We made it! Who would've thought?

Since we last updated, Put Foot has ended and the Neighbour Hooligans have made it home safe. Yeah, thank goodness for that. Since you now know how the story ends, we figured we can tell you the rest, rather than leaving you hanging in suspense.

When we last updated our blog (internet is rather hard to find, especially if you are not looking) we were in Monkey Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi. After having a restful sleep in dorms (yes, we gladly traded in our tents for beds), we hit the road for what was to be a long day. The first strech of driving was quite relaxed. We did get stopped at a road block where we were asked for our third party insurance. After trying to convince the officer that our car insurance covered third party, he let us go, with us promising to buy insurance in the next town. However, that was short lived. Within about 10 km we were pulled over again and issued a spot fine(for the record, Karselle was driving, but it wasn't because of her bad driving that the fine was issued). Since we had no more kwacha left- we had to pay in dollars- $ 20 down and we were away. We headed to the border with Mozambique, where the first thing we did was get hold of third party insurance. The roads were terrible once we got to the Mozambican side. Luckily, Rally driver Robyn had the wheel and she navigated us to Tete like a pro. Once we got to Tete, we decided to spend the night there due to the fading light and the road conditions. The mission to find somewhere to stay thus started. Lonely Planet and Tom Tom's were whipped out. Our first port of call turned out to be a piece of land on the shores of the Zambezi with a shower faucet. The second port of call turned out to not exist. We ended up at a restaurant opting for food and drink instead with The Fog and Flags and Disco Taxi boys. A South African at the bar offered us a place to stay on his property, which we thought was nice considering there were 13 of us. Once we got there, we actually figured out that he lived next to a portable toilet treatment farm and that his company were responsible for the removal of porta- potty waste. Needless to say, the stench was terrible...

Waking up at 5 am the next day, we were on the road by 6-10. This was a Hooligan first as we have never left any place before 8 am. We were just eager to get as much distance between us and Tete. Today was just a day of driving as we were aiming for Vilankulous. We stopped to buy some lunch at a little restaurant on the side of the road. We thought we were getting cheese rolls, only to find out that cheese means processed cheese. Once again we ended up eating a slight deviation of our trusted chips rolls. We filled up petrol and realised that our petrol gauge had stopped working. At first we thought that we had been ripped off, but it turned out that the tank was full. We then drove, many kilometers. The drive was punctuated by a stop on the side of the road to dance to our 6000 km wearing our reflective vests. The roads slowly started to deteriorate and we only managed to get to Vilankulous at 8 pm. However, it was all worth it when we saw the slice of heaven that awaited us. With the moon out and the white sands of Mozambique in front of us, we treated ourselves to some R and R's (a first for some) and a restaurant cooked meal. The night turned into quite a late one with us catching up with many of the other teams we hadn't seen for a while.

Today was the last official day of the Putfoot Rally. Though the trip was coming to end, there was still one more party and a few 100 km's to cover. The day started off with an English breakfast (in Mozambique, yes), before dashing off to the local market for some Tipo Tinto and some shweshwe for the party that night. We stopped at a petrol station to top up our tank, only to find that our petrol gauge was working again. It seemed to be that every time something minor was wrong with Volvy (our car has a name) and we went over bumps, the fault was rectified. Cheers to that. The drive to Inhambane was quite uneventful, though we did have to get there before 3pm because the tide would roll in and make the campsite inaccessible, especially with our low station wagon. Once we arrived at the dirt road which would take us to the campsite, we got stuck in the sand. Thank goodness for a security guard nearby who helped us reverse push the car out, something we didn't even consider. We also managed to get lost on the mangrove swamp on the way to camp, but we made it in the end. We did have to get a bit of a push over the finish line, but the Hooligans had made it! After many pats on the back and cheering, we headed to the beach for a sunset swim. The swim seemed to give everyone the much needed second wind for the party that night, and animal print was back in again for the African Olympic themed party. R and R's flowing, as well as stories of the past weeks everyone enjoyed what was to be our last night together under the Mozambican sky.

