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ABOUT THIS BLOG

In the summer of 2009, Nicolas Rapp decided to take a break from his Art Director job at The Associated Press to attempt a one-year overland travel around the world in a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser. He was back in New York in February 2011 after traveling 15 months and 37,000 miles.

Visited countries

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THE ROUTE

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  • 14,000 miles from New York City to the first elephant

    Posted on May 12th, 2010 Nicolas No comments
    OK, I'll let you go...

    OK, I'll let you go...

    Another early start the following day allows me to see more wildlife. The sun raise early at around 6 a.m., and soon enough, temperatures and humidity are at the highest. Most days, the temperature is more than 30 degrees C.

    After riding dirt roads for the first two hours of the day, I am out of the Saint Lucia Wetlands Park, due west in order to avoid Swaziland. My passport is almost full, and until I get another one – probably in Tanzania – I need to avoid too much border crossings.

    Alongside the Swaziland border, I find pine forests

    Alongside the Swaziland border, I find pine forests

    As I go north following the Swazi border, I gain in elevation, and soon enough, I am deep into huge forests of pines. Eventually, I stop in Amsterdam for the night, where a white farmer let me camp on his land.

    Towns up there are simple, but you can feel the timber trade put a little bit of extra money in pockets, compared to other places I crossed.

    Gold Stock Exchange

    Gold Stock Exchange

    Globe Tavern

    Globe Tavern

    Lewis and Marks building

    Lewis and Marks building

    I leave in the morning, and use dirt roads through the forest to reach Barberton, a city of historical interest. Of commercial interest as well, for me, since I need to get a bit of groceries, to cover for my needs while I will be traveling for few days through Kruger National Park. When it is done, I visit the town, and discover the history of this old gold mine site. Some preserved Victorian homes as well as elegant buildings make the place an interesting stop. Sights include the De Kaap Stock Exchange building, built in 1887 site of the first gold exchange in South Africa. In the same street, the Globe Tavern and the Lewis and Marks building are from the same period.

    10 minutes after entering Kruger, I see my first African giraffes.

    10 minutes after entering Kruger, I see my first African giraffes.

    I have lunch there, and get back in the truck to drive a bit more and reach the park gate at the end of the afternoon. At the Malelane gate, a hotel let me camp in the backyard for US$13.

    At 5:30 a.m., monkeys can witness once again a French guy coming out of his tent, tired but excited about seeing more of Africa. Extended time in Buenos Aires, Johannesburg and Durban reinforce my pleasure of being out camping.

    Lions sighting in Kruger around noon.

    Lions sighting in Kruger around noon.

    Hyena close to the campsite

    Hyena close to the campsite

    For around US$ 40, I can enter the park, and pretty soon, I see many animals, including giraffes.

    I spend the day driving north across the park, and find a small rustic camp where electric wires protect travelers from omnipresent hyenas. It cost me US$10 to stay here for the night and have a nice bush camping experience.

    Sunset on the Oliphants River.

    Sunset on the Oliphants River.

    After a night in the camp called Balule, I get again an early start to see hippos, zebras, elephants and hundred of antelopes.

    Antelopes

    Antelopes

    The most impressive of course are elephants. You can really see a lot of them here.

    Elephants

    Elephants

    Around 11 a.m., I go east and after an hour, I reach the border with Mozambique. This is a straight forward affair, since there are not many people crossing at this location. The visa cost me US$25.

    Zebras in Kruger

    Zebras in Kruger

    Once I pass the border, I find myself in the Limpopo Park, the equivalent of Kruger on the Mozambique side, and have to pay US$10 to cross it. It is done in two hours of dirt roads, which become a badly potholed tar road.

    The road to the Mozambique border.

    The road to the Mozambique border.

    After hours of driving, and after dark, I am back on the Indian Ocean coast, looking for a camp ground. I find one on the beach in Xai-Xai, where I am happy to stop, exhausted by the long drive (US$ 8.50).

    Crossing villages in Mozambique

    Crossing villages in Mozambique

    Mozambique is still recovering from a traumatic past. Formerly a Portuguese colony, the country went through a war of independence, and a civil war ending in 1992. Natural disasters also took a toll on the inhabitants.

    P_elephantInfrastructures are in bad shape, even so the country seems to be on the rise, and gets a bit more tourists every year. It should be an interesting trip of around 2,000 miles across the country. As previously thought, it looks like finding spots for camping will be harder in Africa compared to Latin America. I stick to camp grounds at this point, and will see how things change while I am going north.

