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Our plan is simple. Sell
our house and our cars and put everything else in storage.
Then, in January, depart London in a Toyota Land Cruiser bound
for Africa and beyond. We have no final destination, no timeline,
only a long journey in search of new adventures beyond the
beaten path. Along the way, we look forward to experiencing
many new things – foreign cultures, ancient landscapes, and
exotic wildlife. Our ultimate goal is simply to chase our dreams
and live life to the fullest.
This
expedition wasn't hatched overnight. In fact,
it's been a constant topic of conversation during previous
travels. We both dreamed of a grand adventure. The natural
progression of many years of shorter journeys. Perhaps we
would backpack around the world or maybe trek across Patagonia
or sea kayak throughout South East Asia. We contemplated
many options and came close to pulling the trigger several
times. Each time we delayed, almost certainly out of the
fear of the unknown. Give up our comfortable jobs, cozy home,
and free airfare (Jim worked for an airline)? It's
easy to do for a few months, but a few years was a bit scary!
Finally, during a three week trip to Antarctica this past
February, we both agreed; there's only one choice.
Suppress our fears, pack our bags, and chase our dreams!
With
the big decision made, only one question remained - "What's
our adventure going to be?" After some debate, it hit
us. What if we outfitted a four wheel drive and set out to
circumnavigate the globe? It was an excellent idea! In 2002
we did an overland trip into the Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia
and loved it. Not only would this allow us to do some in-depth
exploration but it would also challenge us in new ways. We
would have to be completely self sufficient for weeks at
a time – be able to repair the vehicle in the bush,
administer first aid, navigate sand dunes, rivers, and muddy
tracks and recover our vehicle when it inevitably got stuck!
The challenge seemed perfect and we never looked back.
OK,
so more than once we've told this story and inevitably we're
asked - "Why on earth do you want to do
that? Give up your jobs, your house, your comfortable bed,
and leave all of your family and friends behind to live on
the roof of your truck??" We admit, it's a valid
question, perhaps best answered by learning a little more
about us...... |
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