Reflecting: an Overland trip well done and oh so worthwhile

We have taken our last drive day on the big rig, trading her in for a bus that is cruising its way to Cape Town as i write. To my left is a large, barren valley with rocky mountains creating an imposing ridge. It is a bittersweet bus, getting to a sweet, cosmopolitan city for New Years will be great but we are sad that the 2 month overland trip is coming to a close after covering over 10,000 kilometers making our way across and down the continent. It has been an amazing and hugely enjoyable experience, and one we enthusiastically recommend to anybody interested. We especially recommend the company we went with, Oasis Overland, as everything from the tour leader, driver, the truck, the food (recall our thanksgiving Tuna), the itinerary has been thoughtful and superb.

In that vein, it seems worthwhile to try and summarize my emotions and thoughts as we get to this inflection point in our travels. Starting tomorrow, it is back to the freedom and hassle of planning our time here in South Africa and beyond. We will no longer be able to count on the logistics and knowledge embedded in the trip, rather we will have complete autonomy to go wherever we choose, with the caveat that we will also have to spend time and energy making those choices a reality.

It is also sad to be leaving all the people with whom we have shared the rig and trip. This polyglot bunch will be spreading back out across the globe, some back to jobs and others on to their next adventure. We have spent hundreds hours in the close confines of the truck and shared experiences that were lifetime memories. We necessarily created a community, with various roles and social dynamics, and today is when that temporary and transient community ceases to exist.

Highlights

- Bisecting the continent overland

Mu soaks in the Atlantic coast

One idea that has really gained a toehold in my head is the notion of bisecting this big continent via land, and how cool it is to be able to look at a map and know parts of countries from the Atlantic all the way across to the Indian Ocean. For whatever reason, this makes me believe that i have really 'seen' a continent, versus sampled places. Of course, this is not entirely accurate, as i have seen many of these places from the truck cruising along, not exactly the paragon of immersion. Still, the idea that we traveled form one ocean to the other gives me great pleasure. Mu too, as you can see in the pic above, which i took right as we arrived on the Atlantic coast of Nambiai several days ago. Doesn't she look pleased with herself too?

Indian Ocean, Dar Es Salam

- Big, beautiful land

We suspect that when our reminiscing turns to this trip in the future, our first thoughts will be about the beauty we have seen. From the wonders of the Ngorogoro Crater, to tranquil Lake Malawi, to the airy Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, to the power and fury of Vic Falls and the Zambezi, to the Botswana sunset in the Okavango Delta, to a bush camping Christmas, all with the big skies that have kept us company from Nairobi to Cape Town. And with so many beautiful places in between. So many biomes, so many natural wonders, so many animals, so much vastness.

Sunrise over Lake Malawi

Vista across Zimbabwe and Mozambique, Eastern Highlands

Vic Falls as seen from Zambia

Okavango Sunset, Botswana

Bushcamping for Christmas, Namibia

- Troubled history, hopeful future

Lastly, it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know the history of these countries and tribes through which we have passed. Africa is enormously multifaceted, layered and it is also so easily dismissed as a monolith from the comfy confines of the Western world. I am certainly guilty of this at times, as it is so far away and keeping track of the ebbs and flows of geopolitics on a continent with 53 odd countries is overwhelming.

Mu and i have both made a point of trying to understand the cultures, histories and possible futures of the counties we have passed through in the 9 countries on the trip (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa). It is not always pleasant reading or conversations, whether it be wars from the pre-colonial period through the present, or racial intolerance and violence, or corrupt and greedy politicians, or famine, or AIDS. The history of these places is troubled along many dimensions.

Being on the ground makes it orders of magnitude easier to contexualize this history, and consider where these countries might be heading. Botswana is often seen as a leading light in this regard, and it offers one path to increased living standards and hope for its citizens. There will be others, i am confident. I am strong believer in the industry of the citizens of these countries. We know from our interactions throughout East and Southern Africa that when working within a strong and consistent rule of law, where people are able to systematically work towards a better life and that of their family, people here will work hard and make tangible improvements in their present, and future. They just need positive stability (e.g. a contributing government rather than a a kleptomanic government) and a chance.