Read more
Bakkie gets three medical graduates from London to Cape Town in audacious road trip
The bakkie is named after the diminutive designer who creates costumes for superheroes in The Incredibles, Edna Mode
James, Karen and Spence posing for a picture in Angola with their bakkie, Edna. Picture: london.2.capetown/Instagram
The Covid-19 pandemic pulverised the countless plans that people had for their lives and some haven’t been able to recover.
But three medical graduates from the United Kingdom (UK), James, Karen and Spence, have managed to revive their pre-Covid plans to come to South Africa by audaciously taking on a road trip in a Toyota bakkie from London to Cape Town.
“After we finished medical school years ago, we were meant to go to South Africa for our medical elective, but unfortunately it was cancelled because of Covid and we thought we would take a year out to drive to South Africa instead. We all like a bit of challenge and we all like travelling,” said Karen.
The trio had a sit-down with the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital radio station, RX Radio in Cape Town. The station, designed for children, is a platform where children present shows and speak about issues that are important to them.
104 days on the road
They left London on 13 March this year.
“We were supposed to leave a few days before then but we were disorganised and had a few delays so we had to delay by a couple of days, which is what we needed. It’s now been about 105 days since we left; it took us a few good months to get here,” James said.
“We put in a few buffer days along the route. We planned it would take three to four months. We put in some buffer days that if there are any problems, we could use those days to get things sorted, but we didn’t anticipate we were going to have so many problems.”
Their van is a 14-year-old Toyota Hilux fondly known as Edna.
The car is named after the diminutive designer who creates costumes for superheroes in The Incredibles, Edna Mode. “I think Spence thought the car looked a bit like her,” said James.
They arrived in Cape Town on June 25.
ALSO READ: Avis 4×4 Hilux safari: Ultimate double-cab comfort at MTN Bushfire festival [VIDEO]
Issues on the road
They would’ve liked to explore countries they made stops at, but couldn’t because of issues with the car.
“In Cameroon, there were quite a lot of things we wanted to see, lots of mountains to explore, lots of interesting sights but we were limited by the car. The roads on the border between Cameroon and Nigeria were really quite difficult.”
That meant we needed almost a week to get the car fixed then.
The trio said their trip came with a handful of obstacles but issues with Edna were the most worrisome. “We had loads of problems with the car that was probably the biggest thing that held us up at points.”
Some of the issues Edna experienced were that the chassis broke, the clutch burnt out, the aircon broke a few times, and the diesel filter and fuel system also gave them issues along their trip.
At some point, Edna broke down and Toyota South Africa offered to sponsor them with another van but they insisted on getting Edna fixed to complete their journey as they started it.
“Every time we had a problem, we were always close to somewhere where it could be fixed, whether that’s a big town or a helpful local contact, so we always managed to get these problems fixed on the way even against all odds,” averred James.
The generosity shown by locals along the way was also helpful for the three friends. On one occasion they were stuck in the mud in Ivory Coast for more than five hours and through assistance from natives, they managed to continue on their long journey.
“12 men came and pushed Edna out,” said Karen. The lass who is originally from Hong Kong added that corruption was something they also had to contend with.
“In some countries in particular there have been some scams and corruption, some bribes which we’ve learnt to deal with as we go along. We just figured that you know, just be polite friend and patient.”
ALSO READ: Which is the best safari destination for Gautengers?
Months of preparations before the trip
They spent about six months doing research on their trip, dividing the responsibility of their preparation and they each saved about £10,000.
“We split the research up in terms of the routes we’re going to take, everything we’re going to see, all the things we need to bring with us and all that kind of stuff.”
They created an Instagram page primarily to keep their family and friends updated.
They joked that they hope to have at least 1000 followers by the time they get to Cape Town, but they’ve attracted nearly half a million followers since their trip began.
“Karen loved the idea of making these reels to tell our family about the journey and lots of other people saw them and seemed to like them as well, it kind of took off,” averred Spence.
“I suppose we don’t have an official team [that supports us] but on Instagram, we have quite a lot of followers who have been so helpful and so supportive. They offered so many things along the route to help us get to South Africa,” shared James.
They’re planning on shipping Edna to England and flying back home before starting their careers as medical doctors. But while in South Africa, they’ve been sponsored by Ford to be able to drive around Cape Town.
For more news your way
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
