Friday marked the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, and we were in Trafalgar Square, together with the crowds there, and all of you in our minds. It also marked the end of our long journey.

If you have given up on my 'blogging' (only Francois Swart appreciated it, so easy to follow - nothing to read), the albums are now at least sort of up to date, so you can browse some pics! Anyway, we are on London for now, and have been for some months, in a cosy home slightly bigger than the bakkie.

2010 was a year of venture and adventure, vast spaces and friendly faces, natural and historical wonders, connecting and reconnecting ourselves and others, time out and away.

Bigfoot, the old Hilux, traversed about 18 000 kilometers, from the vast plains of Namibia, through the lush, gentle South&East African landscape to the old cities of Europe. We zig-zagged along the Great Rift Valley, from Lake Malawi to Ngorongoro and the shores of Lake Naivasha. We rambled through hot plains, misty coffee country and rugged mountains. Africa rolled by - Rundu, Kariba, Mzuzu, Lushoto, Iringa, Arusha . . the names still resonate. We drove from the wild Atlantic at Henties, to the gentle, exotic Indian Ocean shores of Dar Es Salaam and Mombasa. Then further, from Naples, ancient port and home of pizza, Bigfoot trundled through the cities and countryside of Italy, the Austrian Alps, Bavaria and the Black Forest, the Ardennes, the French countryside, Paris and the battlefields of Normandy before crossing the channel to England and the City of London.

Action was abundant. We went sandboarding down the awesome dunes of Namibia, strapped in for jet-boat thrills on the majestic Zambesi and rafting the white waters of the Upper Nile in Uganda (which also features the Nile crocodile). We dived the clear depths of Lake Malawi, the coral reefs of Zanzibar, the crystal waters of the Red Sea and the ruins of Cleopatra's palace. We tracked (very) elusive Golden Monkeys and gentle gorillas in the Virungas, climbed Mt Sinai (Mt Moses) on a clear desert night, clambered into tombs and temples of kings and prophets. Found our first snows in Innsbruck and Interlaken, then S.N.O.W! in Sweden. Every theme park and thrill en-route had to be explored, so we rode the best at Phantasialand (Germany), Parc Asterix, Euro-Disney and Thorpe Park. Ziplines across the Zambesi and in the Alps, ski-ing, snowboarding, a 'slingshot' in Paris - a dizzying array indeed!

We got around, too. A night train took us from Cairo up the Nile to Aswan, a cruise-ship down to the Valley of the Kings. We survived hilarious and scary overnight buses through a thousand hills from to Kigale to Kampala, a sweltering 18 hours in a coach from Luxor to the Red Sea. We flew in and out of the UK by plane, skirting around Icelandic volcanic ash, beating the odds to Sweden when Europe froze to a standstill. Trains delivered us, irritatingly on time in Switzerland (!), at Interlaken, to the Top of Europe on Jungfrau peak, back to Lake Constance. A 'Polar Express' night train carried us, ensconced in cosy bunks, through magical snowscapes in Sweden. We slogged on foot through Rome, Florence, Pompeii, London and Paris. Took Topless buses. Failed to avoid horse carts in Egypt. Ferries, one trip to Zanzibar shared with a coffin. Rowing boats across mystical lake Bunyonyi and cramped into the crowded blue grotto on Capri. An obligatory Venetian gondola rip.

We rested in countless camp-sites from the serene Okavango to exuberant Italian family sites like 'Jolly Camping', homely spots through Bavaria and France, numerous backpackers' from Windhoek to Interlakenn. Loyalty points were quickly cashed in for hotel comfort and free soap in Katima Mulilo, Lusaka, Arusha and Dar Es Salaam. We went up-market at the White Sands in Dar, in Luxor, a Chinese suite in Phantasialand (Germany). Our favourite laid-back spots include old favourite - Kendwa Rocks (Zanzibar) , Red Sea Relax (in Dahab, Egypt), Iringa lodge (Southern Tanzania), and beautiful Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda. An ancient nun welcomed us to stay in a monastery in Bayoux, Normandy.