The morning wake up was not as great as we expected. Everyone seemed to be covered in red stained clothes (from the R and R's) and the slow task of having to head home was looming over us all. We awoke to what was a mini market in our campsite with people selling items from dresses to bananas and bread. The bananas and the morning swim that followed were winners to start us off for the day. The goodbyes started too early and eventually we had to leave. We headed about 300 meters down the road to Neptunes and decided to stop for lunch where we sat for about 2 hours. The beaches of Mozambique are just too lovely. Eventually, at 2 pm we decided to drive the 500 km to Maputo. Needless to say, we only arrived there at about 10 pm. After driving around Maputo for what felt like 2 hours we spotted the HerbieFours at Mirimar restaurant, where we finally managed to have some Mozambican prawns. We then missioned to Fatima's backpackers to try and get somewhere to sleep. 1 am and all we needed was a bed...

The next day was an early start- home was calling. We did another mini tour of Maputo trying to find a bank that would let us draw money. When travelling in Africa, choose Visa. We then headed to the crafts market for some present shopping before hitting the road. The border between Mozambique and South Africa is probably the busiest one we encountered this trip. Once we crossed into South Africa we began to fully appreciate our roads. With double lanes most of the way and no chance of hitting a cow or a donkey, we drove into the setting sun. 7608 kilometers later, we reached our final destination in one piece. Volvy made the trip, we were all still talking to each other and we had had the trip of a lifetime.

Thanks to everyone for reading our blog and for your support during this trip. It really was everything we thought it would be and much more. We will be posting pictures and other information when we can. As they say at the Putfoot Headquarters- The road goes on forever and the party never ends.

Peace

Day Seven or Eight till now. We don't really know anymore

Since Livingstone we have had even more sporadic internet connections so sorry for the late update.  After we left Livingstone we headed to the ferry over Kariba. A bit of a mission to get there on time but we didn’t need to worry due to the ferry turning around for the first time in history to pick up another team.  Not us, to make sure.  So after the stressful boarding we enjoyed a fantastic trip with the staff feeding us every other moment and hot showers. 

Docking in Kariba we headed to the check point campsite which took a little finding and were pleased to hear that only three people had been eaten by crocodiles this year.  We then dressed in our luchodore costumes and threw our names away at the checkpoint party.  Photos not to follow.

Leaving Kariba we went over the dam wall over the border point and drove and drove and drove until we reached the heaven that was the Nandos in Lusaka.  A few stops for fuel and snacks and we were on our way for our latest night of driving yet.  Arriving in Luangwa in the middle of the night we didn’t complain about having to camp outside the campsite next to the road. Tents up and mattresses blown up courtesy of the Silly Buggers boys and us.

Heading into Malawi we got to Lilongwe for the evening and met up with a random man we named the Devonator who needed to meet up with the Put Foot crew in Senga Bay. So more stuff on the roof rack and one more person in the car we headed to the market in Lilongwe and spent a little money on fresh strawberries and peas which were greatly appreciated on the drive. 

Arriving in Senga Bay we took a long hard look at the lake and then decided to set up camp before relaxing on the sand. An afternoon of spray painting dresses and baobab fruit to make shakers led us into checkpoint party number 5 with a little day glow and lumo paint.

In the fading black light we woke up to swim in Lake Malawi.  Lumo paint washed off and bacon sandwiches filling our stomachs we decided to head to Monkey Bay which would have been easier if we hadn’t followed the road sign and taken a 30km dirt road detour.

We leave you sitting on the sand next to Lake Malawi under the full moon with four other teams from the Rally.

Love you guys

And a big thank you to Chris for following us so attentively. You might actually be our biggest fan. Thanks man.

Peace! 

So, we are alive...

Finding cheap Internet is a little difficult so we are trying to update as often as possible.

Day Four: Etosha
So after a late start we finally got to Etosha park. And after seeing mainly springbok a whole we were treated to a couple of lions napping next to lunch. Venturing further we got to the reception and paid, bought an ice cream and took a breather with the Herbiefours.

An amazing rest of the day in Etosha and a mad dash to get to the gate in time made us miss the salt plains but the giraffes mad up for it. Trying to find an open campsite lead us to a place that looked like it had zombies but turned out to be a wonderful place full of other put footers and some very helpful staff.

Day Five: Ngepi

French toast for breakfast and a visit to a meteorite that is the biggest one that as landed. Ever. Met up with the Herbifours again and then headed to Grootfontein for lunch. Turns out they has siestas there so we ended up in another town eating tuna crackers and beans outside a Spar.

