14 December: Been working hard on Mr J the last couple of weeks and absolutely buggered. Sense of humor was seriously tested when after many hours spent overhauling the front brake calipers they leaked as soon as we tried to bleed them. Oh well if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying.
19 December: Very chuffed with Mr Jones new “En-suite bathroom”, quick to setup and lovely hot water courtesy of the gas geyser
21 December: After the chaos and “Covid paranoia’ of Kokstad, Mount Currie Nature reserve was just so peaceful, despite the rain could have happily stayed longer if we didn’t have booked accommodation on the wild coast – the exact reason we don’t like booking anything.
22 December: Felt like a bit of an idiot this morning: on the way to Kokstad had occasionally heard a whistling/whining noise as we drove, with all the maintenance issues we have had and given that in Zambia the one mechanic had told us the water pump pulley bearing was “not great” i began to worry it was that. Ran the engine yesterday in camp and couldn’t hear anything but as we approached Kokstad this morning it was back! So we pulled over and was trying to find where it was coming from when a local Landy pulled over to see if he could help, his immediate answer was it’s the beetles in the oak trees. Lo and behold when I witched engine off, the sound remained! At least I am not the only one to find this the hard way, he had also at one stage thought he had a problem….
24 December: After the slightly negative energy/vibe we felt yesterday upon our arrival at Mdumbi, the place has a far more serene feel and really liking it here, have even managed to organise a few extra days thanks to some cancellations.
29 December: it’s been a great few days with some decent surfing and as a bonus we have managed to extend our stay despite it being full.
30 December: Since arriving and despite a number of overcast days we have managed to entirely self-sufficient on solar, today though with the prospect of a number of grey days ahead we decided to connect to electricity. Thank goodness for our 30m + extension cord.