Our first Breakdown

After the Border control it was windows up time and we soon turned left following the river with Botswana on the other side. Then a sign came into view that said “Potholes” and the tarmac turned to gravel and huge potholes appeared. Out of all the roads we have driven this was one of the worst and after an hour there was a noise and in inspection we had sliced through one of our brand new tyres at the back.
We unhooked the caravan and pulled the car forward. We had all the tools and knew where everything was to change the spare but as I slid underneath the car I realised it was locked on with some kind of cylindrical padlock and we didn’t have the key.
My first thought was I could cut it off with the hacksaw which we do have but Ellie noticed we were next to a game lodge and the second phone number worked and she got through.
5 minutes later a game ranger turned up with a diesel mechanic. You’ve got to love South Africa. Within minutes they got out an angle grinder and cut the padlock. Then they got out a bottle jack and helped us change the wheel. Within 10 minutes the spare wheel was on and it had only cost us 40 minutes. They didn’t want any cash but they did take a payment of beer.Read more