Headed to the most awesome campsite ever called Ngepi. The Volvo which we have yet to name surprised us with making the road thanks to Robyn's fantastic driving. Enjoyed a tequila under the stars with the Herbiefours just outside the Caprivi strip and a get together of put footers at the campsite bar. A night of wondering whether that sound was a hippo or not gave us some entertainment.

Day Six: Katima

A morning yoga session on the banks of the Okavango revived us and then we made us of the cages pool in the Okavango river. Amazing to swim with hippos in sight.
Leaving Ngepi we had our first car issue which we dealt with in true Hooligan style. We waited for someone else who knew what they were doing. A quick stop in Divundu to see a mechanic and we were on our way.
Deciding we wouldn't make the border in time we stayed in the Caprivi Strip again at a campsite on the side of the Zambezi river.

Day Seven: Livingstone Checkpoint 3

A very early start to get to the border were all hell ensued with us paying in three different currencies and a lot of running back and forth. A very bad road and some excellent driving from Sarah got us to Livingstone tired but happy. A quick set up at the campsite and booking a sunset cruise we took off to the Victoria Falls.
Some very wet Hooligans left in a rush to make the ferry. Changing in the parking lot we ran to catch the ferry with some wet undies. Victoria Falls was amazing and very wet. But all cameras and phones survived.

The sunset cruise blew our minds with amazing animals, dinner and snacks.
Joining everyone at the bar two of the Hooligan decided to make it an early one and the other two managed to get to bed in the early hours.

Day Eight

A late sleep and off to the first shoe drop which was an amazing experience. Put Foot has outdone themselves which providing 405 pairs of school shoes to needy kids as well as painting and redoing the floors of the school.
An amazing day for everyone involved and it was great to see where our money and effort is really going.
We leave you tonight on the banks of the Zambezi looking forward to tonight's checkpoint party.
Peace.

Day Three...

First things first, we were pleasantly surprised by gaining an hour which made us early for once. After leaving The Cardboard Box we four intrepid adventurers delved deep into the jungle that is Windhoek. We were looking for a new tent due to one being too small for the mattress. Imagine our surprise when we found one cheaper than in RSA. We were winning!

After smashing a burger for brunch we put our new tent and our old one on the roof rack. We were unreasonably proud of this. Taking a lazy drive towards Etosha we were pleasantly surprised when we found a shop were Fish (from the Silly Buggers) was bought apparently.

The short drive was entertained by mocking Sarah. Delicious! And stopping on the side of the road to have a pow wow with some other teams before the checkpoint.

Arriving at the campsite we were treated to a actual proper bathroom where fully intend to take advantage later. Tents up and our mattress fits! Too much of yayness on that one I can tell you.

Checkpoint one treated us to a bang up meal which was interrupted by the surprise arrival of The Silly Buggers and Pistons of Fury. Much relief for the boys arriving last night. Well done!

Much dancing, drinking and merriment ensued until the early hours and a freezing night in our tents ensues after.

Waking up to everyone packing up and heading to Etosha we are close to being on our way again.

So with Robyn currently still in the lead in the windmill game with Debbie a close second with 15 and 12 sightings a piece. Sarah and Karselle are on 9 and 5 respectively.

Looking forward to seeing some animals today we leave Toshari Lodge to the sweet sounds of Culture Club.
Peace.

Day one and two...

In the beginning there was a Volvo, and this Volvo carried the dreams and luggage of four girls. It was strong, it was fast and really, really low on the ground...

Day One!
Wanderers Club Johannesburg to Kang Botswana.

After being the last team to leave due to the debacle of space in the car and our braai grid being the only thing on our roof rack we were off.

A stop off in Harties to get some food allowed us a rare sighting of the Silly Buggers crew on their scooters. Go boys go!
With Sarah driving the time slipped by and soon we were at our first border crossing. The wonderful people of the SAPS and Botswana Border control made it easy for us and didn't take our cashews away.
Stopping by the side of the road to take a photo to welcome us to Botswana we were complemented by a truck driver on our awesome stickers.

