Book Reviews

This is the story of an amazingly courageous woman who traveled from Europe to Zimbabwe on her own, and what a story it is!This book reall...
Alice
Dot Bekker…my favourite person. I feel like I know but I don’t. I’ve read your book describing your amazing journey about going home to Zimbabwe...
Adele
What an amazing read,what a brave woman!!!I just cant put the book down, shes such a good writer ❤️ (Facebook)
Thoko
This book was an answered prayer, a daily entertainment and a true inspiration. I feel like I know Dot personally after reading this book....
Michelle
I found “Going Home to Africa” a gripping, authentic, informative and humorous book! Gripping…in the countless unpredictable travel/r...
Gerald
From the first chapter I was hooked and followed Dot's adventures down the coast of West Africa with awe. I bought the book because I too am con...
Jordan
Dot took me on the journey of a lifetime. I witnessed the challenges, frustrations, joys and overwhelming beauty of Africa from the comfort of m...
Wendy
I had the pleasure of meeting Dot when she was living in Solsona and have followed her adventures on Going Home to Africa on IG. I have been so ...
Ruth
This is a brilliant story of a lovely lady driving solo from Northern Africa through many countries to go home to Zimbabwe. This touches my hear...
Dallas
Going home to Africa is an honest, humble and uplifting account of an incredible adventure and Dot’s fighting spirit and firm belief in the univ...
Fiona
Absolutely Compelling I could not put this book down and I am not an avid reader, getting bored quickly. I loved every moment of her jou...
Antoinette
FANTASTIC BOOK! I LOVED every page of this book and didn't want it to end. I have read many travelogues and this was by far my favourite...
Kevin
My first impression was just: Wow! Hats off! What an impressive book... I can already now say that it is, along with Doris Kearns Goodwin's Pulitze...
Susanne
Dot is one of the most amazing "road" friends we made while overlanding through Africa, and whatever we were doing she brought a tremendous sense o...
Laurie
I absolutely love travelling so this story really spoke to me. Having followed Dot in real time on her epic journey, I’m now absolutely loving the ...
Catherine
I think the fact that you share ALL of your experiences, good and bad, and do NOT leave out the huge challenges and obstacles you had to face on a ...
Susanne
I’ve just been spending the whole evening with your book. I feel so fascinated by your story and I love the way you’re describing both breathtaking...
Alexandra
Absolutely loved it. Very inspiring and Dot I would love to meet you one day when I visit Zimbabwe again. Thank you for sharing this amazing story....
Justyna
I have just finished reading Going Home to Africa and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it more as the journey went on... Her experiences become more ...
Nicola

Going Home to Africa

One Woman's quest to return home, driving from Europe to Zimbabwe.

What I need is a Unicorn!

What I need is a Unicorn!

Any of you following me thus far will have noted my several and many promises to blog about vehicles and today I've decided to put all the confusing, conflicting and helpful information together into a blog. 

It should be easy right, just get a camper and head out.  If ONLY!  It is one of the most difficult things thus far.  I guess it is only difficult because I'm doing this on a tight budget and if I had tens of thousands of € or £ the entire thing would be over and done with.  But as the saying goes "beggars can't be choosers" but regrettably I do need to be somewhat choosy as my research has led me to some choices in terms of vehicle that I cannot veer from without potential consequences.

As such, below are the factors that I've decided I have to take into consideration. 

  • Comfort - I'm not 25 anymore and I like a degree of comfort.  As such I've decided to take a camper. It has to be a camper so that I can have my 'stuff' with me.  I've reduced my life to 35 boxes at the moment - probably still more than I can take, but as my journey is planned to be a one-way trip to Zimbabwe I want to be able to take as much as I can with me, mostly sentimental things I've gathered over the years.  I also decided on a camper because I am not a camper (in the pitching a tent sense), and from my research hotels can be difficult to find if you're in the middle of nowhere, so with my own bed I can just park and sleep where I am. But I'd also like to live in it so standing up is an option I'm looking for, can't see myself scrabbling around on all 4's for 6-9 months.
  • Security - many people have expressed concern about my safety and I have taken several factors into consideration.  I prefer the thought of 4 metal walls around me rather than the canvas of a tent, this is also related to the idea of a rooftop tent.  Thanks to those people who have recommended the tent on top of a vehicle (mainly for their confidence that I could get up there and off without doing myself considerable damage).  I have also considered that I would prefer a vehicle where the cab and rear are integrated and this means that if I sense any trouble around me I could just jump into the front and drive off, jimjams or jeans.
  • Terrain - I intend to travel on a route which will take me from deserts, coastal, tropical, and inbetween.  While I would like to visit places of interest I don't think I plan on doing any wild bundu bashing but this said the conditions of roads varies from good to almost non-existant.  From my reading I have noted that rain can be the worst enemy as it turns roads into rivers with potholes that could be puddles or pools in which one can easily submerge. This has meant moving my decision for a camper to the need for a 4x4 camper (which immediately reduces the options and more than doubles the cost!
  • Reliablitiy - I regrettably, have little knowledge of the internal workings of a car, give me anything else to fix or rig up, no problem, but anything beyond changing a tyre or putting in oil and water and I'm stumped.  So the vehicle needs to be solid and reliable.  Now if I was in the USA there are many fabulous vechiles available but I'm going into Africa and that means repairs are likely to be done by a guy with a basic workshop or someone who can tinker with an engine.  Spares an repairs are the consideration, they need to be easily available and by all accounts Toyota is the most easily available for overlanders.  Now that reduces the camper options considerably.  Another thing is that the vehicle needs to be a mechanical as possible with as few electronic bits as there are unlikely to be fully fitted workshops with all the electronic gadgetry.  This apparently means that I'm looking for an older vehicle ... before 2002 ideally.
  • Fuel - it has to be diesel, this is the most commonly available fuel and as the quality varies and diesel engines aren't as fussy as petrol, this is the best option to consider.

So here's what I'm looking for ... a unicorn

a comfortable, affordable, secure, diesel, reliable, old, 4x4, probably best a Toyota.

 

Now perhaps you have some idea as to why this has been such a headache!  It is my most important purchase but finding that unicorn is proving to be difficult.

A special thanks to all the input and answering questions that my male friends have patiently answered thus, their sharing of ideas, suggestions and links so far ... John Norton, John Sexton, Ivo Barata da Silva.

3
Unexpected Inspiration
The cost of moving on ...
 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Guest
Wednesday, 04 December 2024

Captcha Image

About Dot

Dot is Zimbabwean born and raised and after having lived in Europe for 20 years she decided to return home but uniquely she decided to drive  through Africa to get there.

She achieved her dream by driving 20,000kms through 18 West African countries over 8.5 months on her own for most of the journey.  Her book of the same title will soon be launched,and you can find out more about Dot or subscribe to the Blog for more.

 

Kusasa Scholarship Fund

Alongside my journey I've decided to raise funds for scholarships for girl's education in Zimbabwe, find out more about that here, to contribute to the Scholarship Fund please do so here.