It's been a mad few days. We've driven all the way from Cape Town to the Fish River Canyon making 3 stops and a border crossing in 4 days. First stop was the cederberg, a place I adore it's mind blowingly beautiful, the climbing and hiking is just brilliant, and add that to the fact that it feels so remote yet only a couple hours drive from Cape Town and that makes it one of my favorite places. 

The three of us had an absolutely rocking time, we left Cape Town quite late and hit the dirt road turning into the cederberg at about midnight, from there we drove for about an hour until we had all had enough and pulled up for the night. It seems to be a bit of a theme so far on the trip that we've had spectacular campsites. That first one really set the standard. It was underneath the tafleberg mountain and just perfect, plenty of soft sand to make sleeping comfortable and two massive boulders at one end with a tree between them. It was so good we used it for the first and second night. 

We got up at about 7.30 on day two packed up and heading up the wolf berg cracks up to the Arch. If your into climbing this route is about as good as it gets. The rock faces are huge and dramatic and the climbing difficulty varies a massive amount. There's also caves with Khoi San rock art that's thousands of years old, plenty of buck and other wildlife and spectacular views. That day was a bit of a hard shunt, about 6 hours of hiking, 3 hours of climbing including some really scary free solos. We also put in a abseil off the top of the arch and then turned it into a massive rope swing. That rope swing was epic, equal parts exhiliration and pure craziness, it was terrifying. The walk down was hard work, we came down partly in the dark and were all totally exhausted by the time we made it back to camp. 

The next morning I woke up with an intense craving for a cup of tea, this is an englishmans affliction. Nothing will stop us, not even a half an hour walk througha bog in the freezing cols predawn. This walk had to be undertaken in order to get fresh water from the river. After a quick breakfast 3 unwashed smelly and dirty boys hot the road for the .ong drive to the Namibian border. Driving the length of SA N7 highway is a real treat its pretty much mountainous desert the entire way, beautiful. 
We hit the border at about 8pm and as an international crossing its an absolutet joke and one we had a few laughs at. The SA side was pretty good, very formal and as you'd expect but the Namibian side was where the fun began. The border post is actually a construction site and its chaotic, you've got no real idea where to go and no signs telling you, we almost drove right around customs and through the post altogether, we actually stopped and turned around and drove back to customs after we'd realized we'd totally bypassed it and were through. I love border posts there always a little tense and exciting at the same time. I always put on my best smile and try to be as charming as I can, because who needs hassle. The Namibians were nice enough but a little ridiculous, most of our paperwork wasn't checked, all they seemed to be interested in was where Matt was from, how my camera could be so small and what I did for a living. As we were finishing up a customs official appeared and asked us "so where's the bottle of wine" implying that he was going to make it difficult for us if we didn't anti up. Unfortunately for our fat official friend we didn't have any wine so he had to settle for a couple bottles of beer. Yes I'm serious that really happened. 
Anyway once all that was over with we headed up to the fish river and the Ai Ais national park. The next 24 hours were some of the most brilliant I've ever had. We didnt know exactly where we were going so just kind of headed up the highway, out of nowhere the tar road ended and we crashed off it onto a crappy dirt road. In a bid to find get directions we pulled into a little shanty town and while no one could really help us out with directions we did find a little shabeen and had a quick beer! 
A sign that read 'Road Closed' seemed like perfectly good reason to us to drive down that road and what a brilliant move that was. It took us right along the side of the fish river in the lower stretches of the canyon. We pulled off the road at about 1am and made camp. When we woke up in the morning we found ourselves in a location beyond description. I'll let the photos tell that story. By this time it had been a few days since we'd all had a shower so we made good use of the river, I await the broke back mountain jokes. 

