No Turning Back
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AnonymousInactiveDefender 90: My Introduction To 4×4 Life
It all started in the dentist’s waiting room when I stumbled upon a SA4x4 magazine. Not my first choice, as we were driving a sedan at the time, but anything was better than listening to the lady next to me chomping away on her chewing gum.
The next thing I knew I was through a couple of stories and a 30-minute wait that felt like five minutes. I was swiftly brought back to reality when the assistant called my name and was silently hoping it was not time yet. I only wanted to finish one more article. That evening all I could talk about with my husband Paul was the experiences of others and relaying their great 4 x4 adventures, and how “one day”, I want us to travel Africa and see these read-about places.
Our “one day” became reality much sooner. The realisation that there is more to life than our city car and our yearly holiday suddenly looked down on me like Goliath did David. As luck would have it, a kitted Land Rover 90 crossed our path and our endless Sunday afternoon sundowner discussions of how we would love to travel to secluded destinations IF ONLY resulted in a couple of phone calls. And the following week this beautiful, fully-equipped Landy was in our driveway. This time our Sunday sundowner was a toast to the addition to our family. (The reasoning of course being that our sedan takes us to and from work, but the 4×4 does the same and SO much more.)
No turning back
We did question our decision after weathering negative opinions on our recent addition and surviving an epic Easter weekend storm on our first camping trip, but soon realised that despite all this is about memories made, and definitely what we want to do – travelling to all these secluded places with no cell reception, with the only thing standing between us and untouched nature the zip of our canvas tent.
It is now one year, a subscription to SA4x4 magazine, and tons of memories later, and we’ve seen so many hidden places, done several mountain passes, 4×4 trips and added some crazy wildlife encounters to our list. All of this right on our doorstep – definitely more than what our sedan and yearly two-week holiday would have provided. The added bonus is that camping not only adds to the experience of being in touch with nature but comes at the fraction of the price.
There are so many places and 4×4 routes that have been added to our list, thanks to your magazine and people we’ve met along the way sharing their stories. The list is only getting longer with each issue.
Today we would’ve been planning our getaway to the same destination for the 10th consecutive year; instead we are planning a “gravel travel” adventure ranging from a trip to Die Hel, Bosch Luys Kloof 4×4 routes, 14 different passes, and a couple of other destinations in our trusty Landy.
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