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| La Femme - Supplement to The Herald |
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18 June 2008 - La Femme (supplement to The Herald)
Cape to Norway epic for dynamic women
Written by Timothy Twidle
A GROUP of 14 fearless women, chosen at a workshop in the Bitou district earlier this month, will set out on a 34000km Cape to Cape expedition across Africa and Europe next year to promote tourism. |
 ACTION WOMAN...Tanya Weyers free falls during a bungy jump at the Bloukrans Bridge |
The women will travel in a motorcade of five vehicles, departing from Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa, on international Women‘s Day (March 8) and arriving in North Cape in Norway, the most northerly point of Europe, eight months later.
They will visit 28 countries on the two continents and present road shows to promote sustainable tourism development in South Africa and the rest of the continent.
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La Femme joined the women during their selection workshop in Plettenberg Bay when they took part in several adrenalin-pumping outdoor activities, including quad-biking, bungy jumping, abseiling down a rock face, zip-lining across a waterfall, scaling a climbing wall and 4X4 driving on a skid pan and sand dunes.
Participant Pauline Henderson, 64, said these types of activities promoted bonding among the team of women.“Sharing the adrenalin rush of a bungy jump is a great way of pulling people together and getting to know each other,” she said. Commenting on her age, Pauline added: “My body may be 64, but my heart and head are 36.” |
Sibongile Mpakanyiswa, another participant, said the expedition would “show people in South Africa what a person can achieve, whatever their background”. “We will demonstrate that women can do anything – women can do it all,” she said.
Pauline said although men had traversed Africa overland, a group of women only had not done so before. The Cape to Cape Expedition is being organised by Enya Fehler, whose company Africa Adventure, operates out of Plettenberg Bay.
Enya said: “The whole expedition is being sponsored by several players, including businesses, commerce and the tourist industry. At the conclusion of the venture, equipment such as the roof tents, camping utilities and fridges will be sold off and the proceeds will all go towards the education and welfare of children in South Africa. |
ZIPPY CONTENDER... Plucky team member Sibongile Mpalanyiswa
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Additionally, each participant will be required to deposit R25000 into a fund to be used in case of emergencies. Should the R25000 not be used, this sum will also go towards improving the lives of children.”
Enya said the group would run a daily blog site of their activities, including video and photographic footage. “At the end of it all, we will publish a book of the journey that will also go towards raising funds,” she said.
“One of the biggest challenges of the expedition will be in obtaining all the visas required for 28 different countries and crossing borders. We are confident however that we will succeed,” said Rachel MacRae, who is handling public relations for the Cape to Cape.
The expedition will travel in teams of three, each driving a 4x4 Pajero, sponsored by Mitsubishi.
Applicants have come from Peru, Canada, Germany, the United States, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
The team that was chosen comprises: Jahna Boshof, Marion le Roux, Bridgette Johnson, Sibongile Mpakanyiswa, Monica Villalobos, Tanya Weyers, Julie Farrington, Alicia Proud, Monique Hansen, Petra Schüller, Ingrid Böhme and Tanya Tiefenthaler. Enya Fehler and Andrea Doefert will drive in the fifth vehicle as representatives of Africa Adventure. |
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