So today we went out with a 'peer' group of Brits living in France looking around an old chateau and ancient town monuments. It was all very interesting but whilst doing this 'tour' I was looking around this group and having an 'imaginary' out of body experience, barring one or two people I was looking at a group of the 'living dead' and it makes one shudder. Is that all that's left in life here...........looking around ruins on a guided tour.............sharing experiences of ailments, clinical operations and hospital visits.................."stop the world I wanna get off" I groaned under my breath. So in the evening we went to the first of the towns summer night markets, it was food and wine, more food and wine and plenty of inane gabble all in French all about............nothing..............."let me outa here" I heard myself groan inwardly again. The market was all about food, wine, more food, more wine and talking, talking and more talking. There was some middle aged old crooner singing on a stage outside to taped music in English, Spanish and French, when he started to sing the Edith Piaf songs it was suddenly time to leave although the tajine had been delicious I couldn't stomach the ensemble groaning out Edith Piaf out of tune.

Now fast forward to this forum where there is some life and living, vitality, common communication (well nearly) and people who haven't got 'one foot in the grave' sitting in 'god's waiting room' and eating and drinking themselves into oblivion every day and worst of all kidding themselves they are enjoying life Give me the UK or US anyday where life is near normal not waiting in the waiting room scoffing food and waiting to die or comparing hospital notes and ailments, very interesting old town and ruins but I'm afraid most of the ruins were sporting two legs and nearly alive.

 

"....and people who haven't got 'one foot in the grave' sitting in 'god's waiting room' and eating and drinking themselves into oblivion every day and worst of all kidding themselves they are enjoying life".

MonsieurOffTheRoad in France,

Although I am working hard to set up a new life in the U.S. as far west before too far west again brings on the crowds something of me died and stayed behind in the south of Africa - and when I go back there once every six months I only find it in those places where lion and hyena and leopard and buffalo and elephant and everything that fills the ecosystem inbetween live. Where you can drive for a week and not see another vehicle, where there are NO sounds when you turn the engine off (and should do it for six days to let the big sky and the big creation fill you up).

I have a feeling that you will relate to that - where you will without a doubt know that if your vehicle fails to start here, then three days after the last of the water had been swallowed you will die of thirst. Where the only thing between you and dying is a reliable vehicle. And, when you trust your vehicle like I trust my petrol-fired Mitsubishi Pajero 3.5 you and your family go there - not in a crowded convoy, but with that single vehicle - and experience how a family needs the family to share the immenseness of the views and the need for sharing the tasks to look after one another - be really dependent on one another.

Where you can hang your solar shower under a huge Marula tree, put slabs of flat rock or your vehicle carpet covers on the ground and cleanse yourself with that big sky smiling down at you.

Where only a single glass - never more - of the best South African cognac at sunset makes life come together again. Where at night only the thin ripstop material of your tent will be between you and a male lion's nose as he tests the smells but will never do more that that - unless you had been so foolish to have left the zipper open. If you have he will without a fuss or a show of macho posturing take you away and eat you.

Where, when you have packed your tents and other equipment to go back you will be quiet for most of the 300 kilometer to the nearest shanty town and the 500 kilometer to the first town and the 1 200 kilometer to the big city - wishing that you did not have to pack up.

And when you are back in Europe or the US you will realise that something had died in you and it is only to be found at that place under the massive Marulas where you had pitched your tents and made you fires and before you left had buried the ashes as if you never were there and carry every trapping of civilisation like plastic wrapping or packing or empty cans back home with you to put it in the dumpster at your own home and not show God that you had been at His place while he was away.

Who knows, maybe one day I can take you and yours there before it is too late. It is NOT meant for the loud, or those who just NEED to be entertained. No watches, no music is allowed. No loud talking, because it is so quiet that you can hear a conversation 500 meters away.

 

What a lovely discussion. Forgive me but I thought that you were on a plane to the US, Offroad, and not gallivanting around the ruins of France


It is my observation that those that talk about ‘shared experiences of ailments, clinical operations and hospital visits’ are lonely, have nothing else occurring in their daily lives and thus resort to such topics of conversation. Like you stated it is a shared experience – a common ground topic with a complete stranger. I know that you two aren’t judgmental (far from it) – it doesn’t seem in your character, and I try hard not to be. I have found from my neighbors (I live in a community of retirees) that those who are happy are the most active, believe that ‘we are only as old as we feel’ and live life to the fullest each and every day. I have a really fun neighbor who just turned a youthful 88 this year. She is my inspiration and I want to have her disposition if I should be so lucky to live to be her age. This is a woman who, when she moved into her home, backed her large Suburban into her one car garage and parked it like a pro. That was approximately five years ago. She doesn’t do group holiday tours, she walks everyday and always has a lovely comment for whomever she greets. She’s not a pushover though, by any means. She will tell you like it is when you need to hear it.

