East Londoners Odyssey through Africa in 2011
After 2 Days in vibrant Las Vegas Team Lipstick took off to see the Great Canyon driving via the Famous Hoover Dam which supplies Las Vegas with water. Hoover Dam, originally known as Boulder Dam from 1933 to 1947, when it
Like in all big cities before Team Lipstick opted again for a Hop on Hop OFF tour to see the highlights of Las Vegas Las Vegas , officially the City of Las Vegas , is the 28th-most populated city in the United States and the
Before leaving Lone Pine, the boys explored the areas where these famous Wild West Movies (over 200 of them) were shot. Driving out of Lone Pine one can reach the area after about 4km and driving through it brings back
Getting out of San Francisco was pretty easy with the well-planned highways and the assistance of Google Maps. The trip this time went via Oakland Bridge which is special because it is a double storey bridge meaning that out of
A Sunny morning is waiting for the boys in San Francisco after waking up and so they decided to first board a boat to drive around the bay from the Fisherman’s wharf and see the Golden Gate bridge from sea
Shortly after passing through Eureka Team Lipstick leaves Oregon and enters California The trip again went along the coastline first passing through some well know town such as CooseBay with its ancient history and well know as a fisherman’s
Another big haze in the air from the burning forests in Oregon as the boys continued their trip along Highway 101 down South. Newspapers in the area were full today with reports of burning forests and evacuation measures have
Today was Rest Day for team Lipstick enjoying the beautiful motel in Pacific City with nice beaches and great pubs. Unfortunately, there is still huge fires burning up in the mountains which give the sky a bit of a
Making use again of the Hotel’s shuttle service the boys went to see the famous “Needle” The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, a landmark of the Pacific Northwest, and an icon of Seattle. It was built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World’s Fair, which drew
Within an hour of leaving the motel in Surrey Team Lipstick reached the border post of America with many cars piled up in the que despite a 5-lane approach The boys were questioned by a very serious US border
The boys made it back to Vancouver early morning through heavy traffic and the search for a parking place took almost half an hour and eventually a parking lot was found for 42 Dollars to park the car for
Team Lipstick is heading south today after a wonderfull stay in Stewart and it has become quiet clear to both Andre and Willy that this whole stretch of western Canada was only inhabited and developed for one simple reason –
The Salmon Glacier which is a 37km drive from Stewart- past Hyder – is the 5th largest glacier in Canada and a remnant of the last great age of glaciers and therefor an absolute must for the boys to explore.
Reaching Watson lake on the Canadian Highway the boys turned right into the Casslar Highway or Highway 37 leaving the Yukon province into British Columbia. The Cassiar Highway from Kitimat to Terrace, is the northwestern most highway in the
The unfortunate thing about Anchorage is that there is only one road connecting Whitehorse in Canada to it. So, team Lipstick had to do the same road back again as they drove2 Days ago down to Anchorage. Originally,
Before exploring Anchorage the boys decided to give Lipstick a good wash and cleanup.They went to a DIY washstationan and put enough Dollars into the machine to get all the vacuums, foam and rinse equipment going and Lipstick looked rather
First stop this morning at a petrol station and making sure that Lipstick’s tank and canisters Are filled to capacity – the boys can just imagine what could happen if they would run out of petrol with the next station
Again, an early start in the morning but now one of the front batteries of the car is giving a problem and as there is some small smoke coming out of it was decided to disconnect this one and
The boys decided to hit it big today and drive as close to White Horse in the North as possible and escape the endless farmlands which really became quiet boring with their repetitive appearance. The aim was to hit
Another long drive through the wheatfields with not much to be seen other than a few little villages which seem to cater for all needs of the farmers from agricultural equipment to general stores and warehouses supplying their daily needs
After a great evening with Theresa and Chris the boys continued their journey towards Saskatoon in a north westerly direction. Saskatoon is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Straddling a bend in the South Saskatchewan River and
Team Lipstick realised that the battery feeding Lipstick’s on-board fridge must have passed its expiry date because despite charging it all night it remained flat. So, the first task of the morning was to find a battery shop and
Early wake up today for a long trip along the lakes and through the forests of this part of Canada. The largest of the Great Lakes of North America group is Lake Superior along which the boys drove for hours.
