Seven thousand kilometers, seven Southern African countries, seven check point parties, 17 days… and more school shoes than one can count! Welcome to the highlights of the Put Foot Rally 2011 – as told by adventure filmmaker, photographer and Put Foot 2011 contestant Andrew King.

What is the Put Foot Rally?
The Put Foot Rally was designed by ex British army soldier Daryn Hillhouse to encourage people to hit the road and explore our African continent, to party at several check points and to do good along the way.

The rally has no rules, no set route and no vehicle requirements. In fact, teams were applauded for their boldness in vehicle choice during this year’s event, especially the Ranting Antelopes – five grown men squeezed into a Citi Golf! They also had to make space for all the school shoes, which each team was issued with at the start, because the official charity of the Put Foot Rally is the Bobs for Good Foundation. According to their website (bobsforgoodfoundation.org), Bobs For Good aim to “give hope, pride and dignity through the gift of locally made leather school shoes”.

On 19 June – with 100 people, 30 teams and 300 school shoes packed – the Put Foot adventure began. From Cape Town the teams trekked to the Etosha Pan in Namibia, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Victoria Falls in Zambia, Lake Malawi in Malawi, Inhambane in Mozambique and Mlilwane Reserve in Swaziland.


Rev Those Engines – Cape Town

At the start, Cameron Ewart-Smith, Getaway magazine’s editor, gave a rousing speech to kick off the rally.

“You have an awesome journey ahead of you and are enriching your own lives with travel. You have got to do it; you have got to pass on the message because it is so easy not to go. The excuse is always not to travel. ‘Oh, I’m too busy. Oh, the annual report is due. I’ve got an ad sales meeting, the director of blah blah blah wants a blah blah blah!’ Let me tell you that the ‘blah blah’ is sh*t, man! You guys are seizing a great opportunity. This is an epic thing to do!”

And with that, and our Garmin nüvi set for the Fish River Canyon, we departed.

Namibia Rocks

We headed up the west coast of South Africa and were captivated by the majestic Fish River Canyon. We were entranced by the long flat roads and charmed by the beautiful rock formations of Namaqualand. As we crossed the Vioolsdrift border post into Namibia, we were greeted by endless mountains of sand.

There was a check point party at the Etosha Safari Camp, and it certainly set the precedent for the entire trip! There were many a blurry eye on the following morning’s drive through Etosha, but the black rhino that walked across the road a mere two metres from our vehicle was a decent wake-up call. We also managed to capture 12 naked men staring out into the pure white horizon of a salt pan!

Botswana – Hug a Baobab

The thorny bush savannah of the Caprivi Strip soon gave way to the giant baobab trees of Botswana, and by the time we reached the Chobe River we were ready for a local beer.

When the rest of the teams arrived, there was a frenzy of story swapping, and I took a mental snapshot of the excited members chatting against a sky that melted into a million shades of red and orange.

That night we lay in our tents and listened to the sound of hippos snoring a short distance away. Through the beer-induced haze we made a commitment to ourselves to travel our great continent more.

Just three (short) hours after closing our eyes, we were up and on a small “tinny” for a game-viewing cruise up the majestic Chobe. As a filmmaker, every so often you capture a video clip that makes you gently nod your head with satisfaction. We nodded a lot that morning.

Our agenda was tight, so it was straight onto the pont across the Zambezi at the point where Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia meet and on to Livingstone.

Forget the Toilet Seat – Zambia

You hear a lot of bad stories about border crossings throughout Africa, but it wasn’t until we stepped onto Zambian soil that these stories became a reality.
Think long queues and general chaos. But like everything in life, it’s what you make of it that counts. If you’re going to get cranky when Africa doesn’t turn out to be the five-star hotel you were hoping for, then you may as well stay at home and watch Isidingo. Alternatively, if you embrace the fact that you may not have a hot shower (or a toilet seat) for a while, you’ll be open to the joys of the experience.