Food was fabulous. The best chapati in the world, (at Jinja, on the Nile, Uganda), curries in Tanzania and Zanzibar, pizza in the oldest pizza spot in Naples (and everywhere else). McDonalds from Cape Town to Cairo, Naples to Stockholm. We enjoyed roast pork and Weissbier with Andreas at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, tried Swiss cheese fondue, finger-licked Marry(!) Brown's fried Chicken in Dar, enjoyed the most succulent beef roast in Iringa (Tanzania), baguettes in France. Sampled every 'national favourite' beer in 18 countries (a few times to be sure) and lots of good coffee EVERYWHERE! We drank Spritz in Italy, mulled wine in England and Glogg in Sweden. This is sounding bad. We also ate a lot! (sound worse)

We experienced torrential rains (a soaked and permanently stained netbook shows the evidence), mud, potholes, punctures, tropical heat, tense schedules, passports, visas, drunken traffic officers, difficult customs officers, tsetse flies, mozzies. Michelle suffered from a frozen shoulder, very limiting to her. Tense times too. Bigfoot problems in Kenya (ultimately - dirty fuel), heavy rains, bandit risks, difficult decision points, schooling, place to stay. Four people in a truck for days on end, a blown laptop, lost glasses, street theft, an attempted break-in, harrowing night-driving, late-night arrivals in large cities, deciding the next destination, fighting for internet access. These were time to get to know each other better!

What else? We listened to brass bands in Austria, saw West-end musicals in London, shopped Oxford Street, had the whitest, coldest Christmas at a frozen lake and built a fat snow-man in 5 minute bursts (at -25, the only way), celebrated Noah's 13th birthday night at the temple of Rameses II. Stood, in silence, at Dachau, St Peters, Kigale and Omaha beach.

Then, the human experience. In 18000 km and 18 countries, our overriding experience was of kindness, generosity, passion, caring and good humour of people, everywhere. Some saved the day for us without consideration of time and cost to themselves. Marius, tech wiz in Windhoek, fixed Noah's computer. Jan, a kindly herdsman appeared out of the bush, on cue, at our first puncture and fought along with us to get the spare wheel dislodged. Two Kenyan officials pushed the bakkie out of the way of oncoming traffic and James, mechanic supreme, present by divine intervention in northern Kenya, cleaned and entirely re-assembled the carburetor. Excellent, caring service was provided by Toyota Arusha, Toyota Nairobi, panel-beaters in Mzuzu, friendly staff at Red Sea Relax in Dahab, café owner in a French village and countless others. Wardah Augustus, of Protea Hotels, got us into Protea Hotels everywhere, extracting the best deals for our points. Melkbos optician, Frederick Jansen, quickly dispatched new prescription glasses for Noah. A raucous crowd went in hot pursuit of two thieves who stole Michelle's necklace. Hearing us shout, people joined us on foot, chasing through the alleyways of old Mombasa to try and retrieve the necklace. A dignified elderly man, in fez and sandals, stood by and consoled Michelle when the thieves got away. We met kind border officials in most places. Hundreds of people pointed us on our way, suggested things to do, where to buy, not to go etc. Almost without exception (certainly in Africa), from border officials to taxi drivers, waiters, people on the street, we got a warm 'Welcome to our country'. We often heard 'You are our brothers!' when people heard we're from South Africa. Countless ever friendly 'Jambo!s' in Tanzania and Zanzibar, and much talk about football.

Then, there were the people with a mission. Intrepid, exhausting and entertaining sales vendors everywhere, pitching anything imaginable from boat trips, to a million Zim dollars and skewered rats. Enthusiastic Egyptologists reliably rattled off 18 generations of royal dynasty. Mustafa of Egyptian Nights hostel/hotel/travel created the best experience of Egypt. Chris and Tammy of Scuba-doo, Zanzibar, operate the best diving outfit in Africa with deep passion for the marine environment, people and teaching. In Ruhengeri, Rwanda, Jock Boyer (an American cyclist) invited us, strangers, into their home for a meal. He is someone who does real work in a country dominated by the often dodgy aid industry. Visit www.projectrwanda.org to see how they help small coffee farmers and inspire people through cycling. What makes them special, is that they do it all themselves, no tax-payers' money, no Prado's and no Apple Macs behind them. It is tough and real - buy coffee - support them! A few dedicated rangers maintain Diane Fossey's legacy and risk their lives to protect a few gorilla families from other people, who themselves are victims of their conditions. This they do, for little material reward, and in the interests of their people and these gentle animals. We were touched by the immense challenges facing people and countries in Africa, from human conflict, to the decimation of the sustaining environment in many places, the tough conditions in exploding cities, the courage and dignity of people in difficult daily lives.

Then, of course, not ALL French people are rude, Italians noisy, Germans organised and so on. Everywhere, we met all sorts.

