But now I’m skipping ahead, as at this stage in our story we didn't even have the vehicle (although we knew from the start exactly what we needed to get).

When travelling into Africa there is only one machine guaranteed to do the job well and with a minimum degree of fuss – perfect for the complete mechanical misfits that we were – the diesel version of the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Pick-up (aka The Beast).

And so it was in the beginning of 2006 that we finally located one in Polokwane. He was owned by a devoted farmer who had only sold him as his son was now too big for the three of them to sit in the front together (as a replacement he had, of course, opted for the double cab version. It was in perfect condition and, with only 114,000 km on the clock, practically brand new.

Driving the Land Cruiser around Joburg soon reinforced our sense of adventure and the enormity of what we had decided to do – there was no turning back now. It also afforded us the added (and somewhat novel) benefit of being respected by the numerous Black taxis that pollute our streets.