This morning could have gone better. Ive had this nagging thought in the back of my mind for a few days now "Check Your Tent" a thought that just wouldnt go away, but in the rush to get everything else done i just kept ignoring this thought. It's now come back to bite me!
I know this might seem like an obvious one but generally I keep my gear in top notch condition and always check it as I pack it away. This means that I can rest assured in the knowledge that its ready to go the next time I need it.
There is an exception though, I wasn't the last person to use my tent, I didn't pack it away and I had forgotten about this! A little while ago I lent it to my buddy, I'm always happy to lend gear because i believe that my friends are good enough to take care of my gear in the same way that I would and if they don't Ill just never lend it again. Turns out this was a mistake, my buddy is an inexperienced camper and didnt know how to assemble the tent properly so what did he do?? He cut the elastic cord that holds the poles together and mixed and matched until he came up with enough poles of the right length to hold the thing together. This as you can imagine has upset me somewhat! Anyway, I'm not going to harp on about it, ill just have to run down to Cape Union Mart and get a new set, it's annoying because I dont want to spend the money but thats life. Glad I checked the tent this morning and didnt discover the problem out in the bush where we wouldnt be able to fix it so easily.

To those people I want to say the following. 'I know how you feel and its not true'. Ive been where you are, Ive been at points in my life desperate for adventure, dreaming of incredible journeys and far off places and never really believing id get the chance to do it. Thoughts like this can send me into a deep and dark depression. A few years ago I would have found it hard to believe that Id be doing what I am now. A few years ago i had a job that I hated, lived in a city I couldnt really stand and had about as much self esteem as a decaying walrus corpse. The only thing that kept me going at times like that was reading the stories of other people. Guys like Ranulph Finnes, Bear Grylls, Edmund Hilary, etc, etc etc. Reading those stories gave me hope that one day I might get to emulate them.
I not making the claim that the Random Acts of Kindness tour is on the scale of what those guys have done but it is in the same spirit and it still feels incredibly special to me and the other guys going.
Just this morning I've been reading about the most recent adventure of Richard Parks the former Wales international rugby player who was forced to retire because of Injury. He suffered incredible depression after being forced to retire and had little hope for his future. This changed when he became inspired by reading the stories of others and by hearing the above quote at his Grandfathers funeral. I like this story. Because as I was reading about what he's achieved my stomach turned, I literally felt sick with envy and I started to have thoughts that I wish I could do that. I started to think that he is so lucky and that I'll never be able to do that stuff. I quickly caught myself because thinking like that is quite simply bullshit. Some how and I dont really fully understand how, I have managed to do things beyond my wildest dreams and I keep getting those opportunities. It's all about the way you think because anything can happen while you believe its possible. The moment you believe that something is impossible is the moment it becomes impossible.

This trip started off as nothing more than a half hearted conversation between myself and an American student I'd just met. We were having a braai and a beer or ten at the Afrique du Sud backpackers, He wanted to book a trip with an over-landing company and asked if I had any recommendations .  I told him not to waste his time and money and that if he had some guts he could do it on his own. He liked the idea and asked me if I wanted to come. I jokingly said that I'd bet him I could put something together for the same cost as his over-landing trip. I never really expected him to take me up but was very enthusiastic about the idea. Turns out he was serious and it turns out that my other buddy was gonna be off work for a while and had just acquired a very cool old van.  It didnt take much for us to connect the dots and here we are a few hour from leaving. As you guessed that American student is Matt and we've become good mates over the last few months. You could say that we got Lucky with Ezan being off and having the van but to dismiss it like that would be wrong because we would have found away. We were even considering using the local trains, mini bus taxis and just about any other means of travel we could find. If any of you know anything about South African public transport you'll know that the idea of using it to cross a third of the continent was pretty adventurous. The mini bus taxis in particular get a bad rap but I dont think they are half as bad as people make out.

I'm gonna stop there before I go on to much. My point is this, believe in your dreams, they can come true. I'm living mine!!!
Here's a link to the Richard Parks Story

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/extreme-sports-richard-parks-finds-a-whole-new-world-at-ends-of-the-earth-8612537.html
I've included a couple of pics from previous trips I've done. They prove that anything is possible, I even once guided a mountain bike tour with a broken arm in a cast! Pic to prove it!! HAHAHAHA

Cheers everyone, next post of our climbing in the Cederberg!

