PHOTO CREDIT – GRAND LITTLE ADVENTURES

You’re probably here to check in on how well we’re doing with this whole planning thing hey?  I mean we’ve just had a really long weekend so obviously we managed to get SO much done right?!  Like the passports, the interior of the van, you know, just smashing through our to do list like a couple of Spartans through those pansy Persians.

Well… Um.  Sorry to disappoint but that just clearly isn’t how we roll.

Also if you don’t get the Spartan reference, you need to watch 300.  Only the best movie ever made.  But back to the camper.

There have been a few hiccups in the road this weekend.  Like the wallpaper that is now pealing in places and in other places it actually shrunk.  Freaking shrunk!  I don’t know what we were thinking trying to put indoor wallpaper on the ceiling of a hot vehicle, but there you go.  We learned our lesson.  We now have to take it all off which is going to be a whole other story of loss and heartache.

We also still do not have a tenant for our house.  I’m trying not to freak out and remind myself that this is Cape Town, everyone does things last minute, but flip…  It’s starting to wind me up a little.

On the flip side, the good news is that Optimus is working again.  In fact he sounds like a totally different car.  There is no overwhelming petrol smell and he is just in tip top shape thanks to the loving care of Sugen from Air Cooled Fanatics.  Oh and we finally got back seats!  Woohoo!  Seth was patiently pulling them apart so that we could give the covers a good wash when our amazing neighbour popped over.  Long story short, he knows someone who can upholster it for us in the same type of covers as the front chairs and I just about fell to my knees in appreciation.  I know it’s not about what it looks like but if we’re going to do this, I’d like to do it properly.

So what about the itinerary…

The only other thing that we really got done this weekend was the itinerary of the first leg of our trip.  We’re heading out on 30 June and only going to be back in Cape Town on 21 December if everything goes to plan.  We didn’t really go into detail of exactly where we are going to stay in these areas, because even just sorting out which areas to pass through was more difficult than I thought.  There are so many amazing things to see in our country guys!  Sadly, we ended up having to cut out Swaziland completely or we’d never make it back for Christmas.

I mean we could see everything.  If we really wanted to.  If we literally wanted to be on the move every second day.  But I can’t live like that.  I’m not sure our kids can live like that.  And aside from either of those things, I have to work, so I need to be able to connect and not just be on the move the whole time.

So here’s the rough guide of the first leg of our trip…

What do you think? Did we leave anything off?  Have we added a place that really isn’t worth visiting?  Help.

Most of the places we obviously selected carefully based on actually wanting to go there, because what would the point be if we didn’t right?  We will probably stay in these places for a minimum of about 4 nights (think Kosi Bay or Jeffrey’s Bay) or up to a month (think Lesotho or Mozambique).  To feel settled but also to see all that there is to see in that space.  But sometimes we’ve selected an area only because we don’t want to travel more than 3 hours (according to Google Maps which in Optimus will probably be closer to 5 hours) at a time.  These places we will stay only one or 2 nights (think Sterkspruit or Vryberg).

I’d love to hear your thoughts on any caravan/camping/self catering spots we should check out in those specific areas or the ones nearby.  We are looking to be close enough to get some kind of internet connection while still seeing the natural wonders of the area.  Do those things ever go together?  We’ll find out.

Also if you are or know of anyone in those areas that may be keen to let us park in their driveway for a night or may be a connection that we could speak to in terms of must do/see things in the area (or you know, just being a friendly voice if we get well and truly stuck), PLEASE leave a comment or get in touch with me directly.

I think I say this every time but it’s really is starting to feel real now.  The more that we set into motion the less chance there is for us to back out.  Not that we want to back out.  But you know what I mean.

That said, having spent a long while Googling the best things about all the places on this list, I am SO excited to get cracking on see this beautiful country we live in.  I had absolutely NO idea how much natural beauty, history and culture was right on our doorstep.

Also these tree-swinging toes man.  Too much.

PHOTO CREDIT – GRAND LITTLE ADVENTURES