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23/03/2009

The beauty of travelling on your own is the flexibility. Over the weekend we decided to go to Uganda to try and see the gorillas. We just have to make sure that we can get back into Kenya with our temporary permit for the car but that we will find out at the border. It is only a 670km drive to Kampala.

The weekend was very pleasant at Jungle Junction. It was nice not to have to drive around in Nairobi and we spend the Saturday and Sunday evening with the new friends we have made. Siggy & Claudia, Wim and Chantelle from the Netherlands, Neta and Goldie from Israel, and Roland from Austria but working in Malawi.

First a good breakfast and by noon we are on our way. Today is an easy drive to Lake Naivasha where we will spend the evening. It is only 120km from Nairobi and we take the old road, which is also tarred and in good condition. The scenery is beautiful and at one point you descend into the Rift valley which, at this point, is only 65 km wide.

Arriving at Lake Naivasha we go and have a look at Crayfish camp. The facilities are good with a restaurant, showers, swimming pool and more. However there were no campers or any residents so we moved on to Fisherman’s camp. It is a huge site located close to the water, also with all the facilities you could need. There was a few other campers so we made ourselves at home for the night.

Lake Naivasha is beautiful with abundant birdlife. We are not twitters but apparently there are something like 350 species of birds here and even we can identify Maribu stork, Igret’s, fish eagles and a few more. There are also hippo that come grazing at night but there is a small electric fence separating them from the campsite.

Zelda has the flu and she feels miserable. If it continues for much longer we will sacrifice her to the hippos.

The evening is spent around a bon fire.

20/03/2009

First stop today is the Ethiopian embassy for visas. This is a quick stop and within 30 minutes we have submitted out applications and we visit a big shopping centre on Kilimani ring road. It has every kind of shop you might need.

For us it is no problem to while away a few hours in a shopping centre and by 14h30 we return to collect our visas from the Ethyopian embassy. Now that is efficient in anybody’s language.

Our plan is to spend the weekend at Jungle Junction before heading north. There is a lot of catching up to do with the children’s school work and our own work so we will try and do as much over the weekend as possible.

Luckily there is free internet access at JJ so we can cram in as much work as possible.

In the afternoon Ziggy and Claudia turn-up as well. Claudia is at the end of her holiday and fly back to Germany on Sunday.

19/03/2009

Before we leave we first want to go through the curios shop at O.N.A. Camp. They have amazing stuff and it is definitely worth a visit. We could have blown our annual trip allowance in this one shop. Most of the items are unique and they have a complete section with really old historic items from the different tribes in Kenya. We purchase two carved pieces and I now have these pieces as company on my side of the bed.

The plan is that all the items that we purchase on the way fits on the bed in the louton. If it becomes too much Zelda will have to sleep on the tine couch and if it really becomes too much I will sleep on the floor in the passage. I hope it does not get to this. We will try and ship some of the things back once we get to a bigger centre.

As we foresaw the car does not start but after putting in a bridging the connection between our auxiliary batteries and car batter we are can get going. It is only 160 km to Nairobi but the road is not in a very good state due to lots of potholes.

At about lunchtime we reach Kajiado where you will find the Big 5 Hotel. What a pleasant establishment with good food, friendly people and, if you could get there during the rainy season, a beautiful setting on the bank of a river. For now the river was dry but that did not detract from the choma (roast beef) and chips we had. We ordered 2 plates of each and we could not finish it between the 4 of us. At R120.00 for the food plus drinks we thought it a bargain.

We reach Nairobi by about 15h45 and drive directly to Toyota to make a booking for the alternator to be replaced. As I leave I notice another Toyota service centre across the road and just to make sure I am not charged too much for the alternator by Toyota I decide to go get a price. The assistant refers me to a workshop right behind them that specialise in auto electronics and after 30 minutes it was established that the alternator is not faulty, some wiring was replaced and modified and everything was sorted out. What a relief so now we are not even taking the car to Toyota.

Now we are off through Nairobi peak hour traffic to Jungle Junction. The traffic is bad but we are used to Johannesburg traffic and the driving style is kamakazi style which suits me fine. Overshoot the entry to Jungle Junction, stop, look in the mirrors and there are no cars behind me and start reversing. The next moment all mighty crash! I just hit another car. The damage is not too bad to our vehicle. Slight crack in the body but not through the body. The other car had a bull bar and this was pushed slight back and damaged the bumper. The other car is very old and in bad shape but of course I have a foreign vehicle and now it is a big issue.

I decide to pull into Jungle Junction and after discussions with the owner of the other vehicle I exchange insurance details, make no offer of any compensation and do not admit any liability. We will have to see what happens.

18/03/2009

Today we have to leave for Nairobi because we want to submit our visa applications to Sudan before the weekend.

First Zelda want to look at Tanzanite because after investigating the prices she found that the price she was quoted ($350 per carat) is actually a very good price. The establishment is reputable and the owner a big player in the Tanzanite market.

