So as I write this we (Mother, Father and I)
are making our way to Singapore, jetting at a delightful speed of 920 km/h at
an altitude of 11277 m asl. But perhaps I need to take a few steps back to
clarify how and why I find myself on this plane.
My dear younger brother Nicholas is doing his
Masters in Mechanical Engineering through the University of KwaZulu-Natal this
year, working on designing an electric vehicle. Last year (2014) for his
honours project he was part of the team that built a solar car, which took part
in a race from Pretoria to Cape Town. The team did very well despite a variety
of technical difficulties, and placed third overall, and first within South
African teams. Due to this success, they managed to procure funding to take part
in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia. Yes this is relevant –
I’m getting to the point!
About 2 months ago daddy dears sends an ominous
message: Can we Skype? We need to talk. Gulp! After exchanging the usual
pleasantries between parents and a daughter living a fair distance away, dad
gets down to business. He has decided that we need to have one last family
holiday… to Australia and New Zealand!!
We will be spending 3 weeks in Australia, which
will primarily be spent helping Nic and the UKZN team in whatever capacity they
need. Mom has been tasked with catering (for 21 people!), and dad and I will
assist mom, along with whatever other jobs that need doing. The race itself
only starts on the 18th October but there are pre-race checks of the
car and welcoming ceremonies and the rest so we arrive in Darwin (where the
race starts) on the 11th. The actual race is from Darwin to
Adelaide, through the outback, literally camping on the side of the road
wherever the car stops at 5pm each evening! How awesome! The UKZN team also
have a blog, so go check that out to follow the team on the race:
ukznsolarcar.blogspot.co.za.
After a few days in Adelaide after the race, we
head on to Auckland, New Zealand, where we spend 3 weeks with family who I have
not seen in over 10 years! This will be more of a tourist holiday with lots of
sightseeing and adventures! So I thought it would be good to dust off the olde
blog to share this trip with those I’ve left behind.. Sorry you couldn’t fit
into my suitcase!
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. I gave
notice on my amazing little cottage in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, and put
my life into storage. I had a week in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, in which I did
washing and cleaning and shopping and unpacking and repacking and somehow
managed to be way below the weight limit (only 17kg – whoop!), just don’t ask
about my hand luggage! So far my first experience of international flying has
been pretty awesome! Except that the person in front of me put his chair into
reclining mode as soon as we were in the air, making working on my laptop
incredibly difficult! Sigh to you sir! But now for a nap, although there are so
many tempting movies to watch!
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| Pretty awesome supper for airplane fare! |
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| Family travelling in style. |
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| Singapore here we come! |
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