We did an early game drive in Mokolodi and saw a bunch of warthog. Then crossed the border into South Africa again and made our way down as far as Kimberly. We had some trouble finding the Big Hole Caravan park. The Big Hole is easy enough to find, being the biggest hand dug hole in the world and in the center of town. On finding the caravan park we discovered that the people who run the place had left for the day. We set up camp and then made some phone calls, and while we were on the phone two boys tried to break into our car. Connie saw them by the car and Graham chased them, and luckily they didn't get anything. We moved the car to the other side of the park, and decided to turn in. Unfortunately one of the other tenants decided to stay up all night playing very loud music. By just after midnight we had had enough, and decided to leave, but that's the next day!

Left the Big Hole caravan park just after midnight, and headed south. At about 5am we stopped by the side of the road for some rest. We slept in the car next to a very large pile of condoms. At 7:30am we carried on, and got to the Karoo National Park at about 9:30. We checked in, signed up for the 4x4 trail and then had lunch. Afterwards, we headed out on the 4x4 trail which climbs up the escarpment.

The Karoo is quite barren and harsh, and the main wildlife in the park are dassies whose closest relative is the elephant. We also saw mountain zebra, klipspringers and ostrich. While climbing up the escarpment road, the rear suspension started making some drastic sounds. The sort of sounds that signal imminent failure! One of the rear tires also started loosing pressure. So we headed back to camp and Graham changed the tire. During the change he also discovered that the rear bottom spring mount on one side was tearing itself off the axle. Another flaw with the Safari Gard suspension it seems. The spring mount was cracked most of the way off. Graham decided to keep an eye on it since no welder was close by. It only becomes an issue at full drop on the rear suspension, something that shouldn't happen on regular tar roads. It may even last until we reach home. After changing the tire we went to dinner at the park restaurant which was very pleasant, and then turned in.

Leaving Karoo National Park, it was an easy drive to Cape Town. We traveled through the wine country north of Cape Town, and stopped in Paarl for a look at tourist information. Unfortunately, being Sunday, the tourist office was closed. We had a brief look around town and then moved on to Cape Town, moving through very large fields of grapes. First stop in town was the Victoria Albert Waterfront for a little shopping and internet. Then we made our way to the Aardvark Backpackers Lodge for accommodation and had dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant.

Spent the day wandering around Cape Town. We went up to the Table Mountain cable car hoping for a ride to the top, only to discover that as of this morning it had been closed for 2 weeks for maintenance. We went back to the V&A Waterfront and had coffee, before retiring back to the Aardvark for dinner and bed.

We moved from Cape Town to Stellenbosh with the intent of checking out what the local vineyards have to offer. Stellenbosh is just a short drive from Cape Town, but we got way lain when Connie saw a huge shopping mall on the side of the road. We went into the Century City mall which Connie instantly decided was her favorite of all time. You have to see the pictures to see why. After spending most of the day at the mall we headed to Stellenbosh. Unfortunately it was rush hour, and it took a good hour to make the trip. Once in Stellenbosh we tracked down a caravan park and had dinner at the Cattle Baron, an American style steak house with very good food.

Stellenbosh is very well renowned for its vineyards, and looking at a map of the town shows the profusion of vineyards in the area. With just a couple of days, we knew we could only visit a few, so we started with the largest, the Distel Bergkelder, home to names like KWV, Fleur Du Cap and Stellenrik. There were no tours going on at the time, but the lady in charge showed us around. They have a short movie about the wine growing process and the suitability of the Cape for grape farming. They also have a museum with old glasses, bottles of wine and corkscrews. The oldest bottle with wine still in was from 1890. After looking around the museum, we went into the Bergkelder (mountain cellar) itself. There is a large wooden door on the hillside, and inside a low lit cave like cellar, are thousands of bottles of wine. Each area has a sign giving info on the wine stored there. In the very center is a tasting area, and at the back are the huge oak barrels each with an elaborate carving on the face. On the way out of the Bergkelder we stopped at their shop and bought some wine. For lunch we found the Hillcrest Berry Farm. It is a farm in the hills above Stellenbosh that produces excellent jams and preserves. We had a great lunch on their verandah overlooking the valley. In the afternoon we looked around old town Stellenbosh before heading out to another vinyard. Unfortunately they were setting up for an ��event', so we were not able to look around. We went back to the caravan park and ran into Serge and Caroline from Belgium. They also drove down from Europe, but shipped from Ghana to Cape Town, avoiding the Congos and Angola.

