Why are we traveling Africa in an old Land Rover?
A very dear friend died in late 2014 , leaving his precious wife behind and their retirement plans in ashes. Suddenly, we (Russ and Margrit) were shocked into living life differently.
Jumping ship, we retired early buying an old Land Rover to travel Africa full time. Wow, did this ever intensify our happy life together by facing the challenges of a completely new journey and trying to make a difference for people and wildlife.
Our hope is to leave a few bread crumbs for you to “Get unstuck and on with your next adventure.” To get you started, this is one of our first posts from back in 2015.
Living the Dream & Making a Difference
Who would have thought this possible?
Our ‘luxury’ accommodations and transportation consist of a 14 year old Land Rover totally kitted for African travel and living. Everything needed to get deep into the bush and enjoy the ride.
The cool thing is Margrit and I have searched long and hard for a business or something we could enjoy full-time together, be joined at the hip and yoked in a good cause.
Well, retiring to develop Nikela our wildlife nonprofit in Africa, is it. Here we go!
We’ll spent at least 6 months traveling Africa, meeting with conservationists, and chilling in the African beauty. Then it’s 4 to 6 months in the States touring in our rig, visiting the Kids and staying close to our contacts and projects in Africa…
Hopefully, to be continued until the wheels fall off.
Can it get better than this?
Margrit really really deserves this. She has fallen in love with her native country again and is doing such a grand job for African wildlife, especially for those struggling to protect it. In the circle of conservationists she enjoys connecting with people, helping with funding, getting the word out, and cheering their efforts.
Last time, we were here for 3 months and the smile never left her face. Recently, we forced our ducks in a row to live full time on the road in an old Land Rover, find and help wildlife heroes, and of course experience the beauty and vulnerability of Africa.
It is a bit unnerving to jump off this cliff into a full time African experience. But worth every risk to see Margrit soooo excited, happy and involved.
I am a pretty lucky guy to be living the dream with such a giving, caring woman.
SO, ENJOY THE DAY AND DO GOOD
That was back in January 2015. Pretty crazy, right? Boy, were we ever naive to the differences, the challenges, the learning curves, the cultures, how to make a difference, and being with each other 24-7.
Happily, facing all this together made us foxhole buddies bringing us closer than ever before. Also, having put our toes in the water we were ready to face the crocodiles. From a distance at first.
Russ Harris loves all things technical and making the world a better place, especially for Margrit.
