It's not Tuesday but it's still a top ten: Medical Supplies

As we prepare for the rally in earnest I realise that Girl Guides really didn't stand me in good stead for big adventures.Or, if it did, I wasn't listening to those talks. Either way I realise that I don't know how to make a tourniquet (I had to google the spelling of that); I can only build a fire after about 4 false starts and certainly can't do it without a match or lighter; and if we get stuck in the mud we'd better hope we have a flare gun so people can find us because my grasp of the physics of mud and the force of friction is not that strong. Bearing all this in mind, and realising it's less than 3 weeks till the trip, I've decided to make a list of all the medical supplies we'll need so that when faced with a broken bone, a burn, or bruising from pushing the car, we're at least prepared for that!

1) Arnica - because I bruise like a peach
2) Dettol - this is good for disinfecting and we don't want to waste perfectly good gin if we don't have to
3) Immodium - 12 hours in a car with a dodgy stomach, thanks to some ill-advised fresh produce, is a prospect I certainly can't face
4) Malaria medication - this is fairly self-explanatory. Can one buy this over the counter in South Africa?
5) Plasters - ideally with cartoon characters but hospital beige will do and some cloth bandges too, just in case.
6) Headache tablets - definitely self-explanatory!
7) Rennies or other such stomach settling product - I don't get car sick but sometimes my stomach just doesn't agree with me. It's a curse.
8) Hay fever tablets - good for insect bites and sneezing thanks to "the nature"
9) Zambuk - "the real makoya" as it says on the tin, and good for just about everything (thanks Zed for introducing me to it!)
10) Savlon - good for the Bs - burns,bites and blisters (I think).

And then of course there's suntan lotion, after-sun, chewing gum, ear plugs and old favourite boiled sweets. This isn't quite medical, but not quite not either....except maybe for the boiled sweets. But what's a road trip without barley sugars?

The Put Foot Rally Shoe drop 2012

Well, as you've no doubt figured out by now, we're pretty damn excited about road-tripping around Southern Africa. The parties - the wildlife - the thrill of knowing that if Constance breaks down there is no possible way we can fix her... But it's not just about the thrills - the most important thing we'll be doing along the way is taking part in a shoe drop at Senkobo Basic School in Zambia.

Photo © Put Foot Foundation

Top Ten Tuesday: Camping equipment that we need

As the rally rapidly approaches and I keep waking up with night sweats realising what on the "list of things to do in preparation for the rally" has been done (not much), still has to be done (lots, and growing), may have been an impossible dream and should be taken off the list entirely - I thought it was about time we actually started making these lists visible. Perhaps if they are here for everyone to see, we'll get things done? And perhaps someone with fresh eyes can tell us if we're being a little hysterical....

Some inspiration from Penelope Pitstop

It's probably too late to get our Constance looking anything like Penelope Pitstop's Compact Pussycat (yes, that is what it's called).

The Compact Pussycat at Goodwood (from here).

But potentially not too late to source the costumes..?!

Cougar Penelope

Hmmmm..

We can change a tyre!

With less than a month to go until registration day we’ve been quite good at ticking the fun things off our Put Foot To-do list – like looking at route and ogling at pictures of Mozambican beaches – but there are still quite a lot of not-so-fun things that we have been avoiding. For me the most dreaded of these was to come to grips with changing a tyre. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered a flat on a bitterly cold Joburg morning! It wasn’t fun, and it did take me ages making me late for work, but I am proud to say that I can now change a tyre on my own and am feeling a lot more rally ready.

FML.

Jozi's turn to quiz

Jozi’s best and brightest braved the cold to gather at Pirates sports club last week Thursday for the 2^nd Team Pedal Pushers fundraiser. 

A fairly unwilling Mr Langley took on the role of quiz master and did a fantastic job of controlling the enthusiastic (read unruly) crowd – even as we were plunged into darkness by a momentary power outage. Well done to each of the eleven teams who fought to the (almost) death for eternal glory and the top spot. In total we raised R2900 for Project Rhino and the Put Foot Foundation which brings our fundraising total to R5800!!

A very big thank-you to everyone who came to support, to Pirates who hosted us free of charge and to Larry ‘The Quizwizz’  (undoubtedly the best quizmaster in Jozi) who advertised for us. 

Fun fact Friday: Checkpoint 6 - Mocambique

Sun, sea and sand - we couldn't be happier to have our final checkpoint by the seaside! Although in Mozambique with its 2470kms of coastline it's not that hard to be by the sea. That being said Mozambique is pretty sizeable being just less than twice the size of California and 45% larger than France.

Capital is Maputo, which used to be known as Lourenco Marques during Potuguese rule.
President:Armando Guebuza
Popuation: estimated 19,686,505 

 

Mozambique became independent in 1975. The country was the scene of an intense civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. During this period up to a million Mozambicans died from fighting and famine in a war that ruined the economy and much of the countryside. The country has been left with a legacy of landmines and amputees but 20 years on, we're sticking to the main roads and have been on holiday here before so I think we're safe!

Now for fun facts!
1) There are 147 airports in Mozambique, although only 22 have tar runways.
2) Not fun but interesting: February 2007 brought the worst flooding Mozambique had seen in six years, particularly along the Zambezi River where it burst its banks. Tens of thousands of people were displaced.
3) Natural gas is Mozambique's most important resource (after hydro-electrical power)
4) Mozambique has only one official language - Portugese
5) The country was named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the Island of Mozambique, derived from Musa Al Big or Mossa Al Bique or Mussa Ben Mbiki, an Arab trader who first visited the island and later lived there.