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We (Carol and
David)
are a very normal couple, in our eyes, if
not in
those of our four grown up children!
David has been labelled a workaholic, working from home
as a Structural Engineer, for nearly 30 years: he is ready for
a change!
I started my adult life as a teacher,
but have spent the past 28
years juggling the responsibilities of home, kids, work for David
and, latterly, short-term foster care.
We are knocking sixty, and wanting to do something different: Why should the youngsters have all the fun – this will be a Gap Year for wrinklies!
Our offspring are all of the opinion that we are in our dotage, and totally incapable of traveling further than across the channel to camp in France! They also think the idea is far too scary and that we will be shot by terrorists, lost in the desert or eaten by wild beasts! But we aim to prove them wrong!
The Real reason:
I’ve been confused all my life; it’s what I do well. Carol’s the planner I’m the one with big feet who never gets mistaken for being organised, dressed appropriately or on time.
‘Should never have married Carol’ - way out of my league and deserves better I’m regularly informed.
Still haven’t a clue where our four kids came from or how they grew so big and so fast.
And then to cap it all, I opened my mouth one day and said ‘Africa looks intrestin’, and the rest is mystery.
So this is neither the fulfilment of a lifetime’s ambition nor the realisation of a long held dream, only the result of a babbling twit trying to make conversation. Suddenly, bang goes my only means of earning a living, the pension contributions are cancelled, the home’s being left in the hands of delinquents (whose inheritance is now in the shape of a rusty 15 year old Van), and we’re facing the realisation of having to live like tramps for the next twelve months. I only said ‘looks interestin’ but what everybody heard was: we’re going on an overland adventure down the entire length of the African continent and nobody and nothing’s going to stop us. Of course the word spreads and suddenly people I’ve never heard of are phoning up and asking ‘how are the PLANS going’ and ‘when are you LEAVING’ and ‘have you got your MALARIA prophylactic sorted’ ….….…Carol …. Help!
Anyway, here we are with inevitability looming like free fall without a parachute and as far as plans go controlled panic would better describe our preparations. That said, we have a sense of good fortune regarding the vehicle and the new friends we’ve made as a result of this accident. All the web sites describing other people’s experiences of crossing Africa have been a genuine source of strength to us, and we’re beginning to believe that maybe we will survive this after all.
So, two frustrated wannabe grandparents are putting Africa between them and their Zimmer frames and very aware that they’ll be numbered with the few who only went for the view.
My initial idea was to purchase a
Motorhome, and travel
in
Europe when we retire. But David had other ideas:
why stop at Europe, and so the idea was born … my
initial
reluctance has been overcome, and now I am the
enthusiastic planner of the enterprise! Obviously, the
dream of a Motorhome has been replaced with a 4 x 4!
The plan at the moment is to drive from Southampton to Cape Town, taking the route down the eastern side of the continent. We have chosen this route as the most straightforward, and the safest: we aim to avoid places which are politically unstable.
We plan to set out in Autumn 2006. People travel all the year round to Africa, and each season has its advantages. However, our choice of dates is governed by the weather: we want to avoid the hottest time of year in the Sahara, and we want to reach countries like Ethiopia before the rainy season. It remains to be seen whether we meet these goals!