Spending time in Cape Town has given us the opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved during this trip. Here are a few facts and figures... - We have been on the road for 261 days - We have driven 25,102 miles, (this is equivalent to the distance around the equator!) - We have visited 29 countries - We have raised over ₤4,000 for The Amani Centre for Street Children Some of the many highlights of our trip include: - Feasting on French cuisine to 'fatten up' for Africa! - Experiencing the hospitality of Slovenians - Relaxing on the Dalmation Coast in Croatia - Surviving the mad Albanian traffic (much like stock car racing!) - Camping amongst the rock formations in Cappadocia, Turkey - Sleeping under the stars in Wadi Rum, Jordan - Getting lost in the souks in Syria - Snorkeling off the Ras Mohammed National Park in Egypt - Driving the unmarked desert expanse of Sudan - Experiencing the diverse tribal cultures of Ethiopia - Barbequeing a 14 pound turkey on Christmas Day in Kenya - Rafting Africa's biggest rapids in Uganda - Getting up close to the mountain gorillas in Rwanda - Visiting the children at Amani in Moshi, Tanzania - Lazing on the lake in Malawi - Micro lighting over The Victoria falls in Zambia - Being surrounded by a herd of elephants in Botswana - Skydiving from 10,000 feet over the Skeleton Coast in Namibia - Arriving in Cape Town after 261 days and 25,000 miles! And a few things we have learnt along the way: - To undertake a trip like this you need 'time, inclination and money' - unless you are lucky you will never have all these things together, so you might as well do it anyway - Lack of knowledge (be it mechanical or otherwise) is not an excuse - it is more of a challenge - Most problems are fixable with simple solutions - stay calm, make a cup of tea and if that doesn't work then a sledge hammer works wonders! - For every one person who gives you hassle, there are 20 people who are willing to help - You need a good attitude when things go wrong...laughing aloud helps a lot (a key requirement for any Landy driver) - There is no point in worrying about the big things going wrong (the engine blowing up, being robbed at knife point, crashing, hitting a mine) as it will be the small niggling things that give you more hassle, and invariably they are fixable - It is always good to get a little help from your friends (preferably medics, mechanics and ones with a good GPS system!) - You will never be able to explain what you have done coherently...so you might as well stay incoherent (South African wines help with this!) SPECIAL THANKS: We would like to send out a massive thank you to all those people who have helped us along the way. We have appreciated your support and advice over these many months. We have also made some good friends on the road from all over the globe and we wish them all the best for the rest of their journeys. On behalf of the Amani Children's Home we would especially like to thank everyone who has so generously donated. We set out to raise a total of ₤2,000 and we are thrilled to have very nearly doubled that target. Every penny of the money that has been raised has gone towards a very good cause, which is to help the street children in Northern Tanzania lead more hopeful and dignified lives. Several people have asked if it is too late to donate and of course, the answer is no...please visit www.justgiving.com/kenningtontocapetown Till then it's "Chocks Away" for the very last time as Biggles make his way back to good 'ol Blighty in a sea container and we now head for some R&R visiting family in Durban and Johannesburg. It has taken us nine months to drive down to Cape Town and will take about nine hours to fly back....what were we thinking?! We look forward to catching up with everyone when we return to the UK. Thanks again for all your support through our website and emails. We hope to be in contact with you all soon. All the best, Richard, Camilla and Biggles the Land Rover xxx Kennington to Cape Town - driving 25,000 miles from South London to South Africa to raise money for The Amani Home for Street Children - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!