Transnet Strike

We have had two and a half weeks of strike by Transnet workers in South Africa. The strike has crippled rail, harbour and bulk oil transport during this period. We began to have thoughts about the consequences of the strike continuing for another week or so. One of the problems would be a shortage of fuel countrywide. The consequence for us would be difficulty in getting fuel to get as far as Mozambique. That would be disastrous for our plans.

Today the strike was called off. We all sigh with relief. There is already a huge backlog in rail, truck and container movements but so far we have not heard of any fuel shortage so we anticipate being able to take off on schedule on 10 June. Two weeks tonight we'll be visiting with Linda, Gareth and Nicholas. Hopefully we'll see Jan and Matt during our two days there. Wow, now the time is really flying.....

Another week gone

The countdown continues. Eighteen days until we take off. There still seems to be plenty to do but we're getting there.

This week we received an email from Brock and Delphi giving some ideas for what to do when we arrive in Tanzania. It sounds really exciting - watch this space. I'm hoping to get some photos of Mgorogoro crater and Mt Kilimanjaro amongst other places.

Yesterday Mark picked up our ZA sticker and arranged our documents for the car. It gets better and better. This trip is all thanks to Mark's superb organisation skills. He's worked very hard for many weeks to make sure we have covered all the eventualities.

Vuvuzela Vibes

Soccer fever is serious business in RSA at the moment. It's all we see and hear all day. We decided to take along some souvenier vuvuzelas on our trip to give to hosts, friends and others. Mark bought some today and I decided they'd make a great shot. Wait for the blast.....

The visas have arrived!

Today marked another milestone. Our Tanzania visas arrived back in PE. Mark also received a Bradt guide for Tanzania. He also got the Bradt guide for Zambia and Botswana. Whew! We'll be traveling through a lot of countries.

So now we're good to go. If it were possible to get off work we could take off tomorrow. :-) How's that kettle Brock and Delphi?

Preparations Continue

One month to go. Yesterday afternoon Mark pulled out all the crates we've already packed and I typed an inventory while Mark called out what is in each box. At least we'll know where to find that elusive can opener......

Today Mark worked really hard again. He packed all the crates into the Jeep and did a trial pack to see where everything will fit. Quite a lot of work but as he says, "I just want to be well organised." Thank you, Mark for being so thorough.

The cost of data

Eish! I went to get "roaming" on my cell phone today and at the same time inquired about data costs. The lady I spoke to said it's R168 per MB. What? How am I going to get this blog updated with data at that price? Of course I can buy a sim card in each country we visit and get data that way. What a rip off from the largest cell provider in SA. Now we know how they provide sponsorship for the SWC...... :-(

Dreams of Tanzania

This blog is set up by Mark and Brenda in preparation of their trip to Tanzania in June/ July 2010. Our home country, South Africa is hosting the Fifa Soccer World Cup this year. The schools will be closed for four and a half weeks during the feast of soccer. We are using the time to visit Mark's cousins in Moshi. Along the way we will be stopping to visit friends and relatives in Pietermaritzburg and Hluhluwe KZN; Maputo; Juliasdale in Zimbabwe; hopefully another friend in Tete district of Mozambique and then north through Malawi and thence to Tanzania. Brock and Delphi live in Moshi, northern Tanzania. A rough idea of our route can be seen in this map.

This is an opportunity of a lifetime for us. Mark was born in Tanzania and it's close to fifty years since he and his family left. The trip has been six months in the planning and with a month to go everything seems to be on track.

We have an itinerary, we've had our yellow fever shots, we've already bought our non-perishable foodstuff for camping along the way, we've cleaned and packed the tent, sleeping bags and mattress - see photo above.

Our visa applications for Tanzania are being processed. We've bought malaria prophylactics, first aid supplies and a sturdy roof rack to stow equipment. Departure date is 10 June. Put the kettle on Brock and Delphi - we will soon be on our way.