You might think a four-month self-driven car trip through nine different African countries would take a lot of planning and research, but for local couple Jason Millar and Francine Lavers, letting the road dictate the direction proved to be a successful approach.
The couple left St. Albert in January 2011 armed with leaves of absence from their employers but no firm travel plans. Everything hinged on purchasing a vehicle in South Africa. They arrived in the heat of the day and the urgent need to go car shopping.
"The temperature that day in Edmonton was minus 31 and when we arrived in Johannesburg it was plus 31 Celsius," Millar said.
Millar, 36, and Lavers, 28, were the guest speakers at last week's Armchair Traveller series at the St. Albert Public Library.
Together they showed a selection of spectacular photos of all manner of animals and African scenery and described the journey that took them through South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia.
"We pretty much flew by the seat of our pants because we didn't even know for sure until we landed that we could get a car," Lavers explained. "If we didn't get a car, then we would have had to go by bus. Our only real destination was Uganda and how we got there was our choice but often, there was only one road."
For $4,800 they purchased a Toyota Tazz and when they finished their 20,000-kilometre jaunt, they sold it back to the same dealer for $4,000.
Hitting the road
After landing in South Africa and successfully completing their vehicle purchase, they immediately took the Toyota on a weekend test spin to Kruger Park in search of wild game. The first day in the heat turned out to be a bust as the animals were hiding in the shade. That night the couple stayed in a $50 hostel and some animal set off their little car's alarm at 4 a.m. That gave them an early start and two minutes after they got on the road they saw their first lions.
The animals were so beautiful that Lavers had to resist the temptation to get out of the car to pat them. These were just the first of many animals they saw throughout their African visit. On that day alone they saw elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, a jackal, hippos, rhinos, zebras and a leopard.
Committed volunteers
Though the couple's main goal was to have an adventure, they had made arrangements to volunteer with the Edmonton organization Change for Children in Kabale City, Uganda.
Before they left Canada they fundraised $2,000 for Change for Children. They also carried with them two duffle bags full of 100 kilograms of donated medical supplies.
Together they spent two intense weeks at the Kigezi-Anguyo Family Health Centre. Millar helped to build a shelter for up to 80 people so that patients could sit and wait out of the sun and the rain. Lavers helped out in the nutrition clinic. They stayed at the residence of one of the doctors, so they had the opportunity to see what life is like in an African home. They also discussed the challenges of the clinic, which at times both Millar and Lavers found overwhelming.
"The biggest challenge was working with two different cultures and mind-sets," said Lavers.
The clinic had very little in the way of medications and people had to wait their turn to get attention.
"They are tough people. One old man had two broken arms and he had waited for two weeks to have them attended to," she said.
Millar was dismayed to see ambulances that were empty and used for transportation. There was limited police presence and no fire protection. While they were volunteering, the power went out numerous times.
The experience left them questioning the way Westerners volunteer their time and donate their money. At times they felt they weren't as productive as they might have been.
"The doctor himself told us that his motivator is to empower the people and to make them self-sufficient. Consider that in the past 50 years, $50 trillion has gone to Africa. Do you think it will take another $50 trillion before all the aid will work?" Millar asked.
The couple attended an outreach clinic with Dr. Anguyo and realized how difficult it is for Africans to get medical aid. Patients with AIDS, for example, need medication every day, but the doctor only visits their rural clinics once a month, and then, only if there is no difficulty on the road. And though AIDS is still very prevalent, it's still not openly discussed.
"The main focus in the clinics was AIDS. But people still hide it. Lots of times we'd hear things like, 'Mom just died of food poisoning,' but we knew it was AIDS," Lavers said.
She said her one wish for the African people would be for more education.
"AIDS is a good example. They stick to their similar ways of doing everything and that's not always helpful," she said.
Gorillas and pygmies
After their volunteer stint at the medical clinic, the couple took the most expensive excursion of their entire four-month journey, and went to see the famous gorillas of Bwindi. The cost was $500.
"It was eight hours on really rough roads and $500, but we really wanted to go," said Millar.
"I had a gorilla walk up and brush my leg," said an astounded Lavers.
They volunteered again at the Batwa Pygmy Development Hospital. They agonized over the fact that the pygmies had been ousted from their traditional lands so that tourists could go see gorillas. At the same time, they felt the Batwa Pygmy Development Hospital, funded by Rotary International, was outstanding. They feel hopeful that the tribe is beginning to find new resources and a new way of life.
Cultural differences
Throughout their journey they encountered all kinds of road conditions and very few highways. The worst roads were in Tanzania and they had some difficulty there when they blew a tire.
"We were in a remote location and had been told not to be out after night but the wrench that came with the car didn't fit the tire. It took hours and finally Jason got the wrench to fit by sticking a Canada flag pin inside the wrench. We just barely got back to town before dark," Lavers said.
Though in the end they had few real incidents, they were very careful and seldom went out at night. While in rural areas their main diet consisted of bananas, which they could peel, and beans, rice and peanut butter. It became monotonous, but they didn't get sick either.
They joked with themselves about voting for the world's worst toilet but learned that when in Africa, you do as the Africans do, and managed with primitive, hole-in-the-ground latrines and sometimes, the bush.
"In Botswana I spooked an elephant. We were camping. After dark I walked to the toilet hole, and heard him. I rushed back to the tent and he went crashing through the bushes," said Lavers.
Of all the countries they visited, their favourite was Namibia, where they tented extensively in beautiful campgrounds right on the beach.
Everywhere they went, throughout the nine countries, they stood out and never quite got used to the feeling.
"We were still a spectacle, a race to see, and it felt as if we were always being watched. Yet people were very kind to us. They were curious about us but also kind and it was rare to find bad people," Lavers said.
Occasionally they picked up hitchhikers and travelled with folks from all over the world. At times they would all crowd into their little Toyota and off they'd all go to see the real live zoo that is Africa.
"It was amazing in every way, from seeing the gorillas to petting a lion cub to kayaking in rivers, to riding on an ostrich and to swimming with hippos," Lavers said. "It was amazing and beautiful and I can hardly believe we did it."
