Today is our last day before we hit the road and it's been been a bit manic. I got very little sleep last night because we decided to have a little farewell party for Matt. He wont be coming back to Cape Town with us after the trip, he's heading back to Chicago so Ezan and I will be saying goodbye to him in Johannesburg. Its been soc cool hanging out with Matt over the last few months and im really gonna miss him when he heads out but for now we have this incredible road trip ahead of us and thats all we're really thinking about!
Every time Matt and I have been out together we've not made it home before 5am and last night was no exception! That would have been fine except that we both had to be up early today. Me because i needed to meet Ezan so that we could do the final bit of preparation and Matt to open up the office at Afrique du Sud Backpackers, where we both live and work.
Every time Matt and I have been out together we've not made it home before 5am and last night was no exception! That would have been fine except that we both had to be up early today. Me because i needed to meet Ezan so that we could do the final bit of preparation and Matt to open up the office at Afrique du Sud Backpackers, where we both live and work.
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Ezan picked me up just before 9 and we headed off to Milnerton market with 2 items high on the agenda, firstly we needed a big metal box that we could put locks on and bolt to the floor of the van to keep safe all of our valuables. Secondly we had to somehow come up with a roof rack! At 10am this morning while hungover and having just walked the whole of milnerton market without finding a anything, the roof rack idea didnt seem realistic. The metal box on the other hand was easy. We spotted an old ammunition box for sale and it was perfect, made from really strong steel and exactly the right size. It even looks cool so we snatched that up! Both Ezan and i were well chuffed at the ammo box but feeling pretty bleak about the roof rack.
That all changed when I got a phone call from my old buddy Jake. Jake is an incredibly talented engineer and designer, he'd remembered that we're leaving tomorrow and that I had mentioned the roof rack to him.
If ever there was a perfect person for a job it was Jake. He had a plan, which considering he'd called me out of the blue felt like a blessing from god! So many things in the build up to this trip have felt like that so many things could have not worked out and we wouldn't be going but somehow its all coming together perfectly.
Anyway, Jake gave me a list of things we needed to get and an instruction to hurry up and get my butt to Durbanville before his supplier closed at 1pm. Ezan and I quickly got all the bits Jake needed and took off. To cut a long story short, Jake, in just a couple of hours had whipped up this epic roof rack and I really mean epic! It's massive and built in typical Jake fashion, like a bloody tank! Its beyond solid and will undoubtedly out last the van by decades! The best of all this was that the 3 of us, myself, Ezan and Jake got to hang out and build this thing! We were all pretty excited and ran around like school boys while we were building it. The roof rack is beyond anything any of us could have expected, It'll hold everything we need and more it's so solid we can even use use it for a roof tent. Jake knocked this thing together in no time and at no cost, all we paid for was the steel tubing, a case of beer and a box of smokes!!! Thats peanuts for a piece of gear that would have cost us thousands had we bought it from an outdoor specialist. Jake is really the hero of the tour so far! He's such a top bloke!!!
I've known Jake and his family for about 5 years now and I love them dearly because they are such good people, while we were finishing up, Jakes wife Kathy and their daughter Adri wrote us some good luck messages on the van. It was such a cute thing to do and looks fantastic on the van amongst all the graffiti.
That all changed when I got a phone call from my old buddy Jake. Jake is an incredibly talented engineer and designer, he'd remembered that we're leaving tomorrow and that I had mentioned the roof rack to him.
If ever there was a perfect person for a job it was Jake. He had a plan, which considering he'd called me out of the blue felt like a blessing from god! So many things in the build up to this trip have felt like that so many things could have not worked out and we wouldn't be going but somehow its all coming together perfectly.
Anyway, Jake gave me a list of things we needed to get and an instruction to hurry up and get my butt to Durbanville before his supplier closed at 1pm. Ezan and I quickly got all the bits Jake needed and took off. To cut a long story short, Jake, in just a couple of hours had whipped up this epic roof rack and I really mean epic! It's massive and built in typical Jake fashion, like a bloody tank! Its beyond solid and will undoubtedly out last the van by decades! The best of all this was that the 3 of us, myself, Ezan and Jake got to hang out and build this thing! We were all pretty excited and ran around like school boys while we were building it. The roof rack is beyond anything any of us could have expected, It'll hold everything we need and more it's so solid we can even use use it for a roof tent. Jake knocked this thing together in no time and at no cost, all we paid for was the steel tubing, a case of beer and a box of smokes!!! Thats peanuts for a piece of gear that would have cost us thousands had we bought it from an outdoor specialist. Jake is really the hero of the tour so far! He's such a top bloke!!!
I've known Jake and his family for about 5 years now and I love them dearly because they are such good people, while we were finishing up, Jakes wife Kathy and their daughter Adri wrote us some good luck messages on the van. It was such a cute thing to do and looks fantastic on the van amongst all the graffiti.
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All in all its been a very successful day. We got the safe box, the roof rack and to top it all off Ezan and I swung by Table View on the way back into town and caught a spectacular sunset. Cape Town is such a beautiful city and we'll miss her while we're away! That's from me today, im shattered and want to get a good nights sleep before we head off tomorrow. First stop the Cederberg for some hiking and climbing. We'll be leaving at about 5pm tomorrow night after Matt and I finish work at the backpackers. Ill try and get a quick post in before we go.
Cheers everyone!
Cheers everyone!
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