FROM THE EDITOR
Variety, they say, is the spice of life. Well, if this is true (and we believe it is), then this – our first combined December/january edition of Roadtrip –
contains plenty of spice, bringing you experiences and trips from all wind directions and earthly outposts; from mild climes in the East to sweltering deserts in the West, ice and snow from the North to lush greenery in the South.
It was spice from the East that enriched lives of people in the West, and the recent Rugby World Cup in Japan, the first in Asia, supplied lots of “spice” – and we were there to experience it, courtesy of official WRC partner Land Rover.
The Japanese were amazing hosts for the Rugby World Cup but the nation is already gearing up for the Olympic Games next year, and if you plan to visit the Land of the Rising Sun for the biggest sports tournament in the world, our journey of discovery to Mount Fuji and nightly experience in Tokyo should whet your appetite even more,
From Denki-gai (literally translated it means Electric Town) we travel to China for an electric record of note; following the full-electric Volkswagen ID.R on its snaking route up Tianmen Mountain towards Heaven’s Gate. From there we travel south, to the Land of the Long White Cloud to experience the good (but perhaps not so spicy) life in a Suzuki Vitara.
We also tasted the good life back home with a journey of extravagance to Northwest Province in the opulent carriages of
Rovos Rail (celebrating 30 years of luxury rail travel this year) and in the latest Range Rover, the Velar Svautobiograhpy.
To add even more variety, we joined the first full electric vehicle road trip in Mzanzi, visited lodges in Kwazulu-natal and the Cederberg, covered an exotic Bugatti tour at Pezula Hotel Resort and Spa in Knysna and experienced the might of rocket power during the recent preparation runs by the Bloodhound Land Speed Record team in the sweltering heat of Hakskeen Pan in the Northern Cape.
To top it all, we visited the ghost island off Baia dos Tigres (Bay of the Tigers), the northern-most point of the Namib Desert and the notorious “Doodsakker” in southern Angola to celebrate a milestone for the Toyota Land Cruiser family, and in stark contrast, we also tell the story of the epic Arctic drive by Mazda to the frozen wastes of the Nordkapp in Norway.
Enough variety? We surely hope so. So, spice up your Christmas holiday by experiencing these amazing journeys with us.
And stay safe on the roads…