Bernard and I will be spending 59 days on Shashe, our Acacia overland truck (and remember its a truck not a bus!). Shashe holds up to 24 passengers. During the past two weeks we've had the luxury of up to 10 passengers so lots of space. All of us are bracing ourselves for experience of a full truck - which we will be by Sunday this week.
Bernard and I have been impressed with the quality of the tents. We're travelling during East Africa's "Short rains" season and so far its rained nearly every day and the tents have kept us safe and dry. We have tent 663 - chosen because its in really good condition. I have locker number 11, again chosen after careful deliberation of which locker height suits me best, locker 5 didn't pass the test. I sit on the front seat on the left hand side of the vehicle. Ah, the luxury of choosing these small things before the truck gets full!!!
Mark and Lindy are our tour guides all the way to Cape Town. A gorgeous South African couple whom I already like tremendously. We have a fantastic mix of passengers so far - Emily and Lucy from the UK; Anna from Ireland (whom we all must be careful around at a bar - she's a bad influence!); Rod from the States (and the best kind of American if I do say so myself); and Perry a slightly older passenger from Canada who has come over to fulfil a lifetime dream - he makes me think of my folks quite a lot. Together we all pile onto Shashe every morning, find our seats and settle down for the day's adventure.
I have somehow appointed myself tea/coffee maker because my first priority of the morning is my cup of coffee, and last thing before bed my cup of peppermint tea. But at this stage we all pitch in with duties - I help out with cooking quite a bit - the food quality is outstanding - having a freezer on tour is helping out a lot. Bought a bottle of gin in Kampala and have been enjoying the occasional G&T in the evening. Marvellous in this tropical heat.
When the tour starts Bernard will join me in the front seat (which is the only place on the truck with ample leg room for him) but it will be a tight squeeze as the seats are VERY narrow. So imagine on those long and bumpy bus rides Lizzie and Bernard sitting lide sardines but enjoying the amazing view.
Tour started two weeks ago at Nairobi - we have spent 14 days travelling through East Kenya and Uganda. We pick up more passengers then head into our next leg in the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Zanzibar, Lake Malawi, Livingston/Vic Falls. The final leg takes us through Botswana, Namibia and ends in Cape Town.
And after 59 days of camping, Bernard and I will be enjoying a little luxury in Cape Town for Christmas. Bring it on!!!
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