Woke to poor weather. We decided to make our way back to Cape Town, stopping at Byerskloof vinyard on the way. Byerskloof is a small operation, unlike Distel. They had no tour, but had an excellent shop with all of their wines available for tasting. They also had products made with their wine like salami. Good stuff! Once back in Cape Town we looked up Byron Herbert. We had met Byron in Maun where he was touring with the Cape Land Rover Club. He offered to let us stay at his house in Camps Bay, which was very nice. The town of Camps Bay is one of the trendiest places around Cape Town, and has a great beachfront with excellent restaurants. Byron's house has a guest wing where he let us stay. For that, we took him out to dinner at the Codfather and had fantastic sushi, calamari and cape salmon.

We took a tour around the Cape today. Our plan was to go down to the Cape Point, but the Cape of Good Hope park is quite expensive to get into, and in the end we decided to skip it. Instead we made our way to Boulders Beach to see the penguin colony. The area has been made into a National Park, and has a very nice boardwalk down to the beach so that you can observe the penguins without disturbing them too much. In the parking area at Boulders we were subjected to intense questioning from a group of American tourists who found it hard to believe we had driven all the way from England. We had lunch at a restaurant in Kommetjie and then headed back into town. Byron had told us of a Land Rover specialist, and Graham wanted to pick up some parts. After some searching we found LR, and bought brake pads, a timing belt and a steering box rebuild kit. The steering box in the Land Rover was getting pretty bad, now leaking fluid, and Graham though that having that rebuild kit handy was a good idea. We then continued on to Century City where we had a lousy dinner at a fast food curry place. We saw Hidalgo at the movie theatre after than and then went back to Camps Bay.

Spent our last day in Cape Town getting things finished up. We went to the V&A Waterfront again where Graham completed some web updates and sent them off. Connie did some shopping, but didn't spend any money. In the evening we took Byron out for dinner again. He recommended the Chapman's Peak Hotel which is supposed to have the best calamari in Cape Town and it was quite excellent!

Got up late and left Byron's house. We were planning on waiting to meet his family but they didn't return from the airport before we felt we had to leave. It's a pity, because Byron was very nice to us and very helpful. Making our way out of Cape Town, we choose the scenic route along the coast. At Hermanus we stopped for coffee, and sat on the bay watching the wright whales come in. We also saw a group of dassies on the shore which was nice because they were a lot closer than the ones we saw in the Karoo National Park. By evening we made it to Arniston, and we stopped at a backpacker place right next to a military base. We had sandwiches in the room and went to bed.

The first order of business was to go to Cape Aguhlas, the Southernmost tip of Africa. It was a very pleasant drive down there, and we stopped at a coffee shop just before the light house for breakfast. Unlike Cape Point you don't have to pay to visit Cape Aguhlas. We spent some time down by the marker taking pictures. Then Connie went about collecting shells and rocks. We then toured the light house museum which is in the light house and has an excellent display of some of the most famous light houses in the world and all of the light houses in Southern Africa. We left the cape just after lunch and headed into the Garden Route proper. This is an area of South Africa with a lot of farming and some very spectacular scenery. We stopped for a late lunch at a farm stall and bought some excellent droewors. By evening we made it to Wilderness, and we stopped at the Beach House Backpackers. As you may expect from the name it is right on the beach, and we enjoyed a spectacular sunset by the fire. We camped in the parking lot overlooking the beach and the railway.