I suppose anyone reading this could say that I possibly need to find an outlet other than perusing this forum in my spare time. The truth of the matter is this forum is an escape for me, a way of unwinding and letting it all go at the end of the day. It’s therapeutic, medicinal, relaxing, enjoyable, engaging, and interesting. I feel like I’ve been on a trip around the world and back by reading your musings and I never know just where I’ll travel from one night to the next. Tonight I took a trip to a French night market where an old crooner gently sang ‘laissez-vous fair, Milord’, slightly off-key and I heard the clinking of china and wine glasses and the shuffle of a bistro chair being scraped across the cobblestone as Offroad gave up on the evening.

From France I flew back to Africa (as I was there last night) by just closing my eyes and witnessed the antelope, elephant and buffalo herds, and an occasional zebra cross my path. It was pure magic being able to take my carpet ride from one land to another with just a single breath. I pondered how I would hook up my simple solar shower and what would be the water supply? Would someone be there with me or would I scream in Botswana as a hyena watched my every move by moonlight?...

Heady from one glass of cognac would I forget to close the zipper on my tent? I’d like to think that I would be smarter than that, wouldn’t forget or that someone would be looking out for me. I’ve never been camping and have always wanted to go. Tonight I just did.

 

... that this entire forum is about people (O.K. people and their Landrovers). Totally noteworthy and to the point, particularly it is the ability to roam or rove because of owning such a vehicle that takes people out to the distant, lonely - and in my country wild - places to enjoy the expanses of land and sky. This experience impacts on the receptive soul, which the explorer of the byways often is. He or she who is not at ease in a convoy, or part of a string of vehicles leaving indelible black carbon slick on nature's sunburnt slabs of ,and mega-decibels of sound in the once pure air above it.

Lest we assume or believe that this forum is only for the unfeeling, telegram style, acronymed opinions of which STP or ICVR or BCM EM AY WHY be the reason an otherwise perfect looking vehicle has been refusing to start for more than a week, let us keep it alive with the live humans and their feelings and experiences inside those vehicles. Just look at what this particular perceptive soul experiences away from roaring engines and chassis bending contortions over creation's sculptures:

"I suppose anyone reading this could say that I possibly need to find an outlet other than perusing this forum in my spare time. The truth of the matter is this forum is an escape for me, a way of unwinding and letting it all go at the end of the day. It’s therapeutic, medicinal, relaxing, enjoyable, engaging, and interesting. I feel like I’ve been on a trip around the world and back by reading your musings and I never know just where I’ll travel from one night to the next. Tonight I took a trip to a French night market where an old crooner gently sang ‘laissez-vous fair, Milord’, slightly off-key and I heard the clinking of china and wine glasses and the shuffle of a bistro chair being scraped across the cobblestone as Offroad gave up on the evening.

From France I flew back to Africa (as I was there last night) by just closing my eyes and witnessed the antelope, elephant and buffalo herds, and an occasional zebra cross my path. It was pure magic being able to take my carpet ride from one land to another with just a single breath. I pondered how I would hook up my simple solar shower and what would be the water supply? Would someone be there with me or would I scream in Botswana as a hyena watched my every move by moonlight?...

Heady from one glass of cognac would I forget to close the zipper on my tent? I’d like to think that I would be smarter than that, wouldn’t forget or that someone would be looking out for me. I’ve never been camping and have always wanted to go. Tonight I just did."

Lest anyone voice the opposite - let it be known that her virtual and actual travels because of reading and participating in this forum is awaiting to be related on this forum.

She does need to be guided and controlled, though, to know that the last place where she could shower under the stars is about 1 000 kilometer north of the City of Pretoria. Not much before that and not further than that, as there are no predators at that particular little heaven-earth interface.

Hyena are very clean animals and you can not even smell one even if he is upwind of you. It is at he same time a cleansing thought to be there where we know that WE are trespassing on someone's home turf. That for all we consider ourselves as being at the apex of creation - there we find and feel that we are merely food and nothing more. Apart from Kubu Island in the Mak'Gadikgadi Salt Pan system she will mostly have to have her shower under the smiling blue sky.

