Cruising up in the sky made easy

I sat in the passenger’s seat for the interview although the owner thought it would have been the other way round. Problem is, I was a little uncomfortable being way up there in the sky. But when the switch was turned on, I liked the growling sound of the engine. It kind of “warns” slow or smaller gadgets to get out of the way for the king of the jungle is nearby! But as we drove through the Namuwongo suburb for me to get the real experience of being up there, what a sight “we” became. The driver, told me that he is used to this kind of attention. Excited kids and adults were waving at us including some boda boda riders, all awed by the monster wheels.

For testing how it handles potholes, we took a small hilly route that was well endowed with potholes and true to my expectations, the gigantic tractor like tyres “ate up” the potholes with ease. You actually do not feel them at all; you would think the pot-holed road has been fixed! The only tall car I have been in is a Hummer. This Land Cruiser’s height sometimes confuses people and they end up calling it a Hummer although it way taller than Hummers. The pedals and compact steering wheel were finished off in chrome to make it look sporty. Below is the interview with Joan Kebirungi, a director at Everlasting Services, Tours and Safaris ltd.

Qn: Ooh what a beauty, but at the same time it is a bit scary. Why was it raised so high?
Ans: Ah. It is the same normal Toyota Land Cruiser, only that this one was raised for a special purpose. Everything else is the same save for the suspension and extra seats. The front looks a bit like a Hummer, especially this shiny chrome guard. Yeah, you are right. When driving it, I hear people calling it a Hummer.

Qn: I can see the DVD player, was it installed in Japan?
Ans: No, we fixed this in Mombasa. It has MPEG4, MP3, WWA player and many others to entertain tourists. We have footage of various national parks and other tourist attractions. This DVD comes in handy for their planning. If they want to cross by ferry, they can first catch all the action here. If they are interested in say Bwindi and they have never been there, we can show them documentaries first. It is really helpful.

Qn: What advantages does its height have over other cars?
Ans: Unlike low cars, with this vehicle high up, you can do everything you want. The rear seats can carry four people so it can accommodate nine people in total including the driver. And that is for comfort. If it is not all about comfort, a 10th person can be added.

Qn: And the transmission?
Ans: It is a normal five gear Land Cruiser but with automatic four wheel drive. you do not have to go out to lock the hub, it is just by a press of a button and you are good to go. Most things in here are automated even the side mirror adjustment.

Qn: I can see that when turning ,it takes lots of time because the reinforcements made in the suspension kind of limited the turning cycle.
Ans: Yeah indeed, it can take me up to four different turns to get out of some parking slots.It is because it is off-road. You have to be the first to arrive otherwise I would struggle to find good parking space. Also because of its length and protruding tyres, it is sometimes parked “astride” yet other cars are parked say facing the wall or building.

Qn: What is the ground clearance like?
Ans: I am not sure about that but all I know is that you can camp under the car!

Qn: Any extras?
Ans: We can add a trolley at the rear for the camping equipment. In it is a fridge and cooker among other items.

Qn: How do you wash it and how many people are required?
Ans: You need a special ladder, especially for the top part (roof). On the lower side, it is quite easy.

Qn: Seeing that it is very tall, doesn’t it tumble at high speeds say at 100kph or more?
Ans: It is safer at 80kph but on a smooth road, I can do 120kph.

Qn: But at 120kph, don’t you feel like you will overturn any time?
Ans: Even with a normal car, you can also over turn at 60kph. You have to be disciplined. You are safer at