Continuing our trip through the Garden Route, we made good distance. We stopped briefly at Big Tree, which is an 800 year old gum tree �V a very big tree. The scenery is spectacular especially that this time of year when everything is green and the runoff to the sea makes waterfalls along the escarpment. By evening we had left the Garden Route and we continued on late until we made East London. Finding a place to stay was a bit of a mission. Nowhere would allow us to camp, and only East London Backpackers had secure parking for the truck. We had dinner at Nandos and then turned in.

Had a long drive through the Transkei. The country is very hilly and underdeveloped. Some of the towns reminded us of West Africa with their masses of people and markets. At one point we passed a semi truck on fire on the side of the road. There were crowds of people making off with the goods off the truck. It was a long day of driving but by evening we had made it to Pennington to the house where our friends Krissy and Slade were staying. Slade braaid steaks for us while we caught up on news.

Krissy and Slade invited us to join them at Sodwana Bay for the long weekend, so we spent the day preparing to head North. Graham changed the oil in the Landy and unloaded all of the wine from the back.

Got up at 3:30am to start the drive up to Sodwana Bay, one of South Africa's, indeed the world's, premier dive locations. We departed Pennington at about 4 and headed up through Durban and then further North along the coast. We made it to Sodwana at about 10am and met the rest of the crew. Krissy and Slade had organized the weekend, and Slade's uncle Henry and cousin Anita were there along with their families. We spent a couple of hours setting up camp and then went down to the beach to see the sea. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the sun and having a braai back at the campsite.

Henry and Slade got up early and went spear fishing along with Graham (not Jackson) and a friend of his. The rest of us relaxed on the beach. Being a long weekend there were quite a few people around. Slade and the divers had the intent of catching fish for dinner, so we were waiting for that. It used to be that Sodwana bay was quite hard to get to, and few people visited it. Now paved roads lead all the way to the campsites, and people flock there. Dive boats leave from the beach constantly and deep sea fishing outfits ply the waters behind the reefs. There are several reefs in the bay, from 2 mile out to 9 mile. Graham (Jackson this time) borrowed fins and a mask from Krissy and Slade and did some snorkeling in the shallows. Evening found us back in the campsite. Graham (not Jackson) had the only fishing success, but it was a small fish he got, and we had it as a sashimi appetizer. That was closely followed by Slade's hand grenade chicken.

Another day of relaxing and diving. Graham went snorkeling again with Krissy, while Slade, Henry and Graham were off hunting fish. Again there was no luck with the fish, and Graham and Connie cooked a potjie with some of the impala that Slade shot.

And another day of relaxing and diving. In the afternoon Slade, Krissy, Henry, Paula, Connie and Graham went for a walk along one of the nature trails. It was nice even though we didn't see the promised hippos and crocs. Back at the camp site we saw banded mongooses, vervet monkeys and a red duiker. Graham (not Jackson) went spear fishing again. This time he got a barracuda which was fantastic on the braai. Krissy, Slade and Graham (J) arranged to go out with a dive boat in the morning to 2 mile reef to do some snorkeling.

Got up early to get camp packed up so we could go diving. Unfortunately we were to be disappointed. When we got down to the beach it was quite windy and the sea was choppy. The skipper of the dive boat said he wouldn't take any snorkelers out. So we headed out of the park, or tried to. Unfortunately the park officer decided that we needed to pay more for our stay, even though we had paid all in advance. It was a huge fight, but eventually we walked out and made it out of the park without paying any extra. It was a very disappointing end to a nice stay. On the long road back to Pennington, Slade's Land Rover lost 5th gear, so that made to long drive even longer. We got back just before dark, and had a quick meal before turning in.

Slade decided to try to fix 5th gear in Sid. In order to facilitate that he and I and his dad worked on cleaning up that garage. That took most of the day, and then I worked on web updates. We are trying to get a ship date from Nathan at Pangaea Expeditions. We went over to Slade's mothers place for dinner which was excellent. Still waiting to find out about shipping.

