nico,

REALLY - a cat's litter would solve all my worries as there are no dixie trailer loos available!

Kipper:

The answer to your problem might be to purchase Restop1 (see http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___HygieneTW569?Args=.

After they found the cobra in my bathroom, I decided not to use the bathroom at night when the power was off. I tried Restop1 and it works fantastically. You just unzip the plastic bag containing a powdery material and pee away. The powder turns into a gel. Just zip the bag up and dispose of it in any trash can available. Restop1 is for liquid waste. Restop2 for solid.

These are also great for a family with kids on a long driving trip where you don't want to stop every hour or so for the kids to relieve themselves.

I forgot to mention, I'm still anxiously awaiting your trip report!

Hope you'll have it soon so we can all enjoy your trip!

Sorry - but I must admit to read this on Monday morning from my office makes my week - Jan not going to the bathroom anymore from her lovely snakes!!! I understand but it does make me smile - and to actually think you solved the problem wiuth those bags that I did not even know existed.... great morning read!

Glad I made your week Nico

Seriously though, if you found a cobra in your bathroom once, you'd be extra careful and or paranoid from then on. There is a small one inch space between back tent wall and the wooden bathroom walls. I always flash my torch in there before even stepping into the bathroom. Next it is flashing all around the floor including shower drain area. Then shine the torch up into the area where the shower basket hangs. Then shine it under the toilet and sink where the pipes are and lastly, all around the mesh put up between the wooden walls and the makuti roof. If all is clear then I'll enter. You just hope and pray you won't have to make a fast emergency trip to the loo!!!

A year ago while at lunch a woman came to the dining area a nervous wreck because they had found a green mamba who had tried to get into the bathroom but had gotten stuck in the mesh. I knew what she was feeling The camp manager got his snake stick out and managed to get it out and relocate it far away in the bush.

It's funny looking back on things, but scarey at the time it is happening. Now with what I know about the lack of antivenom in most of the parks/reserves and no-one willing to teach people to use it correctly, insisting that only physicians can give it, I'll be even more careful in the future.

I found this somewhat interesting. For all the stories about problems on self drives, there are thousands more of successful ones. No matter what you do, there will always be some problems, but I have found it mostly falls on those that are the least prepared.

I've spent months, no years combined on self drives throughout East and Southern Africa, including some of the remotest areas. **it happens every once in awhile, but in Africa, you learn to make a plan. Most people don' t even experience that. Makes for lots of good stories though.