We have bought a Toyota Troopy - a hard core 4x4 Land Cruiser 78 mechanical tin box. It has almost no electrics, no central locking, no electric windows, no electric seating, no computer-controlled injection, just a big engine (with a newly fitted turbo), extra fuel tank, extra water tank and sterilisation system, new wheels and tyres, upgraded suspension, storage systems, roof-rack with roof tent, front and side bull-bars, winch, spare wheel-carriers, batteries, lights, air conditioning, seating for 8 (the original car is designed for up to 13 kit-bag carrying troops though having been in it I wouldn't like to be one of the 13 - it looks tight even for the 6 of us). And a new door - otherwise we wouldn't be able to get in (storage will block entry from the back doors), imported from a specialist vehicle conversion firm in South Africa.

We have also bough an off-road trailer which has a roof-tent, kitchen, spare batteries, etc. All-in-all enough for 6 of us to drive, eat, sleep and enough spares hopefully to cover any unplanned events along the way.

The children have decided to call the car Jinjeh (after John, Ingrid, Noah, Jake, Eden and Hannah) and Hannah has done a beautiful design which she and Eden coloured in which we are having made into large stickers for the sides of the car and trailer.