Connie and I went to the Pavillion mall in Durban to check email. Mainly to see if we had any shipping information but also to send web updates. Unfortunately for some reason the file wouldn't transfer. We dropped film off at a place in Durban to be developed, and saw Spiderman 2 with Krissy and Slade in the evening.

We spent the day at uShaka Marine World with Krissy and Slade. It is a large aquarium and water park. Still fairly new, some of the shows are a bit unpolished, but it is a fun way to spend the day. The aquarium is under a mock up of a ship, and all of the rooms are styled like rooms in a shipwreck. We watched the dolphin show and went back for the seal show. Unfortunately the seals weren't cooperating and the show was cut short.

Helped Slade start the process of pulling the gearbox out of Sid. First job was to remove all the expedition equipment. Fridge, water tank, drawer system all came out. Then we took some rubbish from the cleaned garage to the local landfill. Knowing that he was about to pull the car apart, Slade hadn't put much fuel in, and we ran out on the way back from the landfill. Luckily it was downhill most of the way and we were able to coast home. We then started taking the floor panels and transmission tunnel out.

Spent the day pulling the gearbox out of Sid. We put him up on ramps and lowered the gearbox out with a coffin jack. It worked very well, but took most of the day. We checked out email hoping to have some shipping news, but there was none. Slade had gone spear fishing with Henry early and had caught a large fish and 4 crayfish. So we had a braai over at Slade's grandmother's house and the fish was superb!

Graham helped Slade with the gearbox from Sid. They started pulling the gearbox itself apart which is not an easy job without special tools. Connie and Krissy when shopping. Then Connie worked on cleaning the truck. Still waiting for a ship date with no luck so far.

In the morning we went for a hike with Krissy, Slade, Slade's mother Becky and her man Richie. After the hike we had a full fry up breakfast at the golf course. Delicious! Connie and Graham went to the Pavillion shopping mall to check internet. Graham spoke to Liz from African Outback about the shipping arrangements, but no date has been worked out yet.

Graham helped Slade with the gearbox some more. By the end of the day it was in lots of pieces. Now Slade has to decide what he wants to do with it.

Krissy, Slade, Connie and Graham all went into Durban to the Pavillion mall. Krissy and Connie met Paula there and went shopping, while Graham and Slade went looking for gearbox shops. They also went to a Land Rover dealership to get prices on a new gearbox, and discovered that not asking would have been better! Since it was Henry and Paula's last night before moving to England, we went to dinner with them and Slade's family to a wonderful Greek restaurant.

Went to the Pavillion mall with Krissy and Slade again. In Slade's father's car this time, so no distance on the clock for today. We then went to a different mall in Durban so Krissy and Slade could pick up their renewed Carnet de Passage. Then it was off to the airport to meet the rest of Slade's family and see Henry and Paula off to England. We spent several hours at the airport eating and drinking with the family before saying goodbye to Henry and Paula and going back to Pennington.

Connie and Graham went into town to check internet on shipping. There was some news, as well as a quote from a local shipping agent on a 20ft container from Durban to Denver. The earliest date if sharing a container with Nathan is September 9th, while using Shiela's service we could load the truck on August 26th. So we are still not sure what to do. After getting all the info we went over to Slade's mother's house to watch the tri-nation finals rugby match between South Africa and Australia. It was a very close match, but South Africa did win and so there was much jubilation and drinking. By the end of the day Connie and Graham had decided to ship with Shiela's service on August 26th, so they planned to leave first thing in the morning for Johannesburg to finish off some business.

Got up early and drove to Johannesburg. Non-eventful trip, apart from the single flat tire. In Johannesburg we went to the 4x4 Mega Store to pick up some last minute items, but we came away with nothing. We then returned to Bev's B&B for the night and made plans to meet Graham Wild in the morning for breakfast. Graham has been following our trip and has spoken at length to Witt and Jen the last time they were in Johannesburg.