    Sunset in Kruger

    Sunset in Kruger

  • Discovering the African wildlife

    Posted on May 8th, 2010 Nicolas No comments
    A monkey steals my breakfast muffin in the Saint Lucia Wetland Park

    A monkey steals my breakfast muffin in the Saint Lucia Wetland Park

    While I wait for the boat to be allowed in the Durban port, I move in a cheaper backpacker, the Banana Hostel (US$13 a night in dormitory), located in the city center. Cockroaches are the primary guests, but there are also some other human inhabitants. Among them Colin, a white South African working in the import and export of copper and gold. We soon become friends. He got lucky with his gold mine in Zambia, sold the precious metal to Dubai, and is now waiting for his cash in Durban.

    Saying good-bye to Colin as I leave Durban

    Saying good-bye to Colin as I leave Durban

    The city has nothing great to take advantage of. The market is interesting, but really nothing compared to the America ones. I know, more you travel, more difficult you are to please. We become friend and wait for days to go by together, drinking beers and taking care of our daily tasks, which is for me going to my clearing agent.
    The boat arrives on Saturday, May 1st. I have to wait for Monday to get it out, since customs doesn’t work on weekends. On Monday afternoon, I am finally able to get it out, after a day of running back and forth between the clearing agent, Hamburg Sud and the warehouse. US$1,360 later, I am good to go, and with Colin, I drive to a shop specialized in exhaust pipes. The following morning, they take out my catalytic converter, and replace it by a straight pipe. This will allow me to run on the low quality petrol I will find in Africa. I go to a hardware store, and buy an 11-gallon (40 liters) water tank. Until now, I was using a 7 gallons jerry can, but I suspect water points will be harder to find, so I prefer to go with more reserves. Beside, the jerry can leaked more and more as I was going through the Americas, and getting a new system was overdue.

    The Durban soccer stadium, ready for the World Cup

    The Durban soccer stadium, ready for the World Cup

    Next stop before I go is to get a minor radiator leak fixed. I want some peace on the road, and will do everything to avoid mechanical troubles. My oil pressure indicator still reads low, so I get it checked by an electrician who tells me the indicator is dead, and oil pressure is OK. This is one less thing to worry about.
    By then, it is Wednesday morning, and time for me to leave Durban.

    Arriving in St Lucia in the afternoon

    Arriving in St Lucia in the afternoon

    I go northeast, following the coast, and 260 km later (160 mi) I arrive in St. Lucia where I pay the dues to enter the St. Lucia Wetland Park (US$ 11).

    On the dirt roads of the park. Finally Africa.

    On the dirt roads of the park. Finally Africa.

    There I see my first animals, including hippos and rhinoceros within minutes of entering the park, at around 4 p.m. You spot animals more in the early morning, and before sunset, when the heat of the day is less intense. Night falls early in South Africa, and I am glad to resume my camping routine. I check in a campground close to the beach (US$11 a night).

    The Indian Ocean beach. Nobody to be seen around.

    The Indian Ocean beach. Nobody to be seen around.

    I bought plenty of food in the town of St. Lucia and I have a nice South African wine to celebrate my first night in the wild. I take my first malaria pill (Malarone), and fall asleep to the sound of the waves.
    When I wake up, I go for a walk on the beach. The sun is already hot.

    A funny monkey thinks he can get away with my dish soap.

    A funny monkey thinks he can get away with my dish soap.

    I get some early action, as I am eating breakfast, and some monkeys have some fun on me. They first steal my muffin as I fix coffee, and then take away the dish soap. I have no other, so I chase him until he gives it back to me.

    A rhinoceros ignore me as I drive by.

    A rhinoceros ignore me as I drive by.

    I spend the day re-organizing the content of the truck, and go take a first bath in the Indian Ocean. Lots of waves and warm water seem to characterize the location. Before night falls, I go for another drive in the park, and enjoy a nice sunset, as well as more animal sights.

    A hippopotamus in the river.

    A hippopotamus in the river.

    I get back to the campsite in the darkness, and put my alarm clock for 5:30 a.m. in the morning, to make sure I will get a glimpse at more wildlife as I leave the park. Later, I will go north in direction of the Kruger Park, marking the border of South Africa and Mozambique.

    Animals can be seen everywhere.

    Animals can be seen everywhere.

    Despite what people told me, I would never have think I could see so much in such a short period of time. This is Africa.

    Sunset on the park.

    Sunset on the park.