RSA (end)

Day 297 : 25 Mar 2005 - Lebombo (RSA border) to Nelspruit 110 km
Day 298 : 26 Mar 2005 - Nelspruit to Pretoria 314 km

Total nights – 1
Total kilometers – 424 km

Currency : RSA Rands
Exchange rate : 1 US$ = R6
Fuel cost per litre : R4.51
Total cost for country : 145.20 US$
Country cost per day : 145.20 US$
Overall average cost per day : 51.93 US$
Highlight : BACK IN SOUTH AFRICA !
Low point : Realising that we have reached the end of a dream………

It was with very mixed feelings that we crossed the final border post back into South Africa; the fifteenth border crossing and 298 days since we set off on this journey.

As we got closer to South Africa we spent many hours reflecting on the last 10 months during which we experienced Africa in its many contrasting and diverse facets:
• From lush green valleys of the Rift Valley to the savannah plains of the Highlands
• From the tropical rain forests near the equator to the endless sand plains and barren rock mountainous landscapes of the Northern deserts
• From the Super Rich of the African corporate clans to some of the poorest peoples in the world
• From the arrogance and tribal “racism” of some of the African peoples to the warmth and almost overwhelming friendliness of others
• From the high tech modern world of the city dwellers to the almost biblical existence and ancient methods/traditions of the rural populations

We left on this journey with an excitement in our hearts and optimistic expectations in our minds in a vehicle called “Pride of Africa” – we returned with a satisfied calmness and inner-peace in a vehicle called “Je Africa Tamsalet” (“Spirit of Africa/the way Africa is” in Amharic). We did not find what we were looking for…..instead we found much more; we discovered the most valuable of all humanly things – FREEDOM…..we have a better understanding why Africa’s peoples can not do otherwise than fight for their freedom, even if they have to pay the highest price and against all odds – AFRICA EPITOMISES FREEDOM.

We plan to compile a summary of our experiences and to include it on this website in the near future. It will also reflect the costs we had in more detail.