By the time we eventually made it to the bush camp in Livingstone (our third check point), we were ready to eat. We highly recommend the crocodile burger and a Mosi beer, by the way.

Since the check point party wasn’t until the next night, we took the opportunity to explore this “adventure capital of the known universe”. Most of the teams had actually pushed to get to Livingstone a day early to give micro lighting, bungee jumping, white water rafting and helicopter flips over the Vic Falls a go.

Here too, teams rendezvoused for a shoe drop. Locals hooted and waved as the 30-car convoy snaked its way through the streets of Livingstone to the Mukamusaba Basic School to distribute 300 pairs of school shoes. Local police officers even cheered when the Pirates of Kariba Dam team drove by with their guy sitting on the roof pretending to row his way to the school.

Once there, laughter soon turned to tears when the principle announced that, “These are not just shoes, they are hope.” And when a nine year-old girl thanked us for her new shoes and asked us to be her best friend, our hearts were lost to Zambia and her people.

Malawi –Hit the Road, No Excuses

From Livingstone, we tackled the 1 400 kilometre trek across Zambia. After 20 hours behind the wheel, we finally pulled into the Livingstonia Hotel at 4am! We pitched our tents in the dark and fell asleep to the sound of water lapping the shores of Lake Malawi.

In the morning, we unzipped our tents to discover a perfect view of Lake Malawi, the eighth-largest lake in the world.

After a much-needed shower (cold of course) we met a family (mom, dad and three young boys) who were travelling from Cape Town to Europe in a big yellow campervan dubbed Sponge Bob Square Pants. They were five months into their two-year adventure, and they told us of the positive impact their trip had already had on their three sons, who were being home schooled. Through the places you visit and the people you meet, your perspective of the world is certainly broadened. Those are lucky boys.

After a day spent swimming in the lake and playing soccer with the local kids, we bought some goat meat from the market and cooked a potjie on a beach fire.

The next day the rest of the teams arrived at Lake Malawi for our fifth check point party. The theme: Madhatter’s Tea Party. Jared from the Silly Buggers team won the Best Dressed prize when he arrived with a metal teapot strapped to his head, out of which he refilled all our beverages by bending over and decanting the contents of his teapot.

Mozambique – Palm Tree Paradise

We made our way from Lake Malawi into Mozambique and headed south along the fourth-longest coastline in the world, until we arrived at Vilankulo Backpackers. We set up camp beneath a gigantic baobab tree and feasted on the freshly caught prawns and calamari we’d purchased from the local fishing community.

Early the next morning, we all piled onto a wooden boat and travelled two hours across turquoise waters to paradise. We walked on pure white sand islands and snorkelled the most pristine reefs before heading back to the mainland and on to Inhambane.

After sampling some of the infamous Mozambican Tipotinto rum and raspberry juice at a local shebeen, we waited for the tide to go out, so we could drive across the beach to our sixth check point at Tofu.

Never mind Hawaii, Tofu is the ultimate paradise! It’s so idyllic, in fact, that we had to keep reminding ourselves that we hadn’t fallen asleep reading a travel brochure.

Swaziland — The Finish Line

At the finish line in Swaziland, rally organiser Daryn Hillhouse announced that thanks to Old Mutual, who matched every rand raised by Bobs For Good and the participating teams, more than R300 000 was raised.

Bobs For Good have coined the term “fun-raising” and are continually setting an example when it comes to having a jol whilst helping others. The Put Foot Rally is a prime example.

It goes without saying that an experience like this is an absolute privilege, especially as a filmmaker and photographer. When the task at hand is to capture the essence of a journey that immerses you in rich cultures and breathtaking landscapes and offers you the opportunity to document the kind of quality content you dream of, it’s easy to make magic. We will no doubt be at the starting line of the 2012 Put Foot Rally.

If you want in, you’d better sign up fast. I have a feeling that spots on this tour are going to be in hot demand.