Cheeky letter to Clueless in Africa

Dear Clueless in Africa,

From your blog you seem like a nice person and I am worried for your safety, so please consider my advice as coming from someone who cares. The expat car of choice in Africa is not a RAV4, it’s a Landcruiser (you know, like the kind they have in the Outback Steakhouse commercial). There is a good reason for this: the roads in Africa are generally terrible, and the RAV4 has a very low clearance, while the Landcruiser has a very high clearance. The high clearance makes sure you don’t get stuck in places like Mikumi National Park. Surely you must have noticed that most of the other vehicles in the park had a much higher clearance than your toy RAV4 and they likely encountered no problems. I am also concerned that your readers are encouraging you to take similar types of risks in the future. This is a mistake. For your own safety, I suggest asking those “unhinged lifers” who you seem to find disconcerting for some tips about living in SSA.

Barak