Today is our last day before we hit the road and it's been been a bit manic. I got very little sleep last night because we decided to have a little farewell party for Matt. He wont be coming back to Cape Town with us after the trip, he's heading back to Chicago so Ezan and I will be saying goodbye to him in Johannesburg. Its been soc cool hanging out with Matt over the last few months and im really gonna miss him when he heads out but for now we have this incredible road trip ahead of us and thats all we're really thinking about! 

Every time Matt and I have been out together we've not made it home before 5am and last night was no exception! That would have been fine except that we both had to be up early today. Me because i needed to meet Ezan so that we could do the final bit of preparation and Matt to open up the office at Afrique du Sud Backpackers, where we both live and work.

Ezan picked me up just before 9 and we headed off to Milnerton market with 2 items high on the agenda, firstly we needed a big metal box that we could put locks on and bolt to the floor of the van to keep safe all of our valuables. Secondly we had to somehow come up with a roof rack! At 10am this morning while hungover and having just walked the whole of milnerton market without finding a anything, the roof rack idea didnt seem realistic. The metal box on the other hand was easy. We spotted an old ammunition box for sale and it was perfect, made from really strong steel and exactly the right size. It even looks cool so we snatched that up!  Both Ezan and i were well chuffed at the ammo box but feeling pretty bleak about the roof rack.
That all changed when I got a phone call from my old buddy Jake. Jake is an incredibly talented engineer and designer, he'd remembered that we're leaving tomorrow and that I had mentioned the roof rack to him.
If ever there was a perfect person for a job it was Jake. He had a plan, which considering he'd called me out of the blue felt like a blessing from god! So many things in the build up to this trip have felt like that so many things could have not worked out and we wouldn't be going but somehow its all coming together perfectly.
Anyway, Jake gave me a list of things we needed to get and an instruction to hurry up and get my butt to Durbanville before his supplier closed at 1pm. Ezan and I quickly got all the bits Jake needed and took off. To cut a long story short, Jake, in just a couple of hours had whipped up this epic roof rack and I really mean epic! It's massive and built in typical Jake fashion, like a bloody tank! Its beyond solid and will undoubtedly out last the van by decades! The best of all this was that the 3 of us, myself, Ezan and Jake got to hang out and build this thing! We were all pretty excited and ran around like school boys while we were building it. The roof rack is beyond anything any of us could have expected, It'll hold everything we need and more it's so solid we can even use use it for a roof tent. Jake knocked this thing together in no time and at no cost, all we paid for was the steel tubing, a case of beer and a box of smokes!!! Thats peanuts for a piece of gear that would have cost us thousands had we bought it from an outdoor specialist. Jake is really the hero of the tour so far! He's such a top bloke!!!
I've known Jake and his family for about 5 years now and I love them dearly because they are such good people, while we were finishing up, Jakes wife Kathy and their daughter Adri wrote us some good luck messages on the van. It was such a cute thing to do and looks fantastic on the van amongst all the graffiti.

All in all its been a very successful day. We got the safe box, the roof rack and to top it all off Ezan and I swung by Table View on the way back into town and caught a spectacular sunset. Cape Town is such a beautiful city and we'll miss her while we're away! That's from me today, im shattered and want to get a good nights sleep before we head off tomorrow. First stop the Cederberg for some hiking and climbing. We'll be leaving at about 5pm tomorrow night after Matt and I finish work at the backpackers. Ill try and get a quick post in before we go.

Cheers everyone! 

Every now and then you get the opportunity to do something that literally makes you jump for joy.
In exactly 1 week time I'm going to have that opportunity when myself' and 2 buddies set off on an epic road trip.

We’ll be covering nearly 6000 kilometres across 5 Countries in Southern Africa. Everything about this trip gets me excited, firstly there’s where we are going. If someone asked me to write a list of my top 10 favourite places in the world 3 of them would be along this route. Starting off from Cape Town we’ll head to the Cederberg in SA, Then the Fishriver canyon in Namibia onto a stop over at the Cardboard box in Windhoek, Ghanzi in Botswana, the Okavango Delta, Makgadikgadi and Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe Zambia border. From there we’ll head back to Cape Town via Joburg and Bloem. It’s the perfect route!!!

