Travel in Africa, particularly Southern Africa is extremely challenging and uncomfortable! Check out the kind of conditions we have had to endure over the last 3 days – how we have managed I don’t know:

How must I shower in this

and sleep in this

We have been astounded by the presence of Protea Hotels in Southern Africa. While researching our Rally Route we realised that the Protea Hotel locations coincided remarkably with our stop overs – who would have thunk. You can travel through most of Southern Africa including Namibia, Zambia and Malawi staying in Protea Hotels all the way.

We have been insanely fortunate to have been hosted by Protea Hotels over the last 3 nights. We spent 2 nights at the Protea Hotel Livingstone which we used as a base for Check Point 2 and for the Put Foot Foundation shoe drop. We are tonight in the Protea Hotel in Lusaka. Both hotels are insanely plush and offer such great relief from the long hours on the road. The staff are so friendly and helpful and are probably the highlight of our stay at Protea Hotels in Zambia.

Protea Hotel Livingstone Team

A true Zambian Oasis

This stage has very kindly been sponsored by:

Drake Fund Advisors

Not just for the sake of alliteration! Pete and Amanda’s mattress got a puncture in the night and brought to an abrupt end the string of four nights of camping in a tent. Camping has been fun and rekindled all the childhood memories but when you are on the move and constantly setting up and breaking down your home, the flame of fun is extinguished quite quickly. On the banks of the Kavango river at about 23:48 the mattress let out its last breath and Mand’s and Pete were forced to climb into Kevin and spend the remainder of the night. Needless to say Mike and I did the majority of the driving from Ndhovu River Lodge to Katima Mulilo the next day with Kev’s back seat now providing a place to rest weary heads. When we arrived  at the border town of Katima Mulilo there was no question that we would be staying in a hotel!

Check out Amanda in bed and then some other pictures from Ndhovu River Lodge:

Camping in a car

Beers, Hippos and happiness!

Sunrise

On the banks of the Kavango

Novare Investments

As you have probably noticed…we have been a little quiet on posting and updating you on our progress in the Put Foot Rally. This is due to a number of factors including limited internet connectivity and endless hours on the road but mostly due to the dangerous nature of what we are doing. We are really putting our bodies on the line in the name of charity and ask you to show your support by making some danger donations to Abraham Kriel. If we don’t make it out alive we need to at least know that it was worth it. To illustrate just how dangerous it has been check out some of the signs we have encountered.

Elephant…just in case the sign is not clear

Bat eared Fox or Wild dog…or both

Kudu (presumably this sign is referring to all antelope otherwise they don’t care for Impala much)

Cow – these are everywhere and probably warrant a sign

oh…we were obviously just kidding about it being dangerous…Namibia has been nothing but hospitable and we have never felt unsafe…and also expect a string of posts as we have just arrived at Protea Hotel Livingstone and have some rapido wifi! Oh…and this place is insane…a little Zambian Oasis!

Thank you once again to Novare for sponsoring our first stage through Namibia

Novare Investments

The guys just checked into the Protea Hotel – Fire and Ice in Cape Town! How cool and hospitable! We could not have asked for a better way to prepare for the start of the Put Foot Rally 2013! Thank you Protea Hospitality Group!

Kevin and the team outside the Protea

Going to sleep well tonight

How cool!

Never felt more welcome!

Protea Hotel Ryalls in Blantyre Malawi has just confirmed our accommodation! Protea Hotels, in general, have been amazing and we are now covered for more than a weeks worth of accommodation! This is an amazing contribution to our cause and ability to raise funds and awareness for Abraham Kriel!

Protea Hotel Ryalls

When travelling through Africa, there is an innate human mechanism that kicks in to automatically drop your expectations (accommodation wise). This lowering of expectations conditions and prepares you so that you can allow the charm of Africa to envelop your soul without pretenses getting in the way. We are elated to inform you that we will not need said conditioning as Protea Hotels Livingstone has just confirmed that they will be hosting us in style for 2 nights!

Oh and they also have a pool!

Protea Hotel Livingstone

Protea Hotels Livingstone

We have just got confirmation that Protea Hotels Lusaka will be putting us up for a night while we are there! How awesome is that!

Protea Hotel Lusaka, located within the Arcades Shopping and Entertainment Complex on the Great East Road opposite to the Mulungushi Conference Center.

All 100 rooms within the hotel, have television with DSTV, telephones, electronic locks and safes, hair dryers, wireless internet service as well as tea and coffee making facilities.

Did you hear that! WiFi and Coffee making facilities – could you need anything else?! I submit that you could not! Well maybe a swimming pool…oh wait they have one of those too! Woohooooo!

Protea Hotel Lusaka pool

Protea Hotels Lusaka

We were completely unaware and astounded by the presence of the Protea Hospitality Group in Southern Africa and while researching our Rally Route realised that the Protea Hotel locations coincided remarkably  with our stop overs (Cape Town, Windhoek, Ondangwa, Katima Mulilo, Livingstone, Lusaka, Chipata, Blantyre, Kruger National Park/Nelspruit).

We got in touch and are ecstatic to announce that Protea Hotels are going out of their way to accommodate us, literally,  during our Put Foot Rally 2013! We would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Protea Hospitality Group on board the Team AK Drive…a drive to create awareness and funds for Abraham Kriel! Woohoooo!

Protea Hotels