As we bring this journey to a close, I’ve been reflecting on how best to summarize it. Initially, I thought of sharing a collection of images—those vivid snapshots and impressions that stay etched in the memory. But choosing from among the many remarkable moments proved impossible. So instead, I’ll try to offer a broader reflection, which is a blend of feelings and insights. (And please note the photos in this blog are a combination of a random selection of recent experiences …. Plus a couple at the end that go with the story line ).
Yes, it is an amalgam—or perhaps a blur. Four months traveling in Southern Africa… well, parts of it. Our original plan was to drive from Durban to Morocco. That didn’t happen for a myriad of reasons: a six-week delay getting the cars due to shipping and port issues didn’t help. This left us with only 47 to 54 days (depending on our average travel distance per day) to reach the other side of Nigeria on the timeline of our visa deadlines. Along the way, a couple of setbacks added delays—like when I realized two days into Botswana that I’d left my computer in South Africa, resulting in an extended four-day stay in Maun.
Then there was the big obstacle—unable to use the ferry from Soyo (Northern Angola) to Cabinda, an Angolan province north of the Congo River and the DRC, due to it being out of service. This led us to backtrack and drive inland to a border with Angola and the DRC. Fortunately, we managed to secure transit visas, but then made the mistake of assuming there was a car ferry between Kinshasa and Brazzaville. That error cost us six days and US $2,000. Still, it was an unforgettable experience seeing the ports and the toughest men working as day labourers and experiencing the mighty Congo River, or as we learned, the Zaire River, depending on which country you’re in.
In Brazzaville, we decided we needed to do a U – Turn . Our return journey took us through the Republic of Congo to Pointe Noire and into Cabinda, before re-entering the DRC and returning to Angola proper. From there, we crossed into Namibia, then Botswana, made a day trip into Zimbabwe to visit Victoria Falls, and returned to South Africa, even driving through Swaziland for a day. Whenever possible, we took different routes to make each passage unique.
So, what is the overarching impression? I think this captures it best: my South African friend Corey Verwey, who now lives and works in Hawaii, shared a quote from Kwame Nkrumah, the Ghanaian political theorist and independence leader. Corey said I think you got a little sense of this famous quote from Keane Nkrumah … “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.” And yes, we felt a glimpse of that—a feeling of what Africa means to those with it deeply rooted in them. Someone I met recently also said, “Africa needs to be experienced slowly”. And it reminded me of the saying we learnt early on in our journey…. TIA … This is Africa. (As I quoted in an earlier blog—someone else said this …. “TIA… fit in or fxzk off!” We did our best to fit in.
Africa has seeped into me—deep into my psyche (I can’t and won’t speak for the others on this tour). It has to when you travel slowly in 60-year-old cars, covering around 15,000 kilometers (plus another 5,000 kilometers in hire cars in South Africa and Namibia before we got the Pugs out of captivity). It seeps into you as you meet amazing people, experience breathtaking landscapes, and witness wildlife of every kind. Even more so when you sleep on the earth or very close to it while camping, which we did for about half of our days in Africa.
Another reflection is that Africa, in some ways, is a tiny bit like Australia—a land of colonies, though with both some similar as well as vastly different landscapes. We share some colonial history, but our experiences diverge widely. Australia is sparsely populated and one of the most urbanized countries in the world. There’s that saying, “Australia is a small place with large spaces in between.” Africa, on the other hand, is filled with people. Even remote areas it’s not far between villages and small settlements . And everywhere the big towns and cities burst at the seams—with traffic and waste management (mainly plastic) issues like I’d never seen before.
Global projections ( population and economic ) suggest that this is the African century, challenging the long-standing notion that the 21st century would belong to Asia. It’s not—the future is here, in Africa. Especially if there is any truth in the concept of Frugal Innovation, where necessity drives innovation with minimum inputs and funds.
The landscapes are awe-inspiring, the people smile and where warm and welcoming, particularly so because of the cars ( travelling in Mollie and Melissa has its advantages … in the main people are astonished that we are travelling in 60 year old Peugeots). The human settlements range from slums and poverty to a growing middle class and incredible opulence. And yes, there are stories of unimaginable corruption.
So, it’s almost impossible to capture this journey in a neat reflection. But here’s one story: Over the past few days, as we cleaned and packed up the cars for shipping back to Fremantle, we stayed in Ballito—an attractive seaside town about 40 kilometers north of Durban. It’s both a holiday destination and a place where Durban’s middle class and others are drawn for the subtropical climate, the ocean and a sense of safety.
Just outside the gate of our apartment block is a group of women selling baskets, Crocs, beads, hats, beach toys, and assorted items. They sell these modest goods to tourists (us included) as they sit in the sun, laughing, smiling, and bartering for the best deal. Every morning, as we headed down to the beach for an early swim, we helped them carry their wares from a small storage shed beside a beachside hotel up a steep slope to their pavement shop. They welcomed our help and our purchases, with a laugh and smile.
People everywhere do whatever they can to make a living. It reflects our African experience—financial advantage cheek by jowl with poverty. But through it all, we’ve been met with smiles, best wishes, and a generosity of spirit. C’est l’Afrique!
And one last story to illustrate how little we may have learnt … yesterday we go out site seeing and visiting wonderful farmers market and return to our apartment block to see monkey sitting in the open widow of an apartment, and yes it is ours. We stupidly left the window open and a mum, dad and the kids of the local monkey family had been having a party. They enjoyed the rest of our weatbix, muesli, rice and spaghetti. I guess they live here, they are the locals, making themselves at home…just coming get what they think they deserve !! After 4 months in Africa you think we would have learnt !!!
And one final thought…. In one of the early blogs in the series I quoted Joseph Campbell ( the famous comparative mythologist…. ) Where he says …. “What I think of as a good life is one hero’s journey after another …. You are called to the realm of adventure; you are called to a new horizon. Each time if you dare there is danger and there is also help and fulfilment or fiasco. There is always the possibility of fiasco … But there is also bliss.” (From Pathways to Bliss ).
And on this journey …all of this has been true!!!!!
