01 First Start

FIRST START : South Africa to Tanzania

After years of planning and toiling we said goodbye to loved ones and departed. Ingrid was on University vac and was to travel with us for a month. In Nylstroom we greeted good friends and left with some biltong. (Something we would not taste again for a very long time.) We beat the crowds by being at Beit Bridge border very early in the morning.

Blood was streaming from Leoné’s face. She could stand (on the inside wall!) but was screaming with severe pain around the left hip. Jan, who was hanging unhurt in his seatbelt, loosened it and climbed through the chaos. Ingrid was lying unconscious between the door and the roof. Fortunately she came-to quickly, as water from the tank was dripping onto her face. Outside an immense crowd had gathered. One helped Leoné climb out through the right front door to lie on the ground outside. Ingrid first tried to restore some order inside, but soon became aware of back and chest pains. A small man on a motorbike said there was a Mission Hospital nearby (visions of Aids!). He went for help. A Land Rover ambulance arrived. “I’m Dr. Mwambe. I am a German trained doctor. You are in good hands“. No major injuries, it seemed, and Ingrid and Leoné could be painfully moved, (having refused injections on the spot) to St Benedict’s Mission hospital at Ndanda, five kilometres away.

In the meantime Jan got really busy: apart from counting the blessings, like:

We had missed a large donga by 10m; (had we hit it, it would have meant full frontal impact); the fact that the vehicle was lying on it’s Left side, (which meant that: the toolbox was on the upper side and he could get to tools, chains and tackle); the diesel tank was on the underside (and so the 160 l diesel ran onto the ground and not into the vehicle); the batteries were on the underside too, (so water instead of battery acid dripped into the inside.) Although acid did get onto some of Leoné's clothes, which subsequently disintegrated (sometimes while wearing them!).

Fortunately Jan had previously modified the springs, so that he was able to remove the broken main blade and replace with spare (bolted instead of forged spring clamps). The impact had caused the chassis to compress 20mm and the main & 2nd blades to break. (Used hand hoist onto bumper to re-align axle). He had also brought a spare track rod and drag link. A Tanzanian policeman in pristine white uniform was on guard duty waving a baton to keep the scores (100+) of spectators away. Hours later, when the tow truck arrived, Jan had repaired the axle for own wheel support and steering; the wheel was ready to be fitted (could not do so with vehicle on it’s side); and the chains were attached to the special uprighting rings (pre-fitted to the side members for this purpose, but hoping not to be needed!). Ahead came an earthmoving machine, which simply removed the bush so that there would be an inclined towing road up the embankment. It also lifted the vehicle, by the D-ring, to fit the wheel. The towing proceeded to the large mission workshop, under kind Father Godhart; where they also had a guest cottage.

At St Benedict’s Hospital, Sister Rose’s gentle touch cleaned the wounds and soothed the bruises. When Leoné’s distorted nose started bleeding again, she said: “Oh you are breeding from the nose!” Though in agony, Ingrid and Leoné had to giggle. After the uncomfortable taking of X-rays, Dr. Mwambo diagnosed “no bones broken”. People from the mission came to say “sorry about the accident”. After a dreadful first night, and hearing the abbey chimes every 15 minutes, we met some more charming sisters and even learned some Swahili from Father Manfred. We were in the private ward of the Staff of St Benedict’s Mission, Ndanda. Part of our 5 star treatment was the wonderful meals from the Tanzanian/German kitchen served by the gracious young Brother Winfred who also picked flowers for us from the Hospital’s large tropical garden. The patient in the next door ward was being treated for Malaria – and when a mosquito sneaked in to our room, we were alarmed.... After 3 days we joined Jan at the guesthouse where he had been toiling incessantly. We were stiff and sore, and scrubbed and packed in slow motion.

He had stripped and cleaned everything, then re-assembled with new sideshaft assembly, bearings, seals, brake hose, shock absorber, etc.; from parts carried, and could get a steering arm from the mission to replace the bent one. Cranked engine without glow plugs to expel oil from cylinders (due to having lain on its side for 8 hours). Washed, cleaned, test-drove …5 days after the accident we were on our way again. A rose from the workshop garden was Father Godhart’s good luck gift.

We were still heading east towards the sea, which we reached at sprawling Mtwara. We had been told of a lovely beach near there. We never found it and on the very day we had left the mission we broke a right rear side shaft (clear illustration that we could not use the axle diff lock, since the torque delivered by this engine was more than a single sideshaft could handle). So that first night we spent in the middle of a sand track. Next morning Jan found that the spare sideshaft did not fit! (The lockable diffs had tighter tolerances then the normal ones). With a hacksaw blade Jan worked the spline grooves deeper and 4 hours later made it fit; we had 4-wheel drive again to continue towards Dar es Salaam.

At Lindi on a promontory with baobabs overlooking the sea we saw the moon rise. The road was very badly washed away and at times we only did 10 km/h. The vehicle body had been distorted and the doors were tight. Because of sore ribs and breastbones, Leoné and Ingrid could not open them without Jan’s assistance. Ingrid’s University vac was running out, but we had to make a detour to Kilwa Kisiwane (a name on a map, which had fascinated Jan since childhood). We had to obtain a permit and hire a dhow for the 40-minute crossing to the Island, from the town of Kilwa Masoko. On the island we walked along fields of bananas and cassavas from remains of an Omani Arab palace (10^th century) to a 15^th century Portuguese castle ruins.

Back to the main route of muddy, washed out ditches, worsened by truck ruts; pontoon over the Rufiji river and many more bumpy kilometres - painful for a battered body, all the way to Dar es Salaam. Silver Sands campsite north of the city had a nice beach and some interesting fellow travellers. It also has guarded parking where we left our Camper while we went to Zanzibar, by boat.

On Zanzibar we had a few relaxing days of walking the narrow streets with their carved doors and balconies; and learning about what grows there. We went on a most fascinating ‘spice tour’ and saw clove, quinine, nutmeg and other exotic spice and fruit trees.

Jackfruit

There were sultan’s palaces from the heyday of the slave trade. We explored the beaches and enjoyed the view from rooftop bars and sampled local food in the market and at sea front restaurants. Ingrid was well enough to go scuba diving a few times. She flew back from Dar and we started the 3600km-journey back, driving 9 hours a day. To make matters even worse, Jan had contracted a stomach bug and was very ill for a few driving days.

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