Hailing from Finland, Vesa Eskola is passionate about travelling the world. He has visited 100 countries in 16 days including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia in a Datsun Go. He shares this enthralling experience with us and also gives a review of the car.
1.Give us a bit of background about your tour with the Datsun Go.
I went around India with one Datsun Go, and also drove through Siberia and St Petersburg with another. I’ve been through Indonesia in another, and this is the last leg of my trip.
2. What are some the most interesting places you’ve travelled to on your tour?
After travelling to over 100 countries, you’ll realise that each country has something interesting about it. So, it’s difficult to say which scenery is better because they’re different. In South Africa, I enjoyed the different landscapes and loved the wineries in Cape Town as well as Kruger National Park.
3. What are some of the worst conditions you’ve come across on the road?
The freezing temperatures in Russia. During my African trip, I lost one tyre in George and had another puncture between Namibia and Botswana. We were also surrounded by over 40 elephants in Namibia, which I found interesting.
4. How did the car respond to these conditions?
It’s strong and reliable. We clocked 9 800km in 16 days, with almost 2000km on bad roads. The car is comfortable, and the 1.2-litre engine is strong. You can do 120–140km, comfortably. Small cars are more advanced these days.
5. What did you enjoy the most about this tour?
I enjoyed seeing the different landscapes. We did 9–10 hours a day, so we could travel to many places in a short space of time. I found the different lifestyles interesting, from the rural communities to the urban neighbourhoods.
6. Travelling for 10 hours a day can be exhausting; how did you refresh?
I didn’t really get tired. I think seeing the different places keeps me energised. I’ve also been travelling for years, so I’m used to it.
For more information about this vehicle you can visit their website.
