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London – Although many 80-year-olds might consider setting up and relaxing adventures a bit, it was not an option for Julia Albu of South Africa [19659002]. In June 2017, Julia left her Cape Town home to her 20-year-old Toyota Conquest, traveled 12,000 km through Africa, to her daughter's house in London, England!
Although she decided to travel Africa all the way – rather than quickly crossing the skies – was frankly hasty, a year of preparation was invested before she went to school. finally drove away. A road is through Africa was planned, sponsors and charities joined the cause, and a blog was launched to document the trip.
Driving her trusty Toyota Conquest, nicknamed "Tracy", Julia had many adventures throughout the year. She asked what was her motivation for undertaking this epic journey, Julia said that she was listening to a talk show on the radio one day when the host was pointing out how well a well-known public figure (guess who ) had spent on cars for his wives.
"I was indignant at this expense and I thought it was ridiculous," she said. "So, on the spur of the moment, I called the station and told them that I was 80 years old and that my Toyota was 20. We have a combined age of 100 years and we are both 100% – so much so that I will drive to London to see my daughter.
"As soon as I told him, friends started calling me to see if that was true , so I had to bite the bullet and say that, well … I guess it was … even though I did not think about it. My 33 year old partner was recently dead, I was broke and I could not knit. But I thought that if I could research and team up with my favorite charity, I could do good for the world. "
This brought him into contact with Toyota's global" Start Your Impossible "initiative to transform the organization of an automobile into a mobility services company. The campaign includes stories from Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as ordinary people who demonstrate the values of humility, hard work and the fact that they never give up. And an 80-year-old woman who goes from Cape Town to London certainly does the business.
The Standard Conquest, with the exception of a slight elevated suspension to improve the ground clearance of the famous potholes of Africa, did not miss "The only What happened is that one of the front wheels wobbled almost completely after a particularly difficult stretch of road from Uganda. So it was picked up by a mechanic at a gas station and we continued. As simple as that. I found that nothing is a problem in Africa; "Said Julia
. The journey was not without difficulties, for example, when she reached the border between Kenya and Ethiopia and discovered that she did not have enough notebook sheets ( like a pbadport car) to bring Tracy to the country.
"I had exhausted more than I expected by making a detour to Uganda, so I had to turn around and drive for another ten hours in Nairobi to get a new supply. I was very laid back about the whole trip and I promised myself I would never be in a hurry to finish the trip. "
Another huge challenge was the fact that she had not had any trouble. 39; money. "But I met some very wonderful and hospitable people via my blog who suggested I get started, and they were always fascinated to hear about Tracy.
" J & # I also tried to make sure that a family member or guide joined me for parts of the trip and helped me through every country, but when it came to crossing the Sahara, I did not have anyone. I was forced to drive from the Ethiopian border to Khartoum on my own, but I had my radio screaming and singing and I did not have any problems. but the Sudanese people have always been very kind in showing me in the right direction. "
Julia says that there were many highlights of the trip, particularly involving the people she met on the way.
just once, I've saw a group of women walking along the side of the road in Ethiopia, they all had this beautiful halo of braided black hair on their head, so I stopped the car to say hello and hand out chocolate cookies and a a handful of the 2,000 pens that the literacy charity gave me. [19659003] "I took some pictures of us and one of the ladies showed her appreciation for my gifts by opening this kind of pocket around his waist to share his meal with me. I have no idea what we have eaten, but it was so kind of her to show such hospitality to a stranger. After sharing a lot of hugs and kisses, we parted as friends. There were so many experiences like that. "
So Julia is ready to settle in and learn to knit?" No chance. "This adventurous octogenarian is planning to turn around and bring Tracy back to Cape Town.
" J & # I bought lots of treats and treats to share along the way, and I've got a huge list of people – family and others "
When she's back home, she's a home from home. edition commissioned him two books on his adventure – one from his point of view and a children's book from Tracy's point of view
". But next time I would like to go take a road from the West around Africa and then time my arrival in England so that I can meet the Queen. I was desperate to meet her this time but apparently it is the bad season. Her people have said that unfortunately, during the summer, she was too busy with other royal commitments. "
Julia's blog is at www.myafricanconquest.com
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