CHEQUE BOOK

26 October 2001

This update will be of interest and use to those people wanting to venture into Africa or who wonder how one goes about such a task. We're not sure how the professionals would do it but we'll describe how we went about it: maybe you'll learn and improve things when you get around to it.
In the beginning there was a dream (we found this a preferable way to start than "Once upon a time ...") and the dream was good. Then came the practicalities and they weren't so good. After thinking about routes, modes of transport, financing, what to take and whether there were magic carpet repair shops south of the Middle East, our first decision was on what vehicle we wanted.
We had thought about making the trip in our VW Caddy (a Mk1 Golf pickup which is still made and sold in South Africa) we abandoned this as increasing the ground clearance on this front-wheel drive vehicle would prove too costly. We also considered going by public transport (discarded because we decided we needed more privacy and freedom of movement over such an extended period), motorbike (buying two BMW GS 650s wasn't within our budget and Lisa wasn't keen on the biking idea), bicycle (while I'm nuts enough about bikes to do that, Lisa isn't) and a variety of other, more harebrained schemes.

Show us the Money
This left buying a new (to us, anyway) vehicle and we eventually decided on 4x4, not so much for the butch, gung-ho adventures as to be able to keep moving on difficult roads and in wet weather. There are plenty of stories about people traversing Africa in London cabs, Citroen 2CVs, Vespas, VW Kombis (Camper vans) and Fiat Unos, so if you want a little more excitement and strenuousness in your life, don't be put off by our wimpishness!
We narrowed our choices down to a normally aspirated diesel pick-up from either Toyota or Isuzu. Pick-up because they relatively common in Seffrica and fitted our price bracket, non-turbo diesel because it is relatively economical, reliable and not too complicated if we do not to do repairs while lost en route to the middle of nowhere.
Yes, we can hear you yowling from the front row about Land Rovers and how 4x4xfar they are: "xfar" too expensive, "xfar" too old if we can afford them, "xfar" too underpowered in terms of the old diesels, "xfar" too thirsty if they are petrol, and "xfar" too demanding - they are more like lovers than transport. You have to love them and nurture them "xfar" too much. I'd love a Landie but I have neither the patience nor the skill required to care for an old one and get the best from it.
As you may have gathered, vehicle choice is a rather personal matter. (And I hope to hell Chugger doesn't break down more than once or we'll have every Landie owner and lover rubbing our noses so deep in the mud we'll need breather extension tubes out our rear ends!)
The Isuzu KB250 diesel truck was edged out as favourite choice by the Toyota 2.4 diesel's reliability, availability of spares in Africa (it's apparently used extensively by residents all over the continent) and the fact that we found Chugger. The Isuzu is a strong vehicle with an exceptionally economical engine for the class of vehicle. Unfortunately, 4x4 versions are scarcer than rocking horse shit!

Have wheels ...
Once we had the vehicle we could start planning in earnest. Off to the bookshop for a copy of "Africa on a Shoestring" as a starting place, although Bradt's "Africa by Road" is a better book for those planning to take their own vehicle. We also searched the Web, finding other traveller's sites - search for travelogues and contact the travellers once you've found good sites. We received a lot of help from other travellers.
With vehicle, time frame (largely determined by how long your money will last) and route more or less (nothing is ever cast in stone or PDA calendar on an Africa trip) determined, we started with the officialdom. Sorting out what visas you will need and when it is best to get them is a major headache. Basic rule seems to be to sort this out early but only apply just before you leave. Most countries' visas are only valid for a maximum of three months after issue while some are for 30 days only.
For much of North-East Africa, we'll be applying for our visas once we're up there - in Kenya, we'll apply for Ethiopian visas, in Ethiopia we'll get Eritrean or Sudanese visas, depending on which route we take. In Sudan, we'll get Egyptian or Saudi Arabian and Jordanian visas. Check, early, how long it takes to issue a visa - Tanzania does it while you wait, while European countries take a week to issue the Schengen visa.


... May travel
Other paperwork which you have to have also needed to be resolved. Experience has taught us that, apart from the fact that we have a tendency to stress too much about things, it pays to do the research early and the getting as late as possible.
You need a Carnet de Passage, which essentially allows you to temporarily import vehicles into other countries without having to put down large deposits in each country. It ensures that if you sell, abandon, give away or otherwise leave the vehicle in a country, the importation duties etc will be paid. (Remember the old saying about "Death and taxes") Issued by the AA (In Seffrica: http://aasa.co.za), you need to lodge a deposit/indemnity with them or get a guarantee from the bank. If your travels only extend as far north as Kenya, the indemnity is, currently, R500 although I think this depends on the value of the vehicle (over R50 000 worth of transport and you'll pay more!). If going elsewhere in Africa, you need to put up R6 000, while us poor suckers had to stump up R20 000 because we're going to another continent!
Fortunately, you can leave the money in an interest-bearing bank account and get your bank to sort out a guarantee for the AA. This may take some doing as the banks don't appear to get this sort of request often (maybe it was just our bank!) The bank will charge you a couple of hundred Rands "activation" fee and about R60 for every quarter the guarantee is still in place. The AA's Foreign Travel section (we dealt with Yani) is very helpful in explaining all of this to idiots like ourselves. The carnet itself cost us R1 800 but should be cheaper if you are going to fewer countries and need fewer pages. Once you bring the vehicle back to SA, or import it properly into another country, you get the indemnity money back.

