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| From left: Chloé Boshoff, a photographer from Pietermaritzburg, and Donatella D’Aloisio, a restaurateur from Durban and Dania Petrik, a student from Cape Town. |
Two women
from KwaZulu-Natal were among the 10 contestants who competed in the 22-day
safari.
Chloé
Boshoff, a photographer from Pietermaritzburg, and Donatella D’Aloisio, a
restaurateur from Durban, had to impress the judges on the Odyssey for a chance
to win a fully accessorised Odyssey Ranger 3,2 XLT 4x4. Alex Cruickshanks (28), from Randpark Ridge, beat out nine other hopefuls to the ultimate prize: a fully accessorised Odyssey-edition Ranger Double Cab 3.2 XLT M/T 4x4
Their
odyssey was a 7 860 km safari from Kenya, through Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique,
South Africa and Mozambique to promote and perhaps win a Ford Ranger.
Boshoff said
she entered because life is a daring adventure. However, after being on the road
for two weeks, one of her posts showed the Odyssey was not all fun and
laughter.
“It is
tough, emotionally, much like off-roading is physically. Enter the
ever-increasing back pain which resulted in a Voltaren shot in the game park. We
hit some great dirt routes early this morning on the historic Livingstone
Hunters Road and some more technical tracks, Kubu Island bound, in the
Makgadikgadi Pans. After an unexpected beating and a dark late night of lads
tinkering with endless [numbers] of tools, we have some proudly serviced
vehicles.
“As great as
this trip … the more I can’t help but remember that the Odyssey is a
competition.
“Ten people
with different backgrounds, many different values and even more conflicting
morals. How you decide to ‘play the game’ will determine your outcome. How far
do you think being honest, honourable and true to yourself [will get you] in any
competition?”
D’Aloisio
wrote the Ford Ranger Odyssey had been a life-changing experience for her. “I
went into this competition to prove to myself; that I was tough enough for
Africa, but I discovered other totally unexpected blessings. A challenging
journey of growth, self-discovery and of friendships forged for years to
come.
“Thanks to
the Odyssey, I have acquired a revived hunger for adventure [and] a loyalty and
respect for the Ford Ranger as it proved itself time and time again in the harsh
African terrain.”
One of the
unexpected blessings was the understanding of what makes a road “fun” up the
Mombo Pass.
“The pass
took us 1 230 metres above sea level, winding up the Usambara Mountains, the
narrow road framed by lush flora and waterfalls. What a fun road! I never really
understood it when the Top Gear guys referred to a road as ‘fun’
until today!
“Dotted
alone were small villages and roadside stores bustling with people, full of
colour and character. There is something about their humble shop fronts that
ignites my imagination.”
