As we set off for South Africa, 2009     

30-03-13

In late 2011 Jackie was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. This unfortunately proved to be terminal.
The Australian trip is too painful to contemplate at the moment so it is postponed indefiniely. 

Hello all, thanks for looking at our new web site. This is set up primary for our family and friends to keep tabs on us as we travel half way around the world to Australia and New Zealand by road in our Land rover Sandy. But, as with our last website www.sandygoestoafrica.com we realise that many more people will be keeping watch on us. Some out of curiosity just to see if we make it, others who will be contemplating something similar in the future and some who just want to share in our journey. Regardless of your reason you are all welcome to view, join in and enjoy.If you know of a site or location in the direction that we are heading that is worth viewing do leave us a note.

Having the Over landing bug firmly injected into us on our first and last trip driving to Cape Town we decided that Australia was the next port of call. But this would involve rebuilding the Land rover and changing it from a hard top 110 into a 130 motor caravan. (Why not sell it and buy a 130, you might well ask. When I know the answer I will share it). So an 18 month stay back in UK was required for the rebuild. Additionally, routing is not the easiest. See the Proposed Route page for all the hitches and problems.

I have always played with cars and mechanicals but building and kitting Sandy out the first time was challenging. However, at times with the current rebuild I sometimes think I am trying to swallow an elephant. Fortunately, I now can see light at the end of the tunnel. I just live hope it isn’t a train coming at 60 mph to bowl me over. See Sandy’s rebuild for more details.

Planning and routing is all done by Jackie who has spent months trawling web sites, checking out embassies for country access, routes, Visas, Ferries, shipping, weather at different times of the year. (We don’t want to have a frozen engine at the top of a mountain). China alone must have taken three to four weeks research and in the end it was all wasted and had to be abandoned due to the ridicules costs demanded just to travel through.

Now a little about the two of us. We are Bob and Jackie, and have lived in Stilton for the last 35 years, married for 37 years this year. (How time flies). We have two grown up children who are independent and doing their own thing. Jackie was a hairdresser and worked locally for about 30years. I was a Sales Manager for a Mercedes-Benz Dealer (S & B Commercials) in North London selling used trucks and vans. We packed jobs up, rented the house out and set of for Cape Town in March 2009 and returned in 2010 after a fabulous year travelling. Now Jackie is working in a local hotel in Stilton and I am driving trucks until we are ready to set off in March 2012. (Hopefully). But then, things are sent to try you. And you just have to overcome.