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alien · Nazadnje urejal/a alien 19 Mar 2013 09:12; skupaj popravljeno 1 krat

Suzuki Jimny: inspiring a new way of life

By: Stuart Parker
20 June 2012
http://blog.getaway.co.za/travel-blog/owning-suzuki-jimny-means-life/

As a young adult starting your career, what were your dreams and aspirations?

For me, I have always dreamt of owning a Land Rover and exploring every corner of the African continent.

I am talking about one of those big solid brutes of a vehicle you see driving around. Kitted to the maximum with all the toys for any epic African adventure. Fancy roof top tent; heavy duty all terrain takkies; a long range fuel tank for those extended journeys; the fancy drawer system complete with fridge in the back; a complex satellite navigation system. And let’s not forget the spade and high lift jack on the roof rack complete with the braai grill tied to the spare wheel.

But the cost of one of these vehicles together with all the extras has never been within reach. Many times my wife and I considered buying an older more experienced model, but unnerving stories of breakdowns and high maintenance costs scarred us off. Often the search for my dream travel wagon would end as fast as it began. The idea of owning a 4×4 and traveling through Africa started becoming a distant dream.

However, in 2010 I took a decision to bring me closer to my dream. I left my 9-to-5 in Johannesburg and headed for Botswana to take a position as a lodge manager in a remote safari camp. Now I was living within the destination. Finally I could experiencing the Africa I had always wished to see.

Living on safari had other advantages too, namely the extended leave cycles. I could enjoy a full 28 days leave every four months. Finally I was getting closer to my aspirations. But I still had one problem – no vehicle.

So we once again turned to the internet in search of my dream car. With the Land Rover still out of financial reach we look for other options. We spent hours browsing forums trying to see what was available. The choices seemed limited and we were still faced with the challenges of high maintenance and running costs.

Then I remembered a travel article about a South African couple who bought a tiny Suzuki Jimny and were using it to travel the country. At first it seemed crazy but could this be the perfect option for our travels?

The look and feel of the vehicle immediately had my attention. I liked its no frills, compact-yet-cheeky styling. I had also heard from numerous sources that it was a brute off road despite its size. There were, however, many concerns about the vehicles perceived shortfalls. Its smaller size meant limited packing space. The 45-litre fuel tank was a challenge for long distances and its 1.3-litre petrol motor had me wondering if we would have enough power under the hood.

In an attempt to answer my questions I went back to forums. What I found surprised me. Everywhere I looked I found Jimny follower’s clubs. Hundreds of happy Jimny owners proudly telling tales of what life in a Jimny is all about. Many shared stories of weekend adventures too far out places. But what interested me more was the number of people who use their vehicle’s for long distance, overland journeys. Reports of trips through Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique had me dreaming of my own future travels through Southern Africa and beyond.

While searching through these forums and after speaking to a few Jimny owners I finally understood. The obvious challenges and restrictions one faces with owning a Jimny is precisely what makes them so appealing. The car is small and packing space limited; so you must pack wisely. Everything you put into the vehicle has to be carefully considered. It’s that ‘If you dont need it, leave it behind’ attitude, which I love. The smaller engine may frighten off the power hungry guys but it does mean better fuel consumption. Sure you may only do 100Km/h on the open road but why go any faster? Sit back, enjoy the journey and take in the surroundings. Isn’t that what travel is all about?

The more I looked into the Jimny as an option, the more I felt that this vehicle suited us perfectly. We wanted a reliable, economic 4×4 that we could enjoy together, wherever we went. The Jimny promised just that. Two weeks later we were the proud owners of our new Silver Jimny.

_________________
Suzuki Samurai is truly one of the most remarkable little vehicles around. It is not the most comfortable vehicle to drive, nor is it the fastest, or even the best looking, but it remains a true classic.
It's a cheap thing you wouldn't understand.

alien · Objavljeno: 19 Mar 2013 09:02 Naslov sporočila:

The Jimny’s first task was to get us back up to Botswana to start our next three month work stint in camp. Adopting the new Jimny way of life we decided to give ourselves a few days to get to Maun. On the way up we enjoyed some blissful time at Nata Lodge and the surrounding salt pans. In was no frills, no fuss kind of traveling. Exactly what we had been looking for.

On the road into Maun I realised that for the first time I was living the life I had always aspired to live. For the next three months we would work in one of the most spectacular wildlife destinations on earth. After that, an epic African journey awaited us. To where? Perhaps Zimbabwe. Maybe Mozambique. Who knows?

_________________
Suzuki Samurai is truly one of the most remarkable little vehicles around. It is not the most comfortable vehicle to drive, nor is it the fastest, or even the best looking, but it remains a true classic.
It's a cheap thing you wouldn't understand.

alien · Objavljeno: 19 Mar 2013 09:06 Naslov sporočila:

Journey to Mozambique in a Suzuki Jimny

With the end of a chaotic three-month work cycle in the bush within reach, the excitement of our first Africa journey began to set in. But we still had no specific destination or plan in mind. However, having spent three months out in the bush it quickly became clear that what we needed was a beach vacation with plenty of sun, as few people as possible and all the seafood we could eat.

With this in mind there was only one choice really – Mozambique. Neither of us had ever been there; it was their quiet season so we’d miss the crowd’s; and I’d heard that if you enjoy seafood, like my wife does, then there is no better place. Next we needed to plot a basic route and decide where exactly in Mozambique we would go. We had decided right from the beginning that we would’t pre-book any accommodation but rather follow our noses as we went. Mozambique is however, a rather large country and while we had plenty of time for our trip we still needed a rough plan.