Stickers up
The AA also issues International Driving Licences, which you will need if you are going anywhere other than Namibia or Botswana (where SA licences are valid). These cost about R50 and are valid for a year. Another R10 buys you a "ZA" sticker for the back of the vehicle and is required by law. Fellow travellers recently mailed us to say Zambia requires you to have, in addition to the normal reflectors, a white (front) and red (rear) reflective sticker for the vehicle. 5cm by 5cm, they aren't very expensive, but failing to have them results in rather significant fines of $10 per sticker (plus a negotiable "tip") at police checkpoints. Seeing as how the friends recorded six roadblocks in less than 250km, it could work out to be rather pricey. They are available in Livingstone, just across the Zambian border.
Third party insurance is required in most countries. Nambia apparently accepts the Seffrican stuff while Botswana costs about R15 and is obtainable at the border. For the rest, it is apparently available in Zambia but we'll let you know more when we find out.
What to take also becomes and issue at this point and much of it is up to you - how much luxury do you want and how much weight do you really want your vehicle to carry, considering that the heavier it is the more likely it will be to break. A good medical kit is essential, including gloves, sterile needles (hospitals in Africa have doctors but the doctors often don't have supplies to treat you with) and a host of other goodies. Check "Africa by Road" for a list and speak to both a travel clinic and your own doctor.

This won't hurt a bit
Travel clinics can also supply you with all the stabs, jabs and other painful necessities. They'll provide a yellow card listing all the inoculations you've had and this must be shown at border posts. You definitely need a Yellow Fever inoculation, Hepatitis A is also a no-brainer while some countries insist on a Cholera vaccination even though the WHO (if you need to ask "who?", you should reconsider going on the trip!) says the vaccine is ineffective and has dropped its regulations in this regard. The travel clinics will issue little yellow "business" cards stating "all official like" that you "comply with international requirements regarding cholera vaccinations". You work out what it means!
Depending on length of trip and where you are headed determines which vaccines to get. All of them come at a price but some are pricier than others (Rabies is a trio of shots at R180 each but you still need to get two more after you've been bitten. Alternatively, you can just get six shots after being bitten. We've opted for the "Voetsek, Brak!" option) Meningitis (currently hard to come by in Seffrica due to an outbreak in Namibia or S America, depending on who you listen to), Polio and Tetanus are not legally essential but make sense. Hep B, which is transmitted the same way as Aids, is recommended although we figure that Hep B will be low on our list of worries if we somehow end up swopping bodily fluids up there!

Other spare parts
From body parts to truck parts, the list of what to take is long and debatable. Some people have taken spare leaf springs while others recommend spare engine mountings. There is merit in taking both, but the list of things that could break is long and the spare parts are heavy, which only increases the chances of breaking things. What we definitely will take are the bits you need to service your vehicle - we're taking two sets: one for a regular service and the second for an emergency service. After each service we'll buy another set. You could take sufficient for the whole trip if you have the space.
Also, fan belts, break fluid, oils (engine, gearbox, transfer boxes, etc), a good workshop manual and a comprehensive toolbox. See the list on the Blank Cheque page. I'm a firm favourite of duct tape - if you don't need it to patch up the truck until you can do more permanent repairs, it'll help spice up those days when you're confined to the rooftop tent by tropical rainstorms.

Pack horse
Well, no, I wouldn't recommend that. Trying to get a horse not to lift its tail inside the truck could be difficult and there are easier ways of collecting fuel for the fire. You do need, though, to find some way of keeping everything you do pack in organised piles rather than one big pile. We've chosen to use plastic boxes with lids (between 70 and 100 litres), available from Makro and other retail stores. Others prefer metal boxes or plastic crates which hold less but are easier to move and pack more specifically. Others still (rich/skilled bastards!) build drawers and storage systems into the rear of the vehicle. How you organise all this depends on your preference as well as trail (sic) and error but try and keep the heavy bits ahead of the rear axle for best weight distribution.
Can't think of anything else - except to say: "Remember the duct tape"!