Bridging The Continents

Location: South Africa Summary: Today is March 20th and I started the day at Elliot/Koa where I chatted with a group of 5 or 6 guys who had arrived in the dark with two four-wheel drives. They had been scaling mountain passes and having a blast. They were very interested in my car and amazed that I had driven it all the way from the Netherlands, which always feels great to share. My destination fo...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today, March 19th, I left East London and headed inland rather than continuing along the coast. The reason for this change of plans was based on conversations I've had with locals about the dangers further down toward Durban, where travelers have been sidetracked off the road and robbed. Since that's already happened to me once, I decided to take a safer route and b...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today on March 18th, I took one more stroll through Port Alfred before hitting the road. What a lovely town — great views, easy beach access, and I can totally see why the folks at the Panorama want to keep living there even after they stop running their bed and breakfast. From Port Alfred, I got back on Highway 72 and made my way to East London. The drive felt slow...

Location: South Africa Summary: March 17th was a productive and eventful day. I started early, arriving at the car service place at quarter to 7. Adrian, one of the bosses, kindly gave me a ride into town where I could sit and have a coffee while they inspected the entire vehicle. By around 10:15, Adrian called to confirm everything checked out as expected — it was just a matter of changing filter...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today, March 16th, a Monday, I made my way to a car service place in Jeffrey's Bay. It turned out to be their second week of operation as a new franchise. The two guys who started the business were both there, and even though they had a full schedule for Monday, they were able to fit me in on Tuesday. They have a 62-point inspection system and would go over everythi...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today was a Sunday in Jeffrey's Bay, and as is typical here, a lot of places were closed. I walked into town hoping to revisit the same restaurant I enjoyed the night before, but when I arrived I remembered it closes at 3 o'clock on Sundays. So I wandered through town looking for alternatives and ended up at an Indian restaurant. What made it fascinating was that it...

Location: South Africa Summary: On March 14th, I started the morning reflecting on yesterday's 4x4 adventure on Bergplas Road. I met Paul and Tracy, a couple driving a Land Rover with a rooftop tent. They're avid campers from Port Elizabeth who own about 8 homes and plan to become full-time road campers within the next 2-3 years. It was a fun conversation about the nomadic lifestyle. I attempted t...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today started with waking up at a peaceful campsite where I had slept in the car. It was a great spot with trees, hot water, and bathrooms — just no other campers around, which was perfectly fine by me. I got going around 8:30 and spent the next two to two and a half hours navigating a challenging 4WD route. I had to pay close attention to stay on the right path, an...

Location: South Africa Summary: I started my day in Prince Albert with a delicious Eggs Benedict breakfast at a nearby hotel, where I met a delightful Dutch couple - Annemiek, who's been a KLM stewardess for 31 years, and her husband were on a multi-week South African adventure. The food here costs about two-thirds of what you'd pay in the US or Europe. I then took Highway 328 through Swartspass t...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today was an incredible day in Cape Town - I stayed an extra day specifically to meet Seth from Canada and Ollie from the UK, two amazing adventurers I first encountered in Ivory Coast. These guys have just completed an absolutely mind-blowing journey, driving a 2001-2002 Reliant Robin (a quirky 3-wheeled English car they named Sheila) all the way from England to Ca...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today I had to leave the Hidden Gem as they were fully booked for the night, but I needed to stay in the area for tomorrow's activities on the 11th. I got lucky and found the Marigold Airbnb, a fantastic self-catering place for 1,100 rand - really reasonable for what they offer. It's an apartment behind a house where the owners Agata and Emmanuel live. The place is...

Location: South Africa Summary: What an incredible day I had on March 9th! I started my morning with an inspiring conversation with an 80-year-old German couple who have visited southern Africa 18 times. The gentleman's words really stuck with me - he said at 80, he doesn't want to just sit around at home and shrivel away. He wants to keep traveling and exploring because it's working for him. That...

Location: South Africa Summary: March 8th was what I called 'Make It Count' day - the last day with my travel companions Ron and Chris before they departed. We started at Cheetah Outreach, a fantastic wildlife sanctuary where you can see hand-raised cheetahs and other animals up close. It's open daily and located at the Heartlands Pardonfly property. You can visit during regular hours or book spec...

