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BECAUSE ITs THERE
This book was especially republished to raise funds for charities.
33% of the publishers profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities.
THIS is a photographic journal of an epic 11,200km / 6,956 mile road trip around South Africa undertaken by Mark Liprini commencing in March 2014. Planning to use as many backroads as possible, you would think Mark would have used a suitable 4WD vehicle. In search of a challenge Mark decided to use his trusty 1982 Classic Mini affectionately named Pumba after a character in The Lion King® because the antenna on the cars rear which sticks up like a warthog's tail when it runs.
Mark is a fulltime pilot with Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF). He is based at Lanseria Airport, just north of Johannesburg, and can be found flying missionaries, medical supplies and cargo into most Southern African countries with the odd foray into more Northern African countries like the Sudan, Kenya, Chad or Tanzania.
When Mark was asked Why undertake such an epic journey? He replied with the all-time classic
BECAUSE ITs THERE!"
10% of the net profits from the sale of this book will be donated to charities in South Africa.
Excerpt from BECAUSE ITs THERE
Boot packed with camping gear - 2 man tent, camping chair, sleeping bag, two Gaz stoves; sleeping mat, spare Gaz cylinders, car spares, old aircraft chock; plank of wood to support the jack, 2 x 2m tarpaulin, collapsible shove, jack and associated tools, spare wheel, warning triangles, length of siphon hose, and an old cushion for the old knees when working on rough ground. ... oh, and a 32l fuel tank.
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For the first two hours out of Johannesburg, the weather was abysmal. Overtaking trucks was amazing - my windshield is exactly in line with the sideways wash from their massive wheels. Sort of like trying to land on instruments only - IFR, Cat IIIA each overtaking.
NOTE: IFR Instrument Flying Rules. CAT III minima depend on roll-out control and redundancy of the autopilot because they give only enough time for the pilot to decide whether the aircraft will land in the touchdown zone (CAT IIIa) and to ensure safety during rollout (CAT IIIb).
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After 780 km through enough rain to make Noah nostalgic, two stops for a broken exhaust pipe, MANY fuel stops ( I only have a 32 litre tank) and meeting a couple of fascinating people en route, I finally ended up sleeping at Orania. Google it people!
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I bumped into a biker at Kenhardt and I met later again at Brandvlei. This dude had come all the way from Angola on his bike. Now there is a man who has a story to tell
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Of interest is the Verneukpan, south of Kenhardt. A vast dry pan on which Sir Malcolm Campbell tried, in Bluebird 1, to set a new world land-speed record in 1929. The pan is estimated to be 57 kilometres (35 mi) long and 11 kilometres (7 mi) wide.
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At Cape Agulhas The inscription on the plaque simply reads:
U is nou op die mees
Suidelike punt van die
Vasteland van Afrika
Kaap/Cape L'Agulhas
You are now at the
Southern-most tip of the
Continent of Africa
(The first part being in Afrikaans)
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At the top of the Swartberg Pass, 1 583 metres / 5,194 feet above sea level, howling winds, freezing cold and no inducement for fancy photo shoots. Jump out, point the camera and press and get my freezing carcass back into the warmth of my car.
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.and then down the other side. Remember a classic Mini doesn't have brakes .. it just has non servo assisted , drum brakes ..... um speed retarders.
Table of Contents for BECAUSE IT'S THERE
| Part One - Johannesburg to Cape Town |
| 4/03/2014 - 10/03/2014 |
| via |
| Petrusburg |
| Orania |
| Putsonderwater |
| Upington |
| Kenhardt |
| Brandvlei |
| Calvinia |
| Trawel |
| and Rondebosch, Cape Town |
| Part Two - Cape Town to Port Alfred |
| 30/05/2014 - 11/06/2014 |
| via |
| Pinelands, Cape Town |
| Du Toitskloof Pass |
| Worcester |
| Bonnivale |
| Cape Agulhas |
| Malgas |
| Swartberg Pass |
| Prince Albert |
| Outeniqua Pass |
| George |
| and Port Alfred |
| Part Three Zastron to Pietermaritzburg to Johannesburg |
| 12/06/2014 - 22/06/2014 |
| via |
| Tienfontein, Zastron |
| Maseru |
| Lekhalong |
| Semongkong |
| Quachas Nek |
| Masiti Nek |
| Matatiele |
| Trafalgar, KZN |
| Pietermaritzburg |
| and Johannesburg |
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