Driving to the cool tunes of Bob Marley the Volvo ate up the kilometers until an abrupt stop for an indecisive chicken who couldn't decide on which side of the road to cross.
Our first camp was in Kang where we arrived in the nick of time to set up camp in the fading light. This was after Karselle (legend!) drove us through a little bit of rain and lightening.
A meat and greet with some other Put Footers we went to sleep in tents too small and mattresses too big.

Day Two!

An early morning start that got off to a late start go us on our way to the Namibian border. We celebrated our first 1000km with a little dance on the side of the road and after a fill up of cheap Botswana fuel we crossed into Namibia with no problems at all except being really hungry and our lunch packed under everything else in the boot.

So after a small shop for cool drinks and some onions we stopped at a roadside picnic spot to have tuna mayo crackers and a wee which was interrupted by what seemed to be the population of Namibia converging on the picnic spot which is strange for one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.

On the road again we cracked put the tapes and were entertained by Karselle's little sister's cover of Brian Adams.
The last leg of the journey with Debbie driving was entertaining due to her loud and sometimes profane commentary on the trucks she had to overtake.
Arriving in Windhoek we were pleasantly surprised that the air smelled of bratwurst, and hankering for a Windhoek in Windhoek we came to a stop at The Cardboard Box backpackers and campsite for the night.
This is where we leave you for now. Robyn is currently in the lead in the Windmill game with 11 sightings with Sarah on a disappointing 3 due to her 3 in a row false sightings. Karselle is on 3 and Debbie on 5.

Enjoying a drink and dinner we are planning to be at Toshari Lodge near Etosha by three tomorrow.

Goodnight all and we wish you were here with us.
Peace!

Power Monkey!!!

Our solar charger at work!! It might actually charge our cellphones!

So it begins. Braai grid in tow.

The Neighbour Hooligans are off. Leaving a little late but all the luggage is packed. The adventure begins!

So we found a use for the roof rack! Booyah!

Cars, women and soapy water...

Stickers done, with a little difficulty, and one sleep until we leave!

Thanks to Robyn's dad Garry van Jaarsveldt for the stickers.

Meet our ride...

Only eight days left before we hit the wide open road. After a few scares, where we thought our car wouldn't be ready, we are proud to introduce our Volvo S 40 to the world. And oh, what a beaut it is.... (we are still undecided on a name but we are sure that will come once we get to know the car). And it has been confirmed with our very own eyes that we will jamming to tunes on a cassette player.

 
We also had our new tyres fitted on the car. A big ups to Tiger Wheel and Tyre in Randburg for fitting them for us as well as Continental for the tyre sponsorship.

Our last weekend is focused on final route preparations, packing (effectively), pimping out our car and costume brain storming. The Neighbour Hooligans are ready to go... YEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAA!

Ok, panicking now....



Ah, the sounds of youth and bad taste...



With apprehension building and 13 days to finish planning, shopping, begging for money and panicking the Neighbour Hooligans are freaking out (just a little!). With so much to do in so little time we have to sort the big problems first. But while frantically getting the last of the paperwork and dealing with route plans and budget issues we came across our biggest tragedy of all.  The car only has a tape player. Yes ladies and gentlemen, a cassette player. When was the last time you played a tape? Who even has them anymore? The only one I can remember was a Monster Hits which I played to death on my brother’s boombox. Ah, the nineties …. Coolio, Inner Circle’s Sweat, Garbage’s Stupid Girl and the original club anthem Insomnia from Faithless.  

Yes, when Sonic the Hedgehog had a recording career...

So once we realised our predicament we started to panic even more. 17 days and not one of us can hold a tune very well. So our plan of action is to beg all our older friends and family to dig through the drawers of their tainted youths and find us some dubious music to listen to. Holy frak balls, this could be a lesson on why the eighties were truly terrifying or a trip down memory lane back to a little decade called the nineties. Shiny clothing, Spice Girls shoes and waaaaay too much hair gel here we come. Early nineties mind you, the cassette tape was made redundant quite early on.  I just hope that someone, somewhere has that Monster Hits tape.  A la la la la long…..

But fear not, for if the itrip still works we might find salvation in a little The Black Keys, MGMT , Desmond and the Tutus  and Florence and the Machine.  But only if the car charger works…



E= MC Hammer