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Got questions? We got answers! |
A new page, dedicated to the Frequently Asked Questions, has been added to this website.
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AdventurAfrica Photo Workshops |
A new page, dedicated to our Photography Workshops, has been added to this website.
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Still retrofitting the truck! |
Weeks are passing by quickly and the retrofitting of our truck continues relentlessly. It's almost Christmas and our departure is set for mid March, to give us enough time to reach Tanzania and be ready for the first expeditions in June.
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Retrofitting the truck |
It has been two weeks now since we started working on the truck. It is now totally stripped down and ready for retrofitting.
We are in the process of acquiring the materials needed for the rebuild and although progress has been somewhat slower than desired, we feel we are doing everything we can to stay aligned with our schedule. Our days have been very physical with a lot of dismantling, drilling, grinding, cutting etc., and have left us with a certain sense of accomplishment and productivity. They have also been filled with opportunities for great problem solving, which has made for a fulfilling experience thus far.
In detail, we are currently rebuilding the floor for the cargo area and renovating the cockpit space. We have decided to reconstruct the floor of the cargo area from scratch using heavy-duty zinc-coated iron plates. As for the cockpit, the rear wall is being lined with auto grade carpeting to help minimize outside noise, and make for a quieter ride during trips between safari locales. The old military-style (read -uncomfortable-) seats, with no head rests, have been removed and are being replaced with more road-trip worthy seats.
Weather-wise, we've been fortunate with the unusually dry, warm and pleasant fall weather we've been experiencing since our arrival in northern Italy... sure makes working outside much easier! It finally rained for the first time a few days ago, and a little restlessness was experienced by all, after having been spoiled by the atypical nice weather, but we survived without any incidents, other than getting a little silly...
Zen-Koko keeps reminding all of us that when you pursue your heart's desire, the universe will provide to help you achieve it. A perfect example is our neighbor, a retired mechanic by the name of Silvano. We've nicknamed him "The Professor", as a term of respect, but also because he only helps us when we ask, a quality in tune with our believe that experiential learning is the most authentic method of learning. He seems to enjoy the time with us anyway, as we do with him. There have also been others who have serendipitously shown up at opportune times, bringing wine, advice, or both and we, of course, welcome these experiences and are grateful for the blessings.
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1:500 000 Russian Maps for OziExplorer |
If you are organizing a 4x4 raid or a serious overland expedition to Africa, one of the first problems you are likely to come across is finding good maps for the area you are going to. Even worse, if you want electronic raster maps that can be uploaded to a GPS unit or tracking software to get your satellite fix on a moving map.
Some of the best maps available are the 1:500 000 Soviet military maps of the entire African continent. These maps are hard to find and we spent significant time finding them. To help others who might be on the lookout for the same maps we decided to make them available, as a courtesy, for free.
The maps can be downloaded in two separate ZIP archives and are divided broadly between Africa North and South.
Maps are re-projected using the WGS84 Map Datum and are OziExplorer ready. Beware of the file size!
If you have any question, don't hesitate to contact us at info@adventurafrica.com. Enjoy.
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Download: Africa North maps set - 1.75 GB |
Download: Africa South maps set - 0.85 GB |
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Our truck is here! |
Today we celebrate the long awaited arrival of our safari truck!
After carefully picking it among several similar vehicles, at a local army vehicles dealer, we had it repainted and mechanically overhauled to impeccable conditions. Today it was finally delivered to us.
A complete rebuild and retrofit of the cargo area, the cockpit and the cabin, will begin on September to prepare the truck for the overland expeditions and photo safaris that await us.
In the meanwhile you can pick at our "newborn" through the pictures below:
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What NOT to forget? A headlamp! |
Headlamps are one of the most important items you'll want to bring on your trip. The hands-free operation they provide, is invaluable is many circumstances. Try pitching a tent in the darkness, while holding a handheld spotlight. Try setting up your camera with one hand during a night game drive. Or try shaving, again with one hand, at night, in a campground without electricity.
Take our word. Do yourself a favor. Don't leave without one in your gear bag!
If you don't already own a suitable headlamp, please note this item doesn't need to be fancy, or expensive. There are different models on the market, ranging in price from just a few dollars to more than one hundred. They basically all do the same thing, and there is little technical reason to prefer one over the other for your safari trip. One exception is the light source. You will find models that employ LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), halogen bulbs and regular bulbs. LED lights produce a diffused, bright, white light, which is ideal for most non-specific uses. Halogen (or xenon) bulbs produce a remarkably bright and focused beam, which is useful for extended range viewing, at the expenses of battery life. Regular bulbs are a bit outdated and produce a yellowish light, which gets worse as the batteries become exhausted. We suggest a LED model, due to the bright, white, light produced, and the long battery life.
The best deal, we feel comfortable recommending, is the Energizer 3 LED Headlight.
In our experience, it works very well and its price is hard to beat.
You can buy it online for $9.97 here.
Fiat Lux - Let light be made!
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MAC problems, or dumb webmaster? |
If you are browsing our website using a MAC computer, and Mozilla Firefox 3.5.x, you are not seeing it the way we designed it! For reasons beyond our understanding, after updating to Firefox 3.5, the way our website is displayed on MAC computers changed, apparently due to changes in the way Firefox interprets background and image files colors, resulting in the loss of blends and seamless overlap between certain images and the background.
See an example of the problem below:
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Wrong Visualization |
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Correct Visualization |
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This problem seems to be limited to MAC computers using Mozilla Firefox 3.5 and later. We are aware of the issue and we are trying to figure out if there something we can do, on our end, to resolve it.
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Let the journey begin |
We are finally on the market to buy our Safari Truck!
We have chosen the FIAT IVECO ACM90, a former Italian military vehicle that is perfect for being retrofitted to meet the demanding conditions of African Safaris!
The ACM90 is a rugged 4x4 truck developed during the mid-1970s, for both military and commercial use. It is a 4-ton model used as a general utility and load carrier. It features an all-steel NATO standard construction, and can be converted to carry up to 18 people. An impressive 4 tons load can be carried in the cargo area.
Once stripped down and retrofitted, it will comfortably seat up to 12 passengers, with large windows to enjoy the panorama and to shoot giraffes at eye level!
Our truck will be equipped with:
- full scale camp kitchen
- refrigerator
- cargo space
- tents and camping gear
- 12V DC, 110V and 220V AC plugs for recharging batteries
- additional current generator for using laptops in the field
- VHF radios
- GPS
- Iridium satellite phone
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