{"id":1275,"date":"2014-10-09T13:46:21","date_gmt":"2014-10-09T13:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?p=1275"},"modified":"2018-12-15T17:48:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-15T17:48:00","slug":"south-africa-the-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?p=1275","title":{"rendered":"South Africa &#8211; The Start!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Well! \u00a0We are ready, I think, who knows&#8230; \u00a0Months of planning, a hiccup or two along the way (2 of the cars were stolen!) and it&#8217;s time to go and start our journey to London!<\/p>\n<p>At the send-off function in Johannesburg. I&#8217;m\u00a0standing on stage while we are introduced to the DHL customers and staff, it is all a bit surreal. \u00a0I am going to lead a team driving through Africa! \u00a0 A travel dream for years, and now it was a reality, with lots of responsibility\u00a0and a good chance of not succeeding,\u00a0due to its scale and timelines!<\/p>\n<p>A country (45 of them) a week, and in each one, I had to organise, functions for 100&#8217;s of people, rugby clinics, eye clinics (one of my team members is an optician), school visits. The Camera crew\u00a0needs to film and capture the essence of Africa. \u00a0All that doesn&#8217;t\u00a0include the planning routes, accommodation, food, visa etc etc<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1275 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/623.jpg'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/623-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1311\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/623-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/623-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/623-100x100.jpg 100w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/623-800x800.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/623-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1311'>\n\t\t\t\tSend-off Function JHB \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/637.jpg'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/637-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/637-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/637-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/637-100x100.jpg 100w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/637-800x800.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/637-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/617.jpg'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/617-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/617-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/617-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/617-100x100.jpg 100w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/617-800x800.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/617-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>After the function, we had to drive down to Cape Town to officially start our journey. \u00a0That was painful and long, driving down to start driving back up, felt wrong&#8230;!<\/p>\n<p>A\u00a0Quick drive down to Cape Point for some photos, a shop for some last minute supplies, a press conference at the V&amp;A Waterfront and we are off &#8211; on our way to spend the night in Bloemfontein before heading to Lesotho.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1343\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/985.jpg\" alt=\"985\" width=\"851\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/985.jpg 851w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/985-600x222.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/985-300x111.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/985-768x284.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 851px) 100vw, 851px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>3 big yellow Landrovers, packed with clean shiny people and equipment wonder how long that will last&#8230;?<\/p>\n<p>When I first got into my car, she had white leather seats and all the mod cons\u00a0you could hope for and she was a Petrol engine instead of diesel like the other two with a very thirsty engine! I told her that she was a &#8220;Princess&#8221; yes, out loud, I have no problem speaking to inanimate\u00a0things&#8230; \u00a0And from that moment on, she became &#8220;Princess&#8221; and my buddy! \u00a0The other two cars were named a couple of weeks later &#8220;Ntombi&#8221; and the other one &#8220;Nkosana&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well! \u00a0We are ready, I think, who knows&#8230; \u00a0Months of planning, a hiccup or two along the way (2 of the cars were stolen!) and it&#8217;s time to go and start our journey to London! At the send-off function in Johannesburg. I&#8217;m\u00a0standing on stage while we are introduced to the DHL customers and staff, it is all a bit surreal. \u00a0I am going to lead a team driving through Africa! \u00a0 A travel dream for years, and now it was a reality, with lots of responsibility\u00a0and a good chance of not succeeding,\u00a0due to its scale and timelines! A country (45 of them) a week, and in each one, I had to organise, functions for 100&#8217;s of people, rugby clinics, eye clinics (one of my team members is an optician), school visits. The Camera crew\u00a0needs to film and capture the essence of Africa. \u00a0All that doesn&#8217;t\u00a0include the planning routes, accommodation, food, visa etc etc After the function, we had to drive down to Cape Town to officially start our journey. \u00a0That was painful and long, driving down to start driving back up, felt wrong&#8230;! A\u00a0Quick drive down to Cape Point for some photos, a shop for some last minute supplies, a press conference at the V&amp;A Waterfront and we are off &#8211; on our way to spend the night in Bloemfontein before heading to Lesotho. 3 big yellow Landrovers, packed with clean shiny people and equipment wonder how long that will last&#8230;? When I first got into my car, she had white leather seats and all the mod cons\u00a0you could hope for and she was a Petrol engine instead of diesel like the other two with a very thirsty engine! I told her that she was a &#8220;Princess&#8221; yes, out loud, I have no problem speaking to inanimate\u00a0things&#8230; \u00a0And from that moment on, she became &#8220;Princess&#8221; and my buddy! \u00a0The other two cars were named a couple of weeks later &#8220;Ntombi&#8221; and the other one &#8220;Nkosana&#8221; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[75,76,137],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.0.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>South Africa - The Start! - Otter Travels<\/title>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?p=1275\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Africa - The Start! - Otter Travels\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Well! \u00a0We are ready, I think, who knows&#8230; \u00a0Months of planning, a hiccup or two along the way (2 of the cars were stolen!) and it&#8217;s time to go and start our journey to London! At the send-off function in Johannesburg. I&#8217;m\u00a0standing on stage while we are introduced to the DHL customers and staff, it is all a bit surreal. \u00a0I am going to lead a team driving through Africa! \u00a0 A travel dream for years, and now it was a reality, with lots of responsibility\u00a0and a good chance of not succeeding,\u00a0due to its scale and timelines! A country (45 of them) a week, and in each one, I had to organise, functions for 100&#8217;s of people, rugby clinics, eye clinics (one of my team members is an optician), school visits. The Camera crew\u00a0needs to film and capture the essence of Africa. \u00a0All that doesn&#8217;t\u00a0include the planning routes, accommodation, food, visa etc etc After the function, we had to drive down to Cape Town to officially start our journey. \u00a0That was painful and long, driving down to start driving back up, felt wrong&#8230;! A\u00a0Quick drive down to Cape Point for some photos, a shop for some last minute supplies, a press conference at the V&amp;A Waterfront and we are off &#8211; on our way to spend the night in Bloemfontein before heading to Lesotho. 3 big yellow Landrovers, packed with clean shiny people and equipment wonder how long that will last&#8230;? When I first got into my car, she had white leather seats and all the mod cons\u00a0you could hope for and she was a Petrol engine instead of diesel like the other two with a very thirsty engine! I told her that she was a &#8220;Princess&#8221; yes, out loud, I have no problem speaking to inanimate\u00a0things&#8230; \u00a0And from that moment on, she became &#8220;Princess&#8221; and my buddy! \u00a0The other two cars were named a couple of weeks later &#8220;Ntombi&#8221; and the other one &#8220;Nkosana&#8221; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?p=1275\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Otter Travels\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-10-09T13:46:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-12-15T17:48:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/africaasone-29.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"4886\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3619\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/\",\"name\":\"Otter Travels\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?p=1275#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/africaasone-29.jpg\",\"width\":4886,\"height\":3619},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?p=1275#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ottertravels.com\/?p=1275\",\"name\":\"South Africa - The Start! 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