STMcNeil

Dear Family and Friends,  

Greetings from the McNeil brothers along the sunny shores of Knysna, South Africa.  Sam and I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season and are enjoying the start and excitement of the New Year.  Excitement is a pandemic in South Africa as the country buzzes with activity in preparation for the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.  You cannot spend one day in this country without seeing some sort of World Cup reminder, whether it be stores selling any and all types of merchandise (including the famous vuvuzela which if you aren’t familiar with now I guarantee you will hear about in the future), news paper op-eds citing a slew of reasons why South Africa won’t be ready in time to play host, or giant billboards counting down the seconds until the tournament starts.  Although neither of us are avid football fans, it is hard not to get caught up in the hype for the event that will captivate the whole world.  But before we can even begin the 2010 World Cup experience, the two of us have planned an adventure that will keep us busy right up to kick off.   First, a brief summation of our 2009 lives in Africa.   

For those of you that don't know (and a refresher for those that do), Sam and I are approaching our one year anniversaries of living in Africa.  I initially came to South Africa in February 2009 to work as an intern in the legal department of the South Africa Human Rights Commission in Cape Town.  I needed to find something to do after the four month internship ran its course and I fortuitously landed a gig working at a B&B in Knysna I had discovered on a previous mini-vacation with friends a few months before.  Located along the famous coastal strip East of Cape Town called the Garden Route, Knysna is a small town perched on a lagoon encompassed by the lush green tops of the surrounding Outeniqua Mountains to the north.  Although I only intended on working at Bamboo The Guesthouse for a month, I quickly fell in love with the town, my job as the cook (and eventually receptionist, host, manager and boat skipper) and more importantly the people for who I was working.  I now have a full South African family, complete with parents, grandmothers, brothers, cousins, cats and dogs who have made my lengthy absence from home that much easier.  

Sam left Seattle in March of 2009 and headed to the exact opposite end of the African continent (yes, mom and dad were left scratching their heads wondering what had they done wrong?).  He took four intensive Arabic classes at the Bourguiba Institute in Tunis, Tunisia at finished at a third year level. Which means he’s now reading children’s stories, currently the famous Ali Baba wa Al-Lassoos, or Ali Baba and the Thieves. In the mélange of the Muslim yet Mediterranean capital, he developed a close network of friends including local Tunisians, expats and a bevy of international friends (Italian, Polish, Finnish, and Oregonian last time I checked). Sam will respond very humbly shwai'ya shwai'ya, or little by little, when asked how much Arabic he can speak, but after spending three weeks with him in Tunis as well as a side venture to Algeria, I can confidently tell you there is nothing so-so about his progress.  More than just asking for directions and ordering me drinks at a bar, he was able to strike up a conversation with anyone, ranging from discussions on religion to the exchange of jokes.  

Good fortune found us bringing in 2010 with our parents and some elephants. Mom and Pops flew from Seattle to Tunis in December, and after a week-long exploration of the city and surrounding countryside, the whole family reunited in Johannesburg, South Africa. There, we stayed with family friends Marion Shaer and Paul Theron and celebrated Christmas with their kids Sam, Jo and Tom. Afterwards, our two families visited two amazing historical sites of the Anglo-Zulu War, receiving arguably the greatest history lesson/story telling imaginable. Leaving our friends in Jo’burg, us McNeils moved farther west in South Africa, visiting well endowed ellies at the Addo Elephant Park and spending evenings watching the mists roll over Table Mountain in Cape Town and the vineyards of Franschoek. We were also pilgrims to many inspiring historical sites of South Africa like Robben Island and Victor Vester prison (where Mandela was first released): powerful testaments to the continual struggle for freedom and human dignity embodied by Nelson Mandela.  Despite the sadness of parting once again, our little family was grateful to have such sweet memories. 

Now, Sam and I are planning to traverse through sub-Saharan Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, and see the Africa between that lies between our previous experiences. While Sam lived in the north, surrounded by French, Arabic and Mediterranean influences, I absorbed the cultural gumbo of Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa and Indian Ocean in the south. But between those places lies a vast country that in some sense is the real, authentic Africa – the image most people think of when they imagine the continent. Through friends here in Knysna, I was able to buy a 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser, an ideal 4X4 overland vehicle that’s big and white like me. With it, almost no road is too rough and we can sleep on its roof or in its lengthy station wagon trunk.  This older-than-the-two-of-us chariot will be responsible for getting us across our current track: travel from South Africa up the west coast of Namibia, across the center of southern Africa into Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania. From there, we will return in time for the World Cup through Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho.  

Our route takes us through the world’s oldest desert and it’s second largest canyon, Africa’s tallest peak in Mt Kilimanjaro, the historic spice island of Zanzibar, the warm water coastline of Mozambique and to the iconic Victoria Falls.  We will be camping in many national parks and game reserves guaranteeing us to encounter every African wildlife imaginable including lions, rhinos, cheetahs, jaguars, hippos, hyenas, crocs, giraffe, and an assortment of primates, birds and snakes, just hopefully not the poisonous kind. We have found many friends throughout our planning process; most of whom are willing to help two Yanks survive their cross-Africa gambit. My current employer Gordon has helped us modify the cruiser, given us travel chairs and table, cutlery, a refrigerator, and provided inestimable amounts of advice through epic storytelling. The previous owner of the car is a German engineer named Villy, who gifted us spare filters and recently taught us engine maintenance and hygiene (or at least the easy parts). A local doctor and overland enthusiast has befriended us and is helping prepare our medical kit. Friends of friends have poured over maps, given us contacts and offers of hospitality. We’re cementing jobs with a Namibian tour operator, a crocodile farm in Zimbabwe, a Malawian sustainable timber company and a small school in Tanzania. While stocking our larder, toolbox and preparing our cruiser, we’ll expand these contacts and knowledge to ease our trip and cut down on the costs of the expedition. 

We have saved and have a war chest. We are cutting comforts and choosing our route with our wallets in mind. But the reality is that this trip is going to be expensive. Two South African friends recently did a similar trip, travelling for four months on a similar route, and spent $15,000. We will severely, drastically, cut that price by working wherever possible, camping every night, eating only bread and water (with the occasional splurge on jam), and avoiding tourists traps. But Sam and I aren’t delusional about the price tag of this once in a life time opportunity. If you can help, we sure would appreciate anything, big or small.  

As we cross borders and sleep under the stars, Sam and I will be updating this blog. We’re hoping to be syndicated soon by a Seattle or American newspaper’s website soon, but for now, our dispatches will be posted on www.stmcneil.com (which has all of our previous, Tunisian and Cape Town writings) and through our FaceBook group The Lone Rangers. Send us your mailing address if you’d like a randy postcard from the road.  Also, we realize most of you are accomplished travelers and if anyone has visited areas we are going suggestions for people to meet or places to see are always appreciated.  Even more appreciated would be meeting up with any of you along the way. 

From Sam and Ben, on the southern edge of Africa, we wish you the best in the new year.   

Sincerely,
Ben and Sam

Knysna, South Africa

February 8, 2010