Finally, our year of exploration comes full circle to our most important people, friends of all description, and family. From Cape Town to London, we had support. We left armed with rusks and a map of Africa from the Twycross' (whose loss of the kindest John, is the saddest loss to us all), a rest at Bev and Trev's, companionship from Caron Holdsworth all the way to Springbok while we repacked the bakkie 3 times to get everything in while her car carried the surplus. Noah & Dean's school friends maintained dedicated online contact (Matt K, Nic, Simon, Joshua and more), as did friends of ours (Bev & Trev, Caron, Roelof, Hans, Tracy, Hilary, Louisa & John, Estelle, many more). This often made a day for us, when we succeeded to get the elusive 'access!!' at internet cafes, hostels, restaurants, airports and other 'hot' spots. We were blessed to meet some friends who joined us en-route. Andreas Luginger in Zanzibar, Nairobi and Germany, for holiday, beers and a laugh. We saw Bev in Covent Garden, Caron and Caitlin here and in Sweden. Theo, Pam and Jessica joined us for X-factor viewings, pizzas and lots of laughs, and also made Dean's 12th birthday in EuroDisney special by joining us.

People from SA and UK helped us out all along the way. George and the guys at Maintain-a-Fleet calmly took calls at all hours from various countries to advise & guide some fix of Bigfoot, or source and ship parts. Andreas, (now St Andreas, according to Noah), couriered parts and a repaired laptop to Zanzibar and wrote short notice invitations to Germany for us to get visas. Hilary helped out with valuable logistics info when we needed to ship Bigfoot to Italy. Selena, the Turpins, the McCanns and Louisa searched for, loved and cared for Didi (our cat). Tracy, Ken and Caitlin pour love on Einstein (the cleverest and most handsome dog), who is having a blissful year exploiting them fully. James Sanderson took time out of a short holiday in Florence to do battle in Italian and renew our vehicle insurance, and went 'suit-shopping' with me. Our home now features the legacy of Bev's late and dear aunt Jean Cragg, in the form of furniture and other special, homely and essential household item kindly passed along by Bev. We treasure these. Theo, Pam and Jessica Lakay supported us and helped with practical advice and the use of a computer monitor (which allows me to see what I am typing here).

Colleagues, friends and associates from Vodacom, Elkanah and Premium Ideas supported us with references, admin help, guidance, tax advice, couriering and more (Estelle Pretorius, Martin, Theresa, Karin Telo, Allan Beets, Alvin, Thomas Haghspihl, Bob, Sherhaad, Leon Shirk, Ian Dunbar, Marco Gagiano, Pieter J, Wendy, Minky and many others). Elkanah Schools supported the boys (thanks to Michele and Vanessa). The 'Vodacommers' in Tanzania made our time in Dar very special. Francois and Caroline Swart's gave us a week of 'normalcy' and recovery in their home after our first 12 weeks on the road (we also met Jambo, a very accomplished Jack-Russell, and a nail-slinging crow). The Lennox's looked after Bigfoot for weeks, couriered passports and pointed us to Marry Brown's.

Family kept in touch by Skype, phone, mail etc (Oupa & Ouma Lundie, Lynne Lundie, Ian & Grant Bayne, Warren Dean, Aunty Mary, Felicity). Diane, Steve, Connor and Alex welcomed us into their home and besides putting up with the four of us for months, went to extraordinary lengths to assist us to get settled in here. From furniture to furnishings, a complete revamp of the house we're in, schools, doctors and dentists, setting up accounts and more, they were generous in all ways. David saw to Michelle's tax. Peter Lundie and his energetic partner Pete Pastides have given me opportunity to join in their amazing Continuous Insight operation ( www.continuousinsight.com ), wrote letters enabling us to rent our house and get visas.

To each and every one who journeyed with us this year in whatever way, THANK YOU!

This is the time of planning, goal setting and so on, for 2011. No big plans for us, no major objectives. I recall my mother once giving me a poster, featuring an Orangutan tapping his head, saying "Don't be Stupid man, it's the little things that count", a quote I thought to use for 2011. Then, this message came to me so eloquently and comprehensively yesterday, reading Ben Zander's 'Art of Possibility' again:

I am done with great things and big plans, great institutions and big successes.I am for those tiny, invisible loving human forces that work from individual to individual, creeping through the crannies of the world like so many rootlets, or like the capillary oozing of water, yet which, if given time, will rend the hardest monuments of human pride.

(William James)

We wish you a fulfilling and blessed 2011. We hope to see many of you, hear from you, and share good times, again.

Prost!
With love from Denis, Michelle, Noah and Dean