Eventually she get’s her stone and after purchasing some pies at the pattiserie we are off. I must say I will never consider buying a pie from just any shop in South Africa but sofar on this journey I have only had tasty pies.

We will up with diesel and when I tried to start the car it would not start. Flat battery. I assume it has to do with all the fiddling with the electronics from the past few days and we jump start the car using the auxiliary battery. This is quick and off we go. The battery should charge on the way.

The first 50km out of Arusha is bad road with plenty of diversions but thereafter it is actually an easy ride to the border. The only problem is that on the way we notice that the gauges does not work correctly inside the car and eventually we also discover that the hooter does not work. Now the battery problem seems bigger than we originally thought but there is no turning back now.

We reach the Kenyan border by about 16h30 and without switching off the car go through customs on the Tanzanian side. There is a border control guy who calls a local auto electrician to come have a look. After 30 minutes he proclaims it is the alternator but he can’t repair/replace it. He can however give the battery a quick charge. The price 25000 Tsh for his work and 5000 Tsh for the charge. This is a complete rip off and I tell him so. Toyota’s labour rate is 4800Tsh per hour so there is no way this guy can charge so much. Eventually we say 15000 Tsh for everything and off he goes with our battery.

In the mean time another guy stops and offer to jump start us. David is a Kenyan living in South Africa and he has reached this point in his journey after travelling 3 DAYS. That is driving 16-hours a day. It just shows what can be done but then you need to have the right car, no load and be prepared to take risks, but there is no fun in a journey like that.

So, declining David’s offer and wait for the return of our battery. After an hour it is back and installed and now the technician wants his 20000 Tsh. Yes it has now become 15000 Tsh plus 5000 Tsh for the battery charge. This is the classical ripoff and we refuse to pay him more than 15000 tsh which is already too much. He knows that we are crossing the border to Kenya and will never come back to him.

Entering Kenya the custom officials are friendly and we get through immigration in minutes. Now to customs to declare our motor vehicle. Where’s your Carnet de Passage is the first question and we confidently say ‘no Carnet but we will complete the Temporary Import Permit.’

Well, to make a long story short when you travel with a car you can obtain a Carnet de Passage at the Automobile Association which eases the movement of the vehicle through customs. However, for certain countries like Egypt you must lodge a deposit of 200% of the value of the vehicle with the AA and this money is only returned once the vehicle is returned to it’s country of origin. Even if the vehicle is damaged beyond repair you have to return the wreckage to get your money back. Well wee don’t have that kind of money so decided to travel without a Carnet and so far the Temporary Import Permit (TIP) has worked quite well for us.

In any case, the Kenyan custom official allow us to bring the vehicle into the country but only for a period of one month, which suites us fine and in we go. We meet David again on the Kenyan side (this is now 2-hours later). He has not yet left as there is some complications with his papers, and he has a Carnet so go figure.

It is now too late to drive to Nairobi and as the battery is not 100% charged we don’t want to risk getting stranded on the road at night. We head of to O.N.A. Camp about 3.5 km from the border and it seems a good enough place for overnight stays. Clean and hot showers if you ask before hand.

Hopefully the car will start in the morning.

17/03/2009

We are surprised today when Renee and Michael and the rest of the family turn up. Last time we saw them in Dar es Salaam and they were hopeful that their camper will be sold. It was not to be so they also headed out west and we meet again.

The evening another couple, Ziggy and Claudia turn up. Both German and Ziggy is a veteran of African travel. Doing it for 5 months of the year, every year for the past 11 years. He is a veteran and a good source of information.

The evening local acquaintances of Renee and Michael also turn up at the camp and we have a festive time at the restaurant eating pizzas and a few beers. It is such an experience meeting all these travellers and listening to what they have done and how they have done it. The children are also happy because they have some friends as there are altogether 6 children.

As a family we have started our own challenge to see who can buy the best, or most, of anything with $1. At this stage everybody is still playing a strategic game of waiting to see what the other guys are going to buy.

We have also met some really nice people from Europe that has said to come visit them once we reach Europe so we decided to extend our One Dollar Challenge to any person, group or company that feel like making a contribution to our trip.

It basically works like this. You offer us anything you want for $1. We decide whether we want to accept it and if we do then once we meet up we will give you $1 in exchange for whatever you offered.

Example: You offer to buy us a beer when we reach Paris. When we reach Paris and contact you we will exchange you our $1 for a beer.

Of course you can offer anything. Maybe a room for a night, a meal, a guided tour or whatever you are prepared to exchange for $1. Once we take you up on your offer we pay you $1.

If you have something to offer us please e-mail us on ericus@north-bound.co.za Keep in mind we are 2 adults and 2 children.

You can enter your own offer here. Just remember to send us your contact details as well.

We will display everything that anybody has offered us on this page and our heartfelt thanks to everybody that has taken the time and trouble to respond.

Play along. It can be fun.