Bronwyn, my eager wife, was keen to travel from Maun in Botswana, through Zimbabwe and on to Mozambique. But I was against the idea. We knew very little about Zimbabwe and the current situation. I had travelled to Victoria Falls and Mana Pools with work but that was all pre-planned and organised. I love Zimbabwe and have had incredible experiences there. Despite this, I was still nervous. Maybe it was because we would be on our own and I lacked confidence. I began asking the exact questions I’d heard over and over from others. Could we get food? What about petrol? Would we be safe? Then there was the thought of dealing with difficult border posts and corrupt police officials. This was our first real overland trip out of South Africa and I was concerned our lack of experience could find us in trouble.

I spent some time on the web browsing the forums to see who had recently been through Zim. There seemed to be a lot of discussions about paper work to get your vehicle through the border. People were talking about a police clearance certificate that is needed to get through. This certificate had to be acquired at the police station in South Africa. We were sitting up in Botswana so this was not an option. But then it seemed that while it states in the documentation that you need this certificate, many people had travelled through the country without it. The last thing I wanted was to arrive at the border and have my little Jimny impounded because we didn’t have the right paper work.
_________________
Suzuki Samurai is truly one of the most remarkable little vehicles around. It is not the most comfortable vehicle to drive, nor is it the fastest, or even the best looking, but it remains a true classic.
It's a cheap thing you wouldn't understand.

alien · Objavljeno: 19 Mar 2013 09:07 Naslov sporočila:

Then, a couple days before our departure we were visited in camp by Greg Hughes. A charismatic guide with many years of guiding and travel experience under his belt. While picking up tips from him on what to do in Mozambique, I briefly mentioned the Zimbabwe option but said I had brushed it off. “No way, you got to go through Zim” was his first response. “Go through Plumbtree and spend some time in the Matopos. It’s beautiful, and you can also check out Cecil John Rhodes’ grave.” I had listened to a talk he did two nights back on Rhodes so my interest began to grow. “From there you just head across to Mutare and into Mozambique”. The discussion went on as we chatted about Gorongoza National Park, Vilanculos and the Bazaruto Islands. It was all very exciting and I was almost sold.

Then he asked, “What car you got?”

“A Suzuki Jimny” I replied.

“You mean one of those small little 4×4′s?”

I nodded.

“You’ll have no problems then.”

I asked him about police clearance certificates but he said all we needed to do was fill out the TIF form at the border and pay the entry fees. That was enough for me, we were going through Zimbabwe. Having thought about it, I probably should have listened to my wife in the first place. A mental note for next time.

_________________
Suzuki Samurai is truly one of the most remarkable little vehicles around. It is not the most comfortable vehicle to drive, nor is it the fastest, or even the best looking, but it remains a true classic.
It's a cheap thing you wouldn't understand.

alien · Objavljeno: 19 Mar 2013 09:10 Naslov sporočila:

Day 1 – Maun to Francistown

Back in Maun we uncovered our Jimny who had been waiting patiently for the past three months and re-packed the back to add our clothes and camera gear. I could feel that she was as eager to hit the road as we were. Before we could leave though, we needed a fire extinguisher, a second red triangle and two reflective vests (One for each member in the vehicle). All essential requirements to avoid fines in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

With the essential items purchased and enough food and wine for the night, we hit the road. Our first stop – Francistown. We had left Maun rather late to make the border before it closed. Even if we did, we made a pact never to travel in the dark, its just not safe. So we plugged Francistown into the GPS, turned up the music, and sang out on the top of our voices as we headed off into the distance. The excitement of the adventure set in. Our first Africa road trip had begun.

Francistown came quicker than I imagined. As we chatted about anything and everything the km’s just ticked over. As we headed into Francistown we turned to the trusty Botswana guide book to find a place to spend the night. After a couple phone calls we settled on Woodlands Overnight Stop.

Woodlands offers a variety of accommodation options but it is essentially geared for budget overnight stops, just what we wanted. Their chalets seemed comfortable but we opted to camp. We were dying to break out the camping gear, light a fire and just sit under the stars. Woodlands is a few kilos down a dirt track just off the main road. With bushveld vegetation all around and a small river flowing through, it has a wilderness camping feel to it, even though its only a couple kilometers outside of town. There is no noisy traffic buzzing past or bright city lights to contend with. The campsites are grassed so the camping is somewhat luxurious. Most importantly they had neat, clean ablutions. Just about every forum that talks about campsites always makes mention of the ablutions. Woodlands scored an impressive 10 out of 10 in this department.

With the clear chill in the air we could feel that winter was approaching. While huddled around the fire wrapped up with beanies and jackets, we fantasised about the balmy beach weather that awaited us on the coast. But first, we will conquer Zimbabwe.

We retired to the tent early, eager to have a good start. According to the GPS Matopos was only 242Km away. An early start would give us time to stop off in Bulawayo to buy some supplies and get down to Matopos so we could find our accommodation. I had read about a place called the Big Cave, thats where we will start.

_________________
Suzuki Samurai is truly one of the most remarkable little vehicles around. It is not the most comfortable vehicle to drive, nor is it the fastest, or even the best looking, but it remains a true classic.
It's a cheap thing you wouldn't understand.

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Domene | Spletno gostovanje | Reseller gostovanje | EMAIL gostovanje
SSL certifikati | Spletne aplikacije na klik | Brezplačna spletna stran (Website Builder) | WordPress gostovanje
Spletne strani, brezplačna izdelava in namestitev | Poceni letalske karte | Letalske karte | Poceni hoteli