A quick update to finally get this blog off the ground as we soon cross the border into Namibia!  In the early morning of arriving into Cape Town on Wednesday 1st March we were collected by Carel Pienaar, who’s been our contact man in SA for this trip, as he handed over the 4×4 Toyota Land Cruiser (named Velvet Monkey) that’s going to (hopefully) carry us through borders and “bush” onto Nairobi.  We spent the day on a rough 4×4 off road course outside Cape Town. Getting the feel for what this work horse of a truck can handle and going through a briefing on the vehicle mechanics and maintenance that will be needed to get it through the beating it will take on some of the more gnarly routes we have planned. After an equipment check for all the camping gear, tools, GPS, Sat phone, papers required for border crossings etc. we were in our hotel in Cape Town for the evening.  After some last minute gear purchases (including the much needed “camping coffee press”!) we spent the following day with our inspirational friend from Ibiza, Valentino Barrioseta.  Valentino, a veteran of Ibiza’s music scene and experienced  marketeer, came on a visit to South Africa in 2010 and was so moved by the challenges that the youth faced in the tough townships that he resolved to make a difference.  Combining his experience and passion for the transforming power for music with an ambitious vision he created the non-profit org “Bridges for Music”, aimed at responsible development of electronic music in developing countries, leaving a positive impact in disadvantaged communities and raising awareness about local issues through music.

https://www.youtube.com/user/bridgesformusic  In the Langa Township in Cape Town, which we visited with Valentino, this vision is transforming the community with Bridges for Music building a school for entrepreneurship and music production, providing educational scholarships for kids who graduate high school and a centre to give the kids a tight bond of community outside of the streets and gangs of the township.  On Friday the 3rd we left Cape Town via the beautiful vineyards of Somerset West/Stellenbosch where we enjoyed a lovely lunch with our family friends, Russ and Anja, who have lived out here under the SA sun for 15 years. Russ gave us some appropriate reading for this trip, the autobiography by the famous contemporary explorer Ranulph Fiennes “Fear: Our Ultimate Challenge” – as thoughts of our 4×4 breaking down in the middle of the Kalahari with Eric staring blankly at the engine has crossed our minds!  Our first night stop off was in the cute coastal town of Paternoster, followed by a long drive up to the frontier mining town of Springbok as we eagerly want to get into Namibia and expect to cross today……

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