A very busy day. Having only a couple of days to spend in Johannesburg, we had a lot to get done. First off was to meet Graham Wild for breakfast. We headed out early and then gave him a call from the highway at 8am to get directions. We spent several hours with Graham and he was kind enough to give us waypoints for several of the stops we had to make in the day. We had a late breakfast with Graham, and while we were eating we got a call from Shiela our shipping agent in Durban. She needed the original of our carnet to give to customs. Of course the carnet was with us in Johannesburg, so Graham was nice enough to let us use the copier and fax machine at his office to send a copy. And we resolved to try to complete our business in the area as soon as possible and get back to Durban. After leaving Graham we headed North to Pretoria to a gearbox place called Autobox. Slade had called them and we dropped his gearbox off with them for repair. We then moved on to a Land Rover scrap yard called British 4x4. From them we got a second had steering box, a bonnet stay, and several other odds and ends we knew would be much cheaper in SA than in the US. People at the scrap yard were quite impressed to see Safari Gard accessories in South Africa. They had all seen the web site, but had never seen any of the products in person. Also picking up parts at the yard was a man named Pieter. He and his wife are retiring and are setting up a Land Rover 110 Hi Cap for a 5 year overland journey up through Africa and across Asia. He had lots of questions for us and checked out our car with interest. After British 4x4, we headed back towards Johannesburg and stopped at Slade's sister Vanessa's house. She and her husband Gordan had been nice enough to store some stuff for us, so we stopped to pick it up. We also had a look at the fantastic job they are doing on their Toyota Land Cruiser. We traded lots of jibes about Toyotas and Land Rovers. Then we headed into Edenvale to visit our friend John Schutte who owns the NederPort B&B. We were supposed to return his phone to him, but he told us to hang on to it and he would pick it up from us at the airport as we flew through. While at NederPort, we got a call from Ann, Pieter's wife inviting us over for dinner and a chat. She was very excited to meet us because she had been following our progress on the web site. So off we went. They had lots of questions about overlanding and web sites and technology and maps. We had a wonderful meal with them, and I am embarrassed to say I forgot the name of the dish, sorry Ann and Pieter! After leaving them, we went back to Bev's and crashed, exhausted.

Got up early, bid Bev farewell, and made our way back to Durban. We stopped in Pietermaritzburg for a late lunch and then at the Pavillion to check email and check in with Shiela on shipping preparations.. Between Durban and Pennington we had another flat tire, and as we had left one of the spares in Pennington, we called Krissy and Slade who mounted a quick rescue operation. Back in Pennington, we started to get everything packed up for the trip back.

Another early start. This time we had to drive into Durban to drop the carnet off with Shiela. That being done, we went to the Gateway shopping centre to check on some stuff and have lunch. On the back towards Pennington, we stopped at the airport to buy tickets to Johannesburg and pick up the tickets that Tracy from Pangaea had purchased for us back to England.

Connie and I spent the morning packing the truck up and getting it washed. We had a 2pm appointment at the docks to load into a container. At around noon we left for Durban, following Krissy and Slade who had done this all before with David and Nadine. At the docks, the process was pretty straightforward. We had to take the tent off the top of the car to clear the door of the container, but it was pretty easy. After strapping it in and sealing it up, we said farewell to Toki. Hopefully we will see her in Denver in about 6 weeks!! Then it was back to Pennington for some relaxing.

Our final day in Africa. Krissy and Slade took us to the airport and we had a final coffee together there. Then we said our goodbyes and thanked them for all their help and hospitality. Then it was into the plane for a flight to Johannesburg. Once there, we called John and he came to pick up his phone and we said goodbye to him and Carmen. Then onto the plane and off to England. Connie had a flight booked back to Colorado, and Graham was planning on going back to Downton for a couple of weeks.

Final Note:
And that is the end of Connie and Graham's contribution to the Africa Overland story. Thank you all very much for your attention and interest. Witt and Jen, as you know, are still on the road and still having adventures. Keep up with them at their site: AfricaOverland.info.
Goodbye and cheers.
Graham Jackson & Connie Rodman