufficient we need to be.

Gordon 

_______________

Just checking with Gordon, if the tent below really is big enough for the two of us.... Gordon has said that it should be small as possible, as most of the boot is taken up with extra fuel tanks, but still.....
If not, I've just time to rush down to the local outdoors shop to pick up something a bit roomier:

Peter with "the tent", backyard Siena One, Hong Kong, 22nd June 11

A week to go...

... till I depart Hong Kong for Cape Town, via Johannesburg.  Arriving there at 11:25 am on the 3rd September, picked up by Samier Saliegh a contact of my old sailing mate Pit's, then to Pit's place for a few nights, then over to the Leisure Bay Resort Hotel, where there's a Braai (aka BBQ) with Press, on the evening of the 5th, before our departure on the 6th September.

Note from Steffen that he's now got a co-driver (aka "co-pilot"...) and will be joining us. For a while there, was thinking/hoping that one of my mates might take that seat.....  Steffen's cars and teams below, in his email of 25/8:

Steffen and his team

Hello Roger, (and the rest of our team :-) )

I just want to inform you that I found a co-pilot at the last second. His name is Walter Teetz and he will join us from Windhoek to Nairobi. He will stay with me in the Twin rooms which were already booked as you said. Walter is the owner and the chief mechanic of Orion Motors. I think, he will be a good part and also a kind of security of our team. Then we have 2 good qualified mechanics in our team.

Friendly regards to all,
Steffen

p.s. See you in Cape Town, and then lets hit the road!!!!  8-) 

Crocodile Braai?

Sailing mate Pit has offered us crocodile "braai" -- South African bbq -- if we can make it to his crocodile farm outside Jo'berg.

From Pit....

Is there a fixed program or do you have some time available? We should at least have a “Braai” (which is a South African barbeque) or dinner.  When would that be convenient?

Of course I need to attend your start in Cape Town. It would be good if you can make it to the farm.  We surly would welcome you there and can organise Croc Steaks! There is a bit of accommodation available as well. See map attached. I will mail co-ordinates. From Cape Town it is about 1550km, depending on which route you take.

Keep me posted please
Pit