Last week I wrote about Felicity, the Beetle I drove when I worked in the township of Diepsloot in South Africa. Today I wanted to reflect on my memories of childhood and the 2 Volvo Amazon estates that ferried us around in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
I don't have many photos of those days so I have sourced some alternatives to illustrate this post. The car above is very like the first family car that I can remember. The Volvo Amazon dad bought was a khaki beige colour but he had it repainted navy blue when he imported it back to England. Mum insisted on adding bright royal red foot carpets to the interior and the car looked very stylish. I don't think we kept the car very long once it arrived back in England due to the problem of rust. Having no garage to protect this old beauty it would have suffered on our salted roads in the winter months. Dad sold it to a collector who had the time and money to maintain it. When it sold I remember my father shedding a tear. I don't think I ever saw him get that emotionally attached to car except for that old Navy blue Volvo.
My memories of this car when we lived in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe are based around it before it was painted navy blue and it was still a light green khaki colour. I was a young child with 2 brothers, we all squeezed into this car with the addition of grandma who seemed to live with us for much of the year. Can you imagine that, an adult and 3 kids squeezed onto the back seat plus luggage and food in the very back. (Infact we probably had one child seated in with the food and luggage. I vaguely remember journeys sat in the boot, leaning against the back seat, long hours spent staring out of the rear window of the car.)
We drove huge distances in this metal can, it seems incredible now when I look at it. The car had no air conditioning and probably only reached a top speed of 60 miles an hour. We drove all the way from Harare to the Victoria Falls for a bargain cheap holiday on the banks of the Zambezi river. Bargain cheap because we were living through a civil war and no one else was crazy enough to travel! Our other holidays were only slightly safer and we drove out of the country and across the border into Mozambique passing through numerous check points on the way and with an armed convoy at times.
South Africa was another destination for holidays, we drove all the way down through Zimbabwe and across the border into South Africa and right the way down South to the coast of Durban. I think it took us 3 days travel to get there with a stop close to the border and a second stop somewhere half way down South Africa. Can you imagine having to look after 3 kids for 3 days in a car with no air conditioning or video games. Awesome!!
I remember the huge heavy glass windows that had to be wound down manually and the plastic seats that heated up in the sunshine and were sometimes too hot to sit on without the protection of a towel or t.shirt laid across the vinyl seat.
I remember Dad taking us down dirt roads that led nowhere but often took us across the tracks of wildlife. There was one occasion with a huge elephant advancing upon us while Grandma and Mum shouted at Dad to drive faster as he reversed down a bumpy dirt track. I mean this is a long car, imagine reversing this heavy piece of machinery filled with kids and adults backwards on a dirt road with a hormonal teenage bull elephant advancing upon you. Incredible.
That car was special. no wonder Dad was reluctant to part with it.
The second Volvo Amazon estate was purchased when we lived in Kenya. I suppose it was a considered a safe and solid car and it was large enough to carry a family of 6, so we bought a second one. In Kenya I took particular notice of the way the car opened at the back. I remember this feature was particularly fun for holding picnics in a safari park.
We would be driving through Nairobi Game park, or possibly Amboseli or Tsavo National Park. Dad would pull the car over at a suitable spot, usually at a place with a view of animals, open the back and pull out the picnic. We would sit on the back hatch watching the world go by.
Just like in Zimbabwe, we travelled miles and miles of tarmac in this car as it faithfully carried us across the country. Down to Mombasa and Malindi, a journey that always seemed to include at least 1 puncture on the way down and the way back.
Below, me carrying my sister, mum taking the photo and dad buying roasted peanuts as a treat for the ferry ride across Kilifi creek.
After one holiday at the coast I remember pulling into the drive at home in Nairobi after hours and hours spent in the car on the long hot dusty journey back from Mombasa. Just as we slowed down to navigate the car through the gate, the back tyre dropped off and rolled alongside us and into the drive. It fell on its side just infront of the front door. I believe in angels, there is no way that tyre could have waited until we arrived home before it dropped off.
The old Volvo also served as a great carrier to the local Drive In. We didn't have a TV in Kenya and hence I read a lot of books. For music we got by with a radio and a few records. So a trip to the Drive In was a big treat. Dad would avoid paying for all his children by hiding a couple of us in the back under a blanket. We watched a few of the old classic films at the Drive In, things like the original Star Wars movie and Grease. Of course at the time they weren't classics, they were recent releases! We would wind down the windows and pin the huge speakers to the thick glass if we opted to remain in the car to watch the movie, which we hardly ever did. Mostly we all sat on a rug laid out on the tarmac infront of the car, drinking Coca Cola or Fanta out of glass bottles and eating popcorn while leaning against the front bumper.
For 4 years we drove around Kenya in that car. Mainly I felt safe, there was just one occasion when we were descending the road that came down from the lower slopes of Mount Kenya that I would rather not repeat. We were caught in a rainstorm and the heavy car slipped and slid through the mud at quite a steep gradient, veering precariously close to the edge of the road, with all of us screaming. I don't have any photos of this but if you look at the photo below and then imagine a massive drop beside the road and lots of curving corners you will get the picture. Poor Dad trying to remain calm through it all and keep the car on the road.
Apart from that one memory of driving through the rain storm on Mount Kenya they are all good memories.
Above a photo from a trip to Lake Naivasha. Mum taking a break from it all. Notice the yellow potty. The car is parked alongside the simple tent we are all living in, 6 of us!
Above, Lake Bogoria - Once we went camping and forgot to take a brush or comb with us. I remember using a fork to brush our hair.
On many weekends we drove out into the Rift valley to look at the amazing lakes . I remember a picnic at Lake Baringo, it was so hot at the bottom of the valley. We watched a swirling cloud of pink flamingos out on the lake with the sulphurous smell of rotten eggs in the air.
I think my love for old cars comes from my love for those old Volvo Amazons. Now that I understand cars better, I know what an amazing feat it was to carry a family of 6 around for hundreds of miles in a heavy solid car with no air conditioning and no RAC roadside assistance to recover you if things went wrong. Driving a large family in a vintage Volvo Amazon Estate across Africa's rough and dangerous roads.Those were the days.