After a nice breakfast at one of the Diners next to the Motel the boys set off on their way to Buffalo City and the Niagara Falls. The early start was worth it as they found easy parking right
Thursday was again spent with engaging the forward agents on how to speed up the importation of Lipstick and listening to their standard reply that it is not them who are delaying things but the US custom department. So, another
Patience is getting stretched to the limits for Team Lipstick as they are awaiting release of the car by US customs control. Whilst the container arrived on the 12thof August our US shipping agents are keeping the boys waiting
Andre arrived from Dubai and Willy touched down from Frankfurt late at night on 8th of August and booked into a small hotel in 36th street – not far from Times Square. Day 1 was spent to explore Times Square
Lipstick doing Americas 2017 Having completed the Silkroad from China to Europe , going North and South on the African continent it seem only logical that the Americas should become the next adventure for team Lipstick. Routing for 1st leg
Team Lipstick is heading straight to Zurich today from Waedenswil which is only a 20 minutes drive however the batteries in Lipstick were sucked dry overnight as the fridge door was left open causing the fridge to work under full
Despite lots of Syrian refugees rushing into Europe in general and Germany especially – the crossing of borders between the EEC countries were simple and easy. No passport control, no police stop for the crossings of Hungary to Austria, Austria
Early morning start and team Lipstick left Prague and went straight to Pilsen to have some breakfast Today also marks one of only a few days with some rainy weather and rather low temperatures which could however not dampen
As Lipstick was parked in another “danger zone” it needed to be moved to a ore secure side and after lotsof negotiations with the hotels staff Tem Lipstick was offered to use parking which normally is reserved for their staff
Video compilation from Andre
Toady Team Lipstick decided to do “The Triple” and be in what is often referred to as “the three pearls of the Danube River. After breakfast in Budapest this would mean lunch in Vienna and Dinner in Prague.
Driving to Budapest was ok but only half the distance to the border was on highways whereas the rest of the route saw the boys driving through the mountains of Dracula’s home ground in Transylvania.. Dracula is an 1897 Gothic
Night fall over Bucharest Having slept a night in Bucharest the first task of the Day (4the August) was to find a repair shop in order to replace Lipstick’s manifold gasket. Bucharest is the capital and largest city
Sunday lunchtime team Lipstick bid farewell to David & family as they need to board a flight back to Dubai and Andre & Willy will be on their way to Bulgaria. Team Lipstick enjoyed the time spent with Andre’s
Au revoir to this beautiful place on the Mediterranean Sea in Turkey which many compare to St Tropez in France. A last glimpse of the town could be seen as team Lipstick headed away from the coast climbing some mountains
The older part of Ankara is not very car friendly as too much traffic is trying to get through the narrow roads up and down on lots of hills – again the Sygic app on the iPhone was a bigger
Another beautiful sunny day and the boys decided to have a rest on a beachside along the black sea soon after leaving Kesap on the way to Ankara. Some liquid refreshment would give the boys wings on their way
Waking up in this small border village on the Turkish side of the Turkey and Iran border and the first task of the day was to get some local currency called the Turkish Lira and also a Turkish sim card
As the Garmins picked nothing up in detail team Lipstick downloaded Sygic a great navigation system which works on the cell phones. It was therefor no problem in getting out of Tehran and onto the highway up north towards Turkey.
Leaving their luggage at the hotels reception the boys went back by taxi to the customs area to try and get Lipstick through customs. Passing a small Café in the customs area the team was approached by a “Fixer” who
Again a nice breakfast buffet gave the boys a good start for the day and after packing their belongings into Lipstick they headed south towards Iran. The outskirts of Baku are full of oil wells with hundreds of pumps
It was a long day on the ferry crossing the Caspian Sea with not much to do for the boys other than hang around in the cabin or walk around the ferry to stretch their legs. Something similar like breakfast
After a well deserved sleep the first task of the day was to find a bank with a ATM machine in order to get some of the Kazakhstan Currency called Tinge. The 3rd Bank worked and the boys
First task in the morning was to find a bank to get some more of the Uzbekistan currency called “Soms”. However, it was Sunday and no bank was open… there are also no ATM’s in Uzbekistan as no ATM could
The team needs to head north today to Nukus which is the closest big town before the border to Kazakhstan. Whilst the original plan foresaw to travel from Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan and then to Iran this had to be abandoned
The team needs to head north today to Nurus which is the closest big town before the border to Kazakhstan. Whilst the original plan foresaw to travel from Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan and then to Iran this had to be
Bravo – no border post to be up against today as Lipstick would remain in Uzbekistan and travel to Samarkand … Heavy traffic was experienced getting out of Tashkent – the capital of Uzbekistan… Tashkent is the capital
Osh is very near the Uzbekistan border so team Lipstick thought t would be plain sailing today . Their thoughts were corrected by real life as they arrived at the border post… The first approach was made to a tiny
After breakfast the team went off to sort out new sim cards as their Chinese ones were no longer functioning in Kyrkistan. At first there was a big language problem as nobody at Beeline (the most used sell phone provider
Early wake up today and the special guide in charge of customs procedure Arrived at 8.15 at the hotels parking area with his driver to accompany team Lipstick towards the Chinese border. After about 100km the boys arrived at
Operation desert crossing today for team Lipstick as they turned south straight through the middle of the Gobi Desert. Fortunately, they encountered a fairly good tar road unlike the stretch they did through the Sahara in Mauretania 2 years
Hi all – its me again the editor of Lipsticks trave talks – Natnas – and whilst the boys are resting in Kashgar thought to give you all an overview of their experience during the travel so far.. First of
Today sees Lipstick driving along the mountains down to Kuche in a south westerly direction with not much other than rocks and sand to be seen on the road . There was very little traffic on beautiful roads winding around
Having left the oasis of Hami the team was back in desert and rock surroundings but enjoyed the straight roads enabling Lipstick to let loose an all cylinders… With outside temperatures in the mid forties it was however
Hamiis a prefecture-level city in eastern Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China. It is well known as the home of sweet Hami melons. The Xiongnu have been recorded to be the natives as early as the beginning of Han dynasty.