 

Sorry, but I just had to post this African Animals Getting Drunk From Ripe Marula Fruit - YouTube until I have time to respond properly. This reminds me of many yesterday after gorging themselves.

 

lol.. funny video Offroad

No travels tonight I'm afraid. Off to beddy byes for me. I was up way too early this morning planting vegetables in the community garden. I was quite the sight to see rolling out of bed with the first sparrow tweet, jumping into the Landy with my sticks, stakes, twine, mallet, truck load of plants, rakes and a hoe. It was fun though - no one was there but me and the fog rolling thru the valley, a bird or two and an occasional butterfly. I lost track of time though and was late for work, driving home barefooted, caked on soil from head to toe with the windows rolled down Hopefully my efforts pay off later this summer and I'll be able to reap a bountiful harvest and whip up pesto and salsa and zucchini bread (zucchini cake?) and whatever else tickles my fancy The poor Landy took a beating though and I'll have to treat her right this weekend. She needs a good cleaning as there is dirt on the steering wheel (gasp!), oregano (I just remembered) sitting on the back seat, dirt laden sandals tossed carelessly back there as well and 3 bags of dahlia bulbs waiting to be planted

Mr. Montero.. 'Guided & controlled?!?' I did read a lovely excerpt in the Spring 2014 Rover's Magazine tonight featuring 'guided' tours of Botswana. I must say as inviting as sleeping in a tent sounds, the Xakanaxa (say that five times fast) Safari Lodge in the Okavango Delta looks mighty appealing

Pass the Marula Wine please...

 

"Mr. Montero.. 'Guided & controlled?!?' I did read a lovely excerpt in the Spring 2014 Rover's Magazine tonight featuring 'guided' tours of Botswana. I must say as inviting as sleeping in a tent sounds, the Xakanaxa (say that five times fast) Safari Lodge in the Okavango Delta looks mighty appealing

Pass the Marula Wine please... "

There is nothing in Africa quite like the Okavango, which is the second stop after the Makgadikgadi under the-stars-shower. Xaxanaxa (you want to try the proper San pronounciation with the clicking x'es...) is indeed impressive with its lodges. Commercialization has that romantic something for the tourist, one must admit.

However, it will NEVER have the raw rationale of Third Bridge camp site where every night there is some somber and sobering and bloody and fearful interaction between either lion and hyena or hyena and baboon, so close to your tent that the roaring reverberates in your chest.

Oh, you will see in some liquor stores the Amarula Liqeur. Try it - it may even make the chocolate cake better on the pallette after the Irish has made its mark.

 

That's what I do in my off time back in the home country.

Also why I gave my Landrover Defenders back to the dealer and bought Mitsubishi and Toyota pick-up trucks and the Pajero, and have not been embarrassed since.

 

Off the Road in France (but never off track!),

Some of those scenes were culled from that touching film "Beautiful People" by the late SA film maker Jamie Uys, where he showed the human ways of animals - but which in fact was a parody on ourselves. I knew hom very well and for a long time had leased a 10 seater twin engined aircraft from him. You should try and get the whole film, as well as the excellently executed "The Gods Must Be Crazy", which was his last.

Ms. Landlover will see many scenes of her dreamplace Okavango there. I know every one of the characters in that film personally.

 

'Commercialization has that romantic something for the tourist, one must admit.'

The Lodge was a respite for the couple for a day or two after bunking out on top of their Land Rovers that week. I believe their guide was driving a Defender with a snorkle as they passed thru some rivers as well. It all looked so exciting! I'd love to 'trespass' on God's country and see the wild animals in their natural habitat. Although I would want to know that I wouldn't be attacked in the process or bitten by a malaria carrying mosquito. I'm dealing with enough bites of my own this week (I think your elusive spider left your vehicle, covered the western terrain and made it's way to my bed the other night..) and don't think I could take on any more I'm turning into a Cyclops by the minute

'Third Bridge camp'

After conducting some internet searching (isn't Google a wonderful contraption?) for this 'Third Bridge Camp', Mr. Montero, it appears (sadly) that the new management (?) has a different style of running things. Many a complaint of overcrowding, noisy neighboring campers (and not the animals) paired with gluttony pepper the review page. It sounds a bit hit or miss nowadays, which is a shame.

'Oh, you will see in some liquor stores the Amarula Liqeur. Try it - it may even make the chocolate cake better on the pallette after the Irish has made its mark.'

I will gladly make an effort to do so but still have yet to have some chocolate cake. Not even on my birthday.. It was carrot!

Hm... wonder where on earth Offroad has gone?...