I love all these old-timey romances, where a bride is ordered for someone in a small town in the Wild West. Mostly, the man in question is a complete jerk for half the book, but by the time the story ends, the couple lives happily together, and they scheme to find brides for his brothers and friends, too!
What I do recall, usually from the first few pages of the bride-to-be’s journey, is that the coach they rode in had to stop a few times between Boston and the small town they were heading for. That is if all went well and there were no robbers or Indians on the way. (Yes, I know. Native Americans. But in the stories, they are still called Indians!)
The reason is simple – the coachman has to swap out horses, lest he kills the team pulling the coach. Different animals, same destination.
I have come to the same point in my goal. Nothing has changed in the final picture, but the horse that I was riding on would not have taken me there. In my case, the horse was the GAZ truck that I had set my heart upon.
Why did I change my mind?
For a simple reason, really. The problem with an old Russian truck that doesn’t get built anymore is that parts for it become difficult, if not downright impossible, to find. And finding a mechanic to work on it, would be a bigger problem still! So while I still love a GAZ-66, it will just be looked at, as a classic vehicle.
Instead, I’m going with a tried and trusted solution, the Unimog U1300 Long-wheel Based 4×4. Parts and technicians for it are easier to come by and – like the Classic Beetle, the Pop-rivet Jeep, the Suzuki Jimny, and Harley Davidson Motorcycles – Mogs have a cult following. They have a reputation as a workhorse, and they’ve earned it in every case!
The first time in my life that I saw a Unimog was when I was five. Our family liked to camp at a particular bush site, Mapelane, on the Natal North Coast. There was nothing to buy for miles and at times when the sea was too rough for swimming, I had to find my own amusements.
Some game fisherman launched their boats from the beach as well. It was always an attraction when they returned in the afternoons, to see what was caught, and the whole population was there when they came in. It was safe enough to leave the boats on the beach overnight, so they were rarely hauled onto trailers and pulled away.
I remember one of the boats in particular. Her name was Dingo. What made her special was that she had THREE outboard engines (can’t remember their strength, but they were powerful!) and when she was brought in, her crew had usually caught something big, like a marlin! She was routinely pulled on her trailer, too, just out of the rising tide. I guess her owner did not want to chance her getting swept away!
Her tow vehicle was a 6-wheel-drive Mercedes Unimog. It was probably also military surplus before, as it was the ugliest greyish brown color imaginable, but when that boat was hooked onto the winch, it MOVED. And the truck didn’t. Not even a little.
Later, I realized that the truck would have cost its owner a small fortune, just like the boat, but when you are five or six or seven you are just fascinated by the pure power of that engine.
Fast-forward to today, forty years later, and a Tessa who is seriously contemplating her life ahead. Even second-hand and bought directly from military service, those trucks are helluva expensive. And then it’s the old ones. From the 1980s. I know. I am busy costing them. But they have so many spares. And accessories! It’s like buying a Barbie Doll, just with wheels. And companies make habitat boxes just for Unimogs, which fit absolutely perfectly.
And there is a multitude of channels on YouTube devoted to customizing and maintaining them, and even one by an Aussie couple (He’s a New Zealander, she’s French, but they are both Aussies, now!) who have pretty much given up everything else to be able to travel the world in their Unimog expedition truck. And yes, they actually drive into spots where four-wheel drive is needed! Australia is a wild country, unlike most of the ones in Europe. In fact, I think that Europe is the only continent where a four-wheel drive truck is an overkill for 90% of the roads!
The countries that I want to visit most in Europe, though, are the ones with wild places. Like Ukraine, and most of Scandinavia. And I still want to live in Portugal, and Spain is just next door!
To get to Europe, I even have to travel through Africa! Yes, I am a woman and yes, I probably can manage the journey by myself, but the mere thought will give my mom a stroke and I love her too much for me to cause her premature death. Therefore, I shall have to find a travel partner.
Who, I have no idea. Yet. I’m actually thinking of taking along a war veteran, but am vacillating between an American one and a Ukrainian one. Either of them will probably be totally messed up between the ears from their experiences, and I don’t know if I should be anyone’s rescuer, but time will provide the answer.
If it’s a Ukrainian, there would be the benefit, that I can at least be polite in his language, and finding something to talk about should not be a difficult thing. And it would make for an interesting journey, too, from Cape Town to Kyiv! Something to blog AND to vlog about, for both of us!
Plus – if all the love stories can be trusted – we’ll probably be married at the end of our voyage. Either that or one of us would be decomposing in a shallow grave somewhere along the route!
That’s a matter of prayer. Like everything else that I need to decide on in my life.
In any event, the physical cost of my goals has doubled overnight. I am going to see where I can save money without cutting any corners on safety or quality, but I reckon once I have thrown my hat over the fence for real and bit the proverbial bullet and sacrificed most of my sanity and peace of mind for this part of my goal, I shall find out that my writing does pay, and that I am not as bad a vlogger as I am currently fearing. As long as I can sustain myself properly through my writing, my videos, and the permaculture practices I plan to incorporate into my life, I would be happy. Everything else would just be a bonus!
Question: how am I going to raise the money, to begin with? Not for the truck itself – that would take a concentrated effort from a whole team of people – but for all the little things that need to be done before that part can become even a remote consideration.
Well, I have been thinking. Besides what little my writing already brings in, I plan to return to something that I actually am passionate about. I need to collect glass bottles for recycling again. Not too difficult – they are strewn just about everywhere – our country is turning into a real dump! And this time, I plan to structure my project better. No waiting until forever before I finally take the glass to the recyclers. Less glass at a time, but more often, and this time, I shall keep my earnings safe! The petty cash shall be paid for my passport and the extra driver’s license that I would need to earn. That involves at least two tests and many lessons at a local driving school. I have a license for my bug and I consider myself to be a good driver but driving something that heavy and powerful is a whole new ball game.
The other thing that I should do, is to start on a “trousseau list” of fixtures and accessories that I would like to have on my truck and buy them piecemeal. That way, when the time comes, it would not be as big a financial shock on my system. Still a big expense, I know, but much more manageable.
Yes, I know. You were waiting for this… If you haven’t pressed the two buttons at the top of the page, please press THIS LINK NOW and specify the Willewragtag Expedition Vehicle fund as your beneficiary. I am not specifying an amount, nor will I be checking up on anyone, so give as your conscience dictates. We’re all tired of donating and gifting, but I have learned that if I don’t ask, I won’t get!