Life on the Road

I thought it would be nice to give everyone a heads up on what it is like living on an Absolute Africa Safari Truck:

1. The Truck Is Massive

- I don't think there is any other way to put it. This truck is huge! Inside it can fit up to 28 people very comfortable. The front is sectioned into four back facing and for forward facing with another four forward facing behind it. This makes it extremely sociable for expel to talk on the journey. A similar set up happens in the back set of the bus except one area has a table. The truck is not only wide and long but super tall! You have to climb a mini metal later just to get up to it. This is nice because you can see over everything while on the road or on a game drive.

2. Bumpy Times and Long Rides

- Since I am traveling all the way down from Kenya to South Africa you can imagine there is a lot of distance covered. Often these roads are not in the best condition. Whether the drive is 30 minutes or 6 hours you can be sure we hit a million pot holes, speed bumps, road blocks, etc. Joe liked to describe one road we were on as popping popcorn. A few water bottles actually leaked because the bumps wore a hole in the lastic. When you have to cover a large distance or windy roads I can expect to spend 6 plus hours on the road. This is not always a bad thing as you'll see in number 3.

3. Roll Up Windows

 

- One lovely thing about some of these safari trucks is that some have roll up windows. In the case o my first truck all of the sides unzip and roll up leaving the entire area exposed. This is terrible when the dust is strong but the weather is hot and you need some air flow in the truck. However, this makes for easy access to interact with people outside, view game, and feel like you are outside. When on a truck like this you can expect to have to always discuss with the people on the truck on whether everyone wants parts up or down.

4. The Views

Although the roads are long the views are amazing. By living life on the roads you are able to tap into the views and towns that many people will miss when vacationing in Africa. A six hour drive means you get to see six hours of countryside and various life styles from the areas. An added bonus since the Windows make you a part of it. 

5. Duty Time!

 - Overlanding is team work. Every day we are moving around, cooking, cleaning, and staying safe. To ensure everything gets down and  make chores easier we have been split up into different groups. Each group is responsible for a different chore for that day. This rotates so that people have new jobs each day. If you are the cooks for the day you are responsible for finding food and cooking it, security takes care of locking up, cleaning washes cooking pans, and truckies mop and clean the truck. It is all about the teamwork!

6. Early Morning

 

Although waking up may not be my favorite activity it happens more often than not. If you want to get that good shot of a sunrise or a hippo you need to make sure you are packed up and ready to go. This means if you want to leave at 6 then you will have breakfast at 5. If you have breakfast at 5 that means you need to pack up your tent and your things earlier than that. Flashlights are a must. But hey in the end if all pays off when you are surrounded by nature in the earlyl morning. 

7. Tents

 

This is not a five star resort but more like five stars nature and one star camping. Each night when arriving at the campsite everyone gets their tent partner and sets up their tents. Everyone also gets a sleeping pad to make the ground slightly softer. Notice I say the world slightly. Once again what better way to see Africa than right in it?

8. Storage

 

Remember when I said the truck is huge well it is for a reason. Under the seats everyone has a locker for valuables. Also underneath t all you can access storage from the side. This keeps our cooking materials, plates, luggage, food, tents, and much more. Every box is labeled so that it is easy to find. 

9. The People

- The people I have met on this trip are amazing. I guess when everyone knows what they are signing up for they are most likely to have a similar spirit to yours. Within a day everyone becomes family. We do everything together and spend so many hours together it is inevitable. This group specifically loves singing Todo and crossword puzzles as well cruise down the road. A road trip across Africa is special but the people can make it that much better. 

10 Never Internet 

-Internet is a very big privilege and I very rarely have it. I apologize for not posting more often!