About three weeks after getting to Natal we were finally ready to leave South Africa and get stuck in to our adventure. Although now behind schedule, the delay had given us the opportunity to get used to the Beast and to grow more accustomed to the concept of African Time – something we knew would soon become a way of life for us (singing "Always look on the bright side of life, de dum, de dum, de dum, de dum").

And so it was, with one 4x4 course and two practice runs under our belts and what felt like months and months of packing and repacking, we were, at long last, on our way. We started by heading up to Northern Natal, towards the Kosi Bay area, where we spent a few days testing the vehicle and seeing what it was like driving 4 tons of machine over soft, sandy tracks before crossing the border and doing it for real in Mozambique.

Watch this space for Sandton Meets Africa – coming soon.