It's arrived - Our Route

So following one rather confusing skype conversation we finally have what we hope is OUR ROUTE! We are of course trying not to be too anal about it and accept that while this is "the ideal" we may have to make it up as we go along when we realise what sort of roads we're facing, have a puncture, don't set an alarm and only arise at 10am but surely this is what adventuring is about...at least this is what I keep telling mum. And as I keep reminding myself, we're only young enough and stupid enough to do a car rally around Southern African once...probably!

We've dedicated a whole page of the blog to the route so look up and click :)

Excited, terrified in equal measure.

Seriously. We need an audio book or four. "Game of Thrones"....?

You are here

Given that my directions seldom involve road names and rely heavily on shared experience (turn left at the pizza shop where we got that really awesome Calzone that one time or it's behind that place that I got those red shoes that give me blisters; and that while the "you're here" tab on a map certainly helps me see where I am it can seldom tell me in which direction I am facing and thus hinders my forward progress somewhat; I've left it to Danger McEwan to plot our route. Besides, she bought a map so it seems only fair that she should become our "great and illustrious navigator".

Never a one to do anything by halves Danger got right down to earning her title and began what one may only call a map appreciation endeavour and this is what she tells me:

While we still await the official checkpoints for 2012 this is what 2011 had in store...

Etosha NP, Namibia (1800km - distance from jhb)
Kasane, Botswana (1200km)
Livingstone, Zambia (120km)
Lake Malawi (1440km)
Inhambane, Moz (1340km)
FINISH! Mlilwane park, Swaziland (850km)

These distances set her "a-trembling" and the great fear that on this whirlwind tour we'd miss some of the best sites (it's a given) has her frenziedly mapping not only a main route but side-routes too and may well see us doing many more than 7000kms as we go off route to see "that famous collection of glass owls...".

She has however reminded me that we should probably figure out how to pay the rest of our deposit before we map ourselves out of the game. Ah Danger, she is wise.