Our car and our dream are one in the same. In the early days of planning and thinking the ‘what ifs’ and possibilities of travelling through Africa, we thought of our car. She, yes it’s a she named Nessie after the place we first met in Iverness, Scotland, is a Land Cruiser with a shiny green coat and a soft glow in her lights. Specially chosen and then carefully modified, by Paul Marsh, at Footloose 4x4 she was designed for Africa with a roof rack, roof top tent, winch, water tank, and kitchen. Although tried throughout England, Scotland and Wales, her first test was across the Indian Ocean shipped from Felixtown, England to Durban, SA. This journey which would take 21 days going through rough waters and crashing against unforgiving waves. All without insurance.
We came in Durban, SA four days before Nessie was due to arrive, eager to meet the shipping agents with our crisp mustard yellow carnet de passage in hand to pick up our Bill of Lading necessary for customs. We parked our borrowed car across from 40 Marine Drive with all the optimism and enthusiasm of children. As we entered the brown bricked building and ascended in the elevator, Karel and I looked at each other with love, thinking it would only be a few days until we met up with Nessie. Climbing out of the elevator, past the stained corridor and plastic plant, we requested our agent by name, upon hearing he was out sick another man greeted us. Wearing bling, with heavily greased hair spiked slightly, the look of which reminded me of a typical Indian East ender, he informed us that the paperwork was misplaced and we should come back tomorrow when his colleague would be back. Slightly dampened but still optimistic we returned the next day only to find out that the misplaced document was not received, but could be for a price. There was a lot of discussion amongst the men regarding the difficulties and grievances of processing the paperwork. This was especially interesting as ten minutes previous a visit to the official customs office informed us of its straightforwardness. Mild annoyance set in.
We decided to then contact a clearing agent, Freddy. He had a voice you could trust, seemingly void of ‘wheeling and dealing’. We arranged to meet at his office. As we got out of the elevator we could hear the sound of a guitar, and as we entered the office we could see one of the receptionists playing. A good sign we thought. Discussing our vehicle, our baby, we gave Freddy our details and the details of the container ship along with the shipping agent. He asked for payment in cash, a slight concern of ours but at this stage we were no longer fazed. After making the payment we waited by the phone. Our concerns grew. Surely our Nessie wasn’t just a myth, an uncertain mystery. Karel found out information regarding the boat and its status in docking, unloading, and well anything he could. After calling Freddy to check on the boat, we were asked for an additional 3,000 Rand to cover additional costs. Karel, not one to blindly accept information, questioned the fees and where they came from. After a semi-heated conversation questioning the integrity of Freddy, Freddy withdrew his additional claims, to which Karel proclaimed him a ‘gentleman’ and a ‘man of his word’, words Freddy savoured.
Two days later we got the call. The call we were waiting for. The one which said your car is ready, it’s gone through customs and is ready to collect. All of sudden our previous annoyances vanished and our excitement grew. We ran to gather our things before being collected by one of Freddy’s men. As we approached the lot filled with containers travelling the world’s seas we saw her. She’s never looked so beautiful. Our hearts filled with joy, a pure joy, even better than Christmas or Birthday anticipation. Our Nessie was with us once more.
We came in Durban, SA four days before Nessie was due to arrive, eager to meet the shipping agents with our crisp mustard yellow carnet de passage in hand to pick up our Bill of Lading necessary for customs. We parked our borrowed car across from 40 Marine Drive with all the optimism and enthusiasm of children. As we entered the brown bricked building and ascended in the elevator, Karel and I looked at each other with love, thinking it would only be a few days until we met up with Nessie. Climbing out of the elevator, past the stained corridor and plastic plant, we requested our agent by name, upon hearing he was out sick another man greeted us. Wearing bling, with heavily greased hair spiked slightly, the look of which reminded me of a typical Indian East ender, he informed us that the paperwork was misplaced and we should come back tomorrow when his colleague would be back. Slightly dampened but still optimistic we returned the next day only to find out that the misplaced document was not received, but could be for a price. There was a lot of discussion amongst the men regarding the difficulties and grievances of processing the paperwork. This was especially interesting as ten minutes previous a visit to the official customs office informed us of its straightforwardness. Mild annoyance set in.
We decided to then contact a clearing agent, Freddy. He had a voice you could trust, seemingly void of ‘wheeling and dealing’. We arranged to meet at his office. As we got out of the elevator we could hear the sound of a guitar, and as we entered the office we could see one of the receptionists playing. A good sign we thought. Discussing our vehicle, our baby, we gave Freddy our details and the details of the container ship along with the shipping agent. He asked for payment in cash, a slight concern of ours but at this stage we were no longer fazed. After making the payment we waited by the phone. Our concerns grew. Surely our Nessie wasn’t just a myth, an uncertain mystery. Karel found out information regarding the boat and its status in docking, unloading, and well anything he could. After calling Freddy to check on the boat, we were asked for an additional 3,000 Rand to cover additional costs. Karel, not one to blindly accept information, questioned the fees and where they came from. After a semi-heated conversation questioning the integrity of Freddy, Freddy withdrew his additional claims, to which Karel proclaimed him a ‘gentleman’ and a ‘man of his word’, words Freddy savoured.
Two days later we got the call. The call we were waiting for. The one which said your car is ready, it’s gone through customs and is ready to collect. All of sudden our previous annoyances vanished and our excitement grew. We ran to gather our things before being collected by one of Freddy’s men. As we approached the lot filled with containers travelling the world’s seas we saw her. She’s never looked so beautiful. Our hearts filled with joy, a pure joy, even better than Christmas or Birthday anticipation. Our Nessie was with us once more.
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