Secondly there are the people I’m going with, Matt Guerrieri and Ezan Vercueil.

Matt is a recent university graduate from North Western in Chicago. He’s the youngest of the group and has an attitude that I love. He’s also a very switched on dude with a wicked sense of humour. Matt and I have been climbing together a few times, he has a fierce determination and just does not quit. A few weeks ago he took the worst fall I have ever seen. Matt got pretty bashed up and the shock alone would have dropped most people but Matt toughed it out.
We were in a really awkward spot and had to walk another 45 minuets out through dense bush. He must have been in incredible pain but not once did he moan or complain. He just got on with it and I was blown away by how gutsy this dude is.
 
Ezan is a very different character, He’s tall long haired, very athletic and can climb better than anyone I know. He’s just as tough as Matt but a little more on the eccentric side. He’s the oldest of us and has done allot of travelling around the world. He’s the most laid back guy I know and reminds me of the Character ’Odd Ball’ in the Movie Kelly’s Hero’s. 
Ezy is literally the stereotype of the old Hippy. He’s supremely creative, a great photographer and has an incredible sense of fun, the two of us are cut from the same cloth, he just seems to be able to do everything better than me!!

Thirdly there is the Van, pictured above. It’s the perfect road trip vehicle! A 1972 VW Kombi, modified, battered and graffiti up! She’s the original hippy mobile and all of us have fallen in love with her. 
 
 This road trip is going to be a once in a lifetime adventure. It’s the kind of trip that everyone dreams of; it’s like something out of a movie. 

3 dudes in a 40 year old VW Kombi across some of the worlds most beautiful landscapes. Each of us feels so privileged to be apart of this trip and we’re so excited by it that we’ve decided to try and do something positive with it. Ezan came up with the idea to name the trip ‘The Random Acts of Kindness Tour. The Idea being that for everyday we’re on tour we will complete a random act of kindness. This could be anything from giving a hitchhiker a ride to picking up litter to spending some time on a volunteer project. The only requirement is that it has to be for the benefit of the local community. If anyone out there has any suggestions on how we can fulfil this obligation please get in touch, we’d love to hear your thoughts. 

That’s an outline of the tour, ill be posting more in the coming days! 

Cheers
Terry 
Check out our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RandomActsOfKindnessTour

That feeling you get when your a kid and you're running, running like hell for no particular purpose and to no particular place. Your heart's slamming up and down in your chest so loud you can hear it. You can feel a trickle of sweat running down your back and your lungs are bursting with every breath and your doing it just for the fun of it, just because it makes you feel so alive.

That's pretty much the reason why I do what I do and you either get it or you don't. Sir Edmund Hilary, the first person to ever successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest was once asked why he did it, his response "because it's there".
He got it and so does every other climber, adventurer and crackpot outdoors-man I've ever met. There is no reason to do it other than just to see what it feels like. Just like you did when you were a kid, running like hell.

I'm an adventurer, I like to do things just to see how it feels. I climb mountains, jump off of big cliffs and buildings and I crawl around in caves and do it just for the hell of it. Somehow and often I really cant believe how, I even get paid for it!

Some people tell me I'm nuts, some say I'm even selfish and irresponsible for taking the risks I do. I don't know about that. I think we all have a purpose and as long as something deep inside you says you should do something, then you should.
There is a certain amount of inherent risk in the things I do and I'm fully aware of it. I'm fully aware of the possible repercussions and I take that responsibility very seriously. That's why I always try and do things as safely as I possibly can. Risk is something that needs to be managed and it can be, so long as you are honest about what the risks are and your ability to handle them. 

In this blog I'm going to tell Adventure stories, most of them will be my own but occasionally I'll tell the stories of other people. I'm going to try and give you an idea of how it feels to do what I do, Ill try and introduce you to the incredible people I'm lucky enough to meet and to show you some of the amazing places I'm so blessed to visit. I'd like to hear your thoughts so please drop me a line if you feel like it.

Chat soon
Terry