Location: South Africa Summary: What an incredible day on March 7th during my epic road trip from the Netherlands to South Africa! After a disappointing bed and breakfast experience with no actual breakfast, I discovered the amazing Diesel and Cram restaurant next to Karoo Moon Motel. This 12-year-old gem serves delicious breakfast in an atmosphere filled with antique signs and furniture - what a...

Location: South Africa Summary: I started March 6th waking up at the safari camp where I enjoyed a delicious early breakfast while Ron and Chris went on the morning safari. After leaving the camp and spotting more antelope on our way out, we hit the road toward Barrydale. Our first stop was at an Ostrich Show Farm, which was absolutely fascinating. I learned that these farms need specific conditio...

Location: South Africa Summary: What an incredible day I had in South Africa! I finally made it to that stunning white beach I'd been wanting to visit - it was absolutely beautiful with amazing beachfront spots perfect for relaxation. Then I embarked on a scenic route through Reindendal, traveling east then north on Highway 62. I discovered a gem at Hohe Kraal - the African Experience Bush Cafe an...

Location: South Africa Summary: I spent an adventurous day canoeing in the wilderness with Chris and Ron through Eden Company. We opted for canoeing over other activities like cliff jumping. The sit-on-top canoes were different from my usual sea kayaks - no back support but comfortable enough for our 40-minute paddle to a waterfall destination. While the guys explored the waterfall and swimming ar...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today I embarked on a wonderful coastal journey through South Africa with my travel companions Ron and Chris. We initially headed to Hermanas hoping to see dolphins in the harbor, but unfortunately missed them. However, driving through these charming coastal towns with their tourist attractions and beautiful beaches was still incredibly rewarding. South Africa's div...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today was absolutely incredible! March 2nd turned out to be the perfect day for visiting Table Mountain in Cape Town with Ron and Chris. Unfortunately, Gert-Jan was heading back to the Netherlands, so he missed out on this amazing experience. The weather was beautiful, which meant everyone else had the same idea - the crowds were massive! We had to park quite far fr...

Location: South Africa Summary: What an incredible day to wrap up my two-week adventure through Namibia and South Africa! I started very early, picking up Ron and Chris from the Netherlands at 6:10 AM. Katja and I had to leave at 5:30 AM to make it to the airport on time. There was some disruption due to a fire in the arrival hall, which meant more walking than usual, but we managed just fine. Aft...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today was Gert-Jan's last full day with our travel group, so I wanted to make it memorable despite the low-hanging clouds obscuring Table Mountain. We started by relocating to a new accommodation just a block away from the beach - the previous place had been rented to someone else, but this worked out perfectly since the new house had an extra bed for the upcoming c...

Location: South Africa Summary: I was thrilled to finally reach Cape Town for the first time on this Friday, February 27th. While Gert-Jan took a rest day, I ventured out alone, starting with breakfast at an Omul Bakery near Melkbos Strand that served traditional Dutch pastries. Before leaving, I met an enthusiastic group of Zimbabwean maintenance workers who were excited about my journey and even...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today I made my way from Garies toward Cape Town, planning to visit the Dutch consulate tomorrow morning to apply for a new Dutch passport. The journey took me through beautiful South African countryside where I observed extensive grape vineyards covered with protective cloth to keep birds away - a reminder of South Africa's renowned wine industry. I visited Duncan,...

Location: South Africa Summary: Today was our changeover day as Gertjan and I crossed the border into South Africa. We make a great team - I handle all the driving while he takes care of navigation and communication. The border crossing from Namibia went smoothly since we were the only ones there, giving everyone plenty of time to process us. I didn't need to use the Carnet de Passage since it cov...

Location: Namibia Summary: Today I continued my journey through Namibia, adding details about our route to Aus. We passed by Duwissip Castle, an old structure maintained by a dedicated elderly couple in a very remote location. Before reaching the castle, we encountered a couple stuck in their older Nissan - the woman was driving and her husband, who couldn't walk or exit the car alone, was the pas...