In July 1998 we got married. The honeymoon provided the perfect excuse for me to introduce Connie to the land I grew up in. Of course, I wanted to do this in style which for me included crossing the Kalahari desert to the Okavango Delta and visiting Moremi and Chobe game parks. I had done a similar trip with my parents when I was ten in a Range Rover. Connie also wanted to include Victoria Falls in the plan.

For the desert crossing portion of the trip the vehicle had to be a Land Rover Defender 110. Scouring the internet revealed several companies in South Africa that rent vehicles and equipment for such adventures. Unfortunately all their Defenders were already spoken for. One guy tried to convince me to use an Asia Motors (Kia) Rocsta! (More on that later.) So, it was looking like a crew cab Toyota HiLux would have to do until I got an email from Lynda at Leisure Link 4x4. She had a 1996 D-110 Tdi we could rent for two weeks. Cost? $140 per day including expedition and camping equipment and a roof top tent. We jumped at the opportunity! Lynda also arranged for two other vehicles for us. A Toyota Corolla and a Rocsta for our first and last weeks in South Africa respectively.

The wedding went well despite the pouring rain. Connie arrived in her Series IIa and I arrived in Chris' D-90. (Since mine was still in the shop after its moment of infamy.) The day after the wedding we departed for Africa.

Click on the country links to travel!