welcome home!

We've arrived in sunny Nanaimo!

After leaving Ottawa this morning, we flew the 5 hours to Vancouver and then switched to a small plane to take us to our final destination: Nanaimo.

It was only a 10 minute flight but it was spectacular going across the Straight of Georgia, seeing the little islands and inlets, all waiting to be explored! Can hardly wait!

Karen, our nice landlady, picked us up from the airport and took us to our new home.

The last picture is of Matt being my pack-horse, dutifully carrying all of our bags we brought with us to our new home, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Jersey to Canada.

We made it!

final leg in Ottawa

Ottawa, a day of relative peace and rest.

A nice walk by the river, a tinkle on the ivory keys, a back-to-school-cut for Matt and a visit to see friends Michael Lloyd Russell and his new bride, Katherine.

They are recent home-owners and have done wonders redecorating and renovating their house.

Made us itchy to buy a place and do the same.

To complete their family, for now, they have just welcomed adorable 10-week old Luna.

Matt tried on Mike's hockey gear. Well, the helmet and gloves.

The next morning we were flying to our final destination after all these months of being on the road: Nanaimo!

Toronto at its best!

A wonderful day and a half in Toronto with my family doing what we do best: gossip and eat.

A bbq with Uncle Kee, Uncle Hong and Mama.

Every possible family member we could get to come out on a weeknight from both sides of the family for an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner.

See pic of all of us trying to fit into one frame. And one of most of the grandkids on my mom's side... with about a dozen still missing.

A late night Timmy's cappuccino session with Mom, Dad and Sis.

Dimsum with the grand- parents.

Oh, and between sharing stories and showing Africa pictures, we got showered with presents of course!

The fav being the sweaters PoPo knitted, this time one that actually fit Matt!

She had at least a dozen ones for us to choose from, she is truly amazing with her knitting needles!

Why, hello again

Wow, it's been a long time since i've written on this page.

I've become so accustomed to my TravelPod blog but this is nice and familiar, like old slippers.

I've been job hunting today and firing out my CV as fast as possible. I need to keep track of what i've done, who i've called, a to-do list. There are so many opportunities out there for me to uncover, to grab, to strive for. It's overwhelming and what's strange is that this feeling is so familiar, too familiar, if i speak honestly.

That routine, that so-called mundane weekly routine, i want. I want to be part of a team, to be creative and silly in a safe environment where i will be using my skills and learning everyday. I am aiming for that.

And it's the small steps which i must take that will take me to this goal. I must try and enjoy the process as it comes, so they say. So, again, i exhale and sigh and think: maybe this time?



UPDATE (Nov 2019): Travelpod has since been stopped working. But we have saved all our FOXY blog entries here. If you want to read about our African Overland Journey, click here: 

https://www.floating-point.ca/travelpod/bonthorn.trip.1/bonthorn.trip.1.html

moving sites

http://www.travelpod.com/members/bonthorn
I've created a new travel site, much more user friendly for being on the road. It gives a map of our exact location, I can upload pics easily, etc.

Please click on the link above to continue following our travels through Africa.

UPDATE (Nov 2019): Travelpod has since been stopped working. But we have saved all our FOXY blog entries here. If you want to read about our African Overland Journey, click here: 

https://www.floating-point.ca/travelpod/bonthorn.trip.1/bonthorn.trip.1.html

initiation

This weekend we wanted to try out some 4x4 trails to test out Foxy's new rear diff lock and low range gears, break open our new high-lift jack and try sleeping in our roof-top tent.

So late Saturday afternoon (after another day of running around and preparations), we drove 30 minutes north of Cape Town to Melkbos 4x4.

This place was definitely not one of your usual charming and pretty South African campsites. It looked more like a junkyard with sand and litter and abandoned vehicles everywhere. No wonder there were no pictures on their website.

Upon arriving, we realized our low range gear did not engage properly, and so there was no point in going on the trails. We had to get it fixed first.

Still, wanting to make the best of it, we camped in our roof-top tent for the first time and with friends Maria and Paul joining us, cooked up a delicious braai dinner and sat around a big bonfire. Maria even remarked the "campsite" didn't look so bad in the dark - and after some wine and champagne.

The next morning we woke up to some vicious wind and rain and unanimously decided to head off in search of a warm cozy cafe somewhere to have breakfast.

In a way, the night was a good test to see if the tent could withstand all the wind and rain. I'm happy to report it did, beautifully.

The only slight worry is a small tear forming on the one side of the canvas which will have to be repaired immediately. Another item to add to our ever- growing list!

We found an open cafe (not easy to do on an early Sunday morning) and warmed up with hot coffee and cappuccinos. See pic of us chomping on cinnamon french toast and flapjacks, happy to be somewhere with four walls and a roof.

I think we'll have to develop a bit more tolerance during our overland drive though since there won't be too many opportunities to escape to such comforts. Still.

The day wasn't wasted as we managed to take apart the gear box and fix the low-range gear stick problem!!

Bursting with pride as ad-hoc mechanics, we spent the rest of the day with Matt fixing the console box, amplifier for our sound system, hood latch, etc., and me sorting out all of our gear and equipment in piles.

Our living room floor is bare no more! Now the real challenge lies in trying to strategically pack every single piece of item in Foxy to maximize her space and minimize hassle of finding that item when we desperately need it, like say, in the Serengeti desert.

It's all coming together; i can chart our preparation progress, albeit slower than we want. But soon we shall be on the road, date still undetermined, and we'll know we will have done what we could to prepare for this journey.

birthday

My hectic birthday began at 6:30am.

Matt and I spent the day running around with the car, trying to get her little kinks sorted out.

I did manage to sneak in a little ten minute power nap somewhere among the chaos, a little gift to myself.

To celebrate, we spent a lovely evening with friends Gailyn and Craig (and the kids they were looking after) at the local Primi Piatti restaurant.
We ate pizza (again!) and outrageously delicious chocolate brownies.

This time last year i was being pampered at one of Hong Kong's top luxury spas overlooking the spectacular harbour; tonight I'm being cuddled and read to while lying on two foam mattresses on the floor of our very bare house.

Foxy me!

Despite the darkness and a bit of paint spillage, we had a very successful painting-Foxy party tonight with friends.

It's amazing what a little colour and creativity can do!

Thanks Piyali, Gagun, Paul C., Maria, Gemma, Anna, Paul N., Gary, Franzelle and Etienne!

Your beautiful artwork will certainly draw lots of positive attention throughout Africa!

ps. Sorry about the ants in the pizza!

out of sight out of mind

Wow, the packers are here and i have nothing to do.

Well, that's not strictly true. I could sort out all our gear for the trip but i'm just too exhausted.

It's been a sweaty 40 degrees today and i feel sorry for the guys who have to pack our stuff.

Due to some mis- communication, there wasn't enough boxes to put our stuff in and in any case, they had only gotten through about 80% of it. So they'll have to come back tomorrow and finish off the job.

It feels good to get all our stuff out of the house - physically - so that we can mentally be on our way to starting our long-trek up to London.

Tomorrow we continue.

a long-legged birthday surprise

Today was Matt's 34th birthday, and after a french toast & maple syrup breakfast, a giraffe came to pay him a visit!

We have been "extremely hectic" packing and planning our journey and throwing a party was the last thing on our minds.

So we decided to take the night off and celebrate at one of our all-time favourite Cape Town restaurants: Miller's Thumb.

Afterwards we went to see Into The Wild, a journey about a young man finding his way to his dreamland: Alaska.

Based on a true story, the film tracks his wild adventures and experiences but when he finally reaches Alaska, only then does he realize what true happiness is, and that is to enjoy the journey and the people that you come across, and not the destination.

We couldn't ask for a more suitable film for the journey we are about to embark on in just a little over a week.

Happy Birthday Lovely!

The World's Poorest Billionaires

This Easter long-weekend we hosted one of Matt's old highschool mates, Elijah. Zimbabwean, but based in Gabarone, Botswana, with his family, he was here on a conference near Cape Town and stayed with us for a few days.

It was good to meet him after hearing so much about this "funny, outgoing, beer-guzzling" Zimbabwean guy. He definitely lived up to his description!

Also, a friend of a friend, Irene, who's living and doing research at Wits University in Joburg right now, came down to Cape Town for a conference where she was presenting her paper. I first met her when Matt and I went to Joburg back in September.

So for a while, we had a full house which is always nice. Deep discussions on the delicate state of Zimbabwe, its upcoming Presidential election and how ridiculous it is for so-called billionaires in that country to be queueing up for petrol all day long, flowed throughout the night. Not to mention the wine and beer and port...

On Thursday, we met the President of the Zimbabwe Lawyer's Association with Elijah and over drinks, she showed us a million dollar (Zim) note.

The number of zeroes were not the shocking part; the fact that the note had an expiry date was! As i write this, $1 USD = $30, 137 Zimbabwean Dollars, an inflation of more than 100,000%!! Apparently calculators have been made redundant because it just can't compute that many zeroes anymore.

On Friday night, we went down to Theatre on the Bay to see Ennio, (aka The Living Cartoon), an Italian comedian who's famous for his quirky paper-cartoon costumes, where he "seamlessly morphs into over 50 parodies of our favourite cultural icons backed by a vibrant and eclectic soundtrack." The whole show was very clever and knee-slapping -kind-of-funny.

Earlier that day, we had a Good Friday braai and one of Matt and Elijah's other classmate from highschool, Marius, and his family joined us as well. Marius, a white Zimbabwean is living and working in Cape Town. He brought along his two adorable little boys, Murray and Jack.

Since we don't get much opportunity to entertain young children, Matt and I planned a little easter egg hunt for the two boys. I don't know who enjoyed themselves more, them or us "adults!" But even with their easter baskets full, they were well-mannered and shared their sweets with us.

Thanks to all for your encouraging words of support for our next adventure. It's a lovely feeling to know there are people "traveling with us".

Also, I've just finished posting a few more entries about my parent's visit ... see the February 2008 and the March 2008 links on the sidebar.

The Grand Plan

Sorry for the fuzzy map, but here's the genreal route we are planning on taking: South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, France, UK (possibly Jersey).

The movers come March 26th. We plan to leave April 1st, earlier if possible. In between, we'll test out our rooftop tent on FOXY, have a big farewell party and finish last minute preparations.

We figure if we budget one week per country, it will give us enough cushion for any "unexpected" events (ie. visa issues, car trouble, upset tummies). We hope to be in London by early/mid August in order to see family and indulge in fast food and hot showers.

Then we'll hop over to Ottawa/Toronto to visit more family before flying to Vancouver, where we'll pick up our cargo which will hopefully have arrived from Cape Town by then, and ferry across to Victoria Island where Matt will begin his 2 year full time renewable energy technician course at Malespina College. And where I will be desperately looking for a job to put bread 'n butter on the table! ;)

After a rather successful blitz this week of selling our couches, chairs, PVR (tv recorder) and dishwasher, I will be bidding farewell to my beloved green Peugeot in 8 hours. I've sold it back to the dealership where I bought her from. We have already found her a buyer but going through the dealership eliminates the hassle of selling privately.

As for my piano, it looks like i'll get it specically crated and shipped along with the rest of our furniture. If i try to sell it now, i will most definitely lose money and, anyway, i'm told it is worth a lot more in Canada than in SA. Enough said.

Exciting stuff. We are relishing in the whole planning and researching and preparation of this trip.

As for accessories, yesterday we bought a solar shower, some excellent maps with GPS coordinates, camping chairs, a tire repair kit, a 4x4 first aid kit, and a couple of cans of pepper spray for those "you just never know" moments.

And just last weekend we participated in the Nissan Offroad Tactix course. While the morning was all about theory and 4x4 driving hints, the afternoon was spent on the trails, trying our emergency stall starts - uphill and downhill on a 30 degree angle, going through "hippo pools" which are basically huge ruts in the dirt, and traversing ditches that are almost my height.

Even though Matt is more at ease with 4x4 driving and has had quite a lot of experience, I needed to learn as well - just in case. I was pleased to find myself really enjoying it.

It's certainly a challenge to try and figure out the piece of road ahead of you, which may seem impenetrable. But the puzzle is to work out an angle of attack and to just go for it. It's as much about staying under complete control as it is about selecting the right tactic to use.

Gosh, listen to me. I sound like i know what i'm talking about. Well, it'll come i'm sure.

The Dream

The Dream has begun.

We bought Foxy this morning, a sturdy 1993 Land Rover which will take us north across the great African continent.

Our plan is to leave South Africa on April 1st, go through Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.

From there, we plan to take a car ferry across the Red Sea to Jordan, go through Syria and Turkey before beelining it to London to make our mid/late August deadline.

The Dream has taken on a life of its own, gathering more and more momentum with each passing hour. Our every waking minute is consumed with The Dream, even though we still have our furniture and shipment to deal with, items to sell, documents and visas and carnets to apply for, vaccinations and medical certificates to obtain, and of course, work issues to wrap up.

But it feels so good to be productive each day with this simple goal: The Dream.

Moving Forward

It's fantastic to be moving forward with a mission again.

My parents and Fiona have just left and we've been planning our next move.

Just a few days ago, Matt and I decided to do the classic "Cape To Cairo" overland trip in a 4x4. It's become quite a common route for travellers who want to experience Africa. Luckily, as circumstances have turned out, we have been granted the time and freedom to do so now.

We have known for a couple of months now that we wouldn't be staying in SA for that much longer. Due to a financial meltdown with Matt's company, the new management have finally decided to forego starting up the African office.

Although we knew we would probably be leaving, we didn't know when or where to. So idle we sat, waiting and waiting, month after month. Mind you, we couldn't complain too much since we had a gorgeous house with a stunning view, and well, Cape Town is as fantastic as people say it is. For its beauty, its lifestyle, its pace of life. Still, if given the choice, I prefer to be on the decision-making end than waiting endlessly for an answer that will determine your future.

We entertained the idea of staying and for Matt to find a new job. The renewable energy sector in SA is booming due to all the power outages; poor planning and mismanagement by the government has resulted in a critical shortage of electricity, with no end in sight.

Without a work visa for Matt and a spouse visa for me, it meant having to get sponsored by another SA company all over again, which involves a lot of hassle, bureaucracy and more waiting, something we weren't so keen on doing.

So the decision to leave was made.

Now things are moving forward and I'm thrilled. I was rather upset at the fact of having to move so soon again, especially haivng just set up house, met great people, started to be busy in ABC FOR LIFE and the Hout Bay Music Project. But i've made peace with it and think it is the best decision we could make in the longrun.

And now with our new adventure coming up, we couldn't be more excited!

Everyone we tell about our dream roadtrip say it's great that we're taking advantage of our youth and time and the fact that we have no commitments, mortgage, children, or ill health.

I nod and agree but something inside tells me that I don't quite fully understand the freedom that we've chosen at this point in our lives. I feel like it is one of those things that will make more sense when we have completed our journey and I will be looking back upon it with fond memories, decades from now.

summing up, in Dad's words

With lots of hugs and few tears, they left today.

Matt and I plan to go back to Canada at the end of the (northern hemisphere's) summer, so until then ... a brief summary of my parent's South African experience:

"Anjulia and I have been in South Africa for three weeks and will depart shortly------ Anjulia is going home to brace the fore-casted storm and I am journeying on to meet Anice in Accra, Ghana.

Since leaving Ottawa at -25 degrees C, we have had no problems enjoying and adjusting to the average 35 degrees C temperature.

Anjulia and I have shopped the local supermarket; travelled along the Garden Route in Matthew's SUV; rode a side-car of a motorcycle to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point; seen the most southern part of Africa, Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean meet; sped along the 120 km/hr limit highway in a Harley; strolled in the enchanting Kirtenbosch Botanical Garden; eaten some wonderful seafood and local specialties; visited a school where the students played the African drums; walked through two townships to witness the living conditions after the Apartheid rule; met so many interesting people; rode the nostalgic train from Mossel Bay to George; taken the ferry boat to visit Nelson Mandela's prison cell on Robbin Island; fetched the chance to ride the cable car to the top of the Table Mountain for the spectacular sunset view; sky-dived from a twin-engine plane at 10,000 feet above (at least Anjulia and Fiona did it while Bonnie, Matthew and I were denied by the strong gusts of wind); explored Kruger National Park to find the Big Five (rhinos, leopard, elephants, lions and buffalos)................and so much more.

In the meantime, we have heard personal accounts and experiences of the ugly rule of Apartheid, witnessed the sub-standard living quarters, read and seen the sad state of the HIV/AIDS conditions, talked about the economics and the politics of this young Republic, experienced some daily social hardships of the less privileged, felt the struggle of a developing nation, with hope.

In these short three weeks, we have only experienced some tiny bits of this warm exciting land. We saw the beautiful as well as the ugly sides of South Africa.

Bonnie and Matthew, with their resourcefulness and stamina, have been excellent guides and hosts. We are so happy to see them since Xmas of 2005 in Canada.

At the same time, I managed to break their table in the balcony, to break out in swelling of the feet and hands resulting in visiting the doctor twice and also my favourite place: the pharmacy, with prescriptions. Otherwise, we both are in very good health."

Until then, a warm South African farewell.

Kam @ Capetown