Lipstick today took the same route like the ancient Chinese explorers and the European traders who went off or to China. The so called Hexi corridor was the only way between two huge mountain ranges which would allow Marco
Early start today and the boys took off to see the big Buddha temple and on the way to there the team had to cross a square where various groups of Chinese pensioners had their morning dancing session. This seems
An early start today for team Lipstick as their first call today would be to reach lake Qinqai close to Zhangye. The owner of the hotel in Xining spoke very good English and presented the boys with a perfect breakfast.
Today was an uneventfull trip for team Lipstick as they just had to get a some mileage onto Lipstick in order to reach Xining which meant to drive just over 500km. Xining was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk
First off in the morning team Lipstick looked at some local engineering shops as they wanted to buy a proper set of tools for Lipstick but after looking at various hardware shops in town nothing suitable was found. So straight
Leaving the mega city of Xian meant that the team would now go through some more rural areas and to the Maijishan Grottoes close to Tianshui… The Maijishan Grottoes, are a series of 194 caves cut in the side of
The streets of Pingyuang were empty when Andre and Willy left early in the morning… Todays goal was to reach the city of Xian which many years ago was regarded as the biggest city in the world.
After leaving Datong team Lipstick headed further south towards the famous “Hanging Temples” near the town of Hunyuan. Along with the Yungang Grottoes, the Hanging Temple is one of the main tourist attractions and historical sites in the
The drive out of Beijing was easier than expected and some 40 km later the team reached the Great Wall of China. Whilst obviously having seen pictures of this monumental structure it still took the boys breath away
Another early morning start for Andre and Willy as they set foot onto the streets of Beijing and went straight down to the Tiananmen square where they first of all, visited the coffin with the mummified body of Mao
Andy fetched the boys from the guesthouse early morning and the team went straight to the area where Confucius used to hang around. For those who are not too familiar with Confucius here a few explanations about his life which
After a good rest the team set off to reach Shanghai today and it took a bit of time to get through the early morning traffic and reaching the highway leading north. On the subject of roads, it is worthwhile
What was meant to be a rest day in Shanghai turned out to be a no go. After waking up the team saw Shanghai under pouring rain and after assessing the situation the boys decided that instead of spending a
Teams Lipsticks patience is getting stretched to its limits as they were not able to get the car through customs yesterday. Andre and Willy booked out of the hotel as they were advised by Andy -the tour guide –
Yes its me again Natnas the constant travel companion of team Lipstick and I will try to give you up to the minute reports about the happenings of yet another adventure of Team Lipstick. So far the boys have been struck
On Monday (13-6-16 ) Andre and Willy met up with their Chinese tour guide ANDY and started the process to obtain a Chinese drivers licence which is essential to steer a car through the roads of China. The procedure
On 8th July both Andre and Willy started their journey from different places on the Globe. Andre would fly from Dubai ( where he spent a few days with his sons ) to Hongkong whereas Willy would fly in from
It was rather cold at wake up time in Kimberley and team Lipstick decided to have breakfast on the road and head straight towards Bloemfontein on the way to home. In Bloemfontein it was decided that due to the cold
Ready to move from Ai Ais towards the South African Border the team discovered that Lipsticks right hand back tyre is flat and all attempts to pump it up fail. The spare tyre cannot be retrieved as the hole to
Team Lipstick went straight to Diaz point which is about 22 km South of Luederitz .Way back in 1448 Diaz must have discovered the bays of Luederitz and to claim his stake he did put a cross on a rock
Team Lipstick decided to skip breakfast and have brunch on this long drive to Luederitz and a nice roadside Wimpy was found just outside Marienthal. Never on the trip before did Lipstick experience such long straight roads and Keetmanshoop was
Polished and shiny Lipstick left Swakopmund driving along the coast towards Walvis Bay along the coastal road when Lipstick passed the 200000km mark – Happy birthday Lipstick! On route team Lipstick saw Tourists riding on Camels and about halfway towards
Quick breakfast and of to Toyota in Ojiwarango hoping that they can solve Lipstick’s fuel diet and get it up to speed again. Very friendly staff immediately attended to the problem and after a test drive by the chief mechanic
Armed with the map drawn the previous night by Teo (he also gave the team the name of the man in charge of the park – Mr Boas Eric)team lipstick went off towards the Etosha national park of Namibia. Leaving
The team left Namibe early morning and climbed up the mountain passes to reach Lubango again and from there the final stretch through southern Angola took place on beautiful long tar roads some of them being straight for about 5km.
Namibe is the most southern big town on the Atlantic coast of Angola and the team decide to check this out before heading south to Namibia. This proofed to be a good decision as the drive led Lipstick though some
At 7.30 and after a good breakfast team Lipstick was eagerly awaiting the local mechanic to arrive and without fail soon thereafter he was present with tools and an assistance. Lipstick was moved to a level gravel area inside the
Well rested team Lipstick set off to proceed to the southern parts of Angola possibly reaching Lubango today and then the following day further on to Namibe on the coast. The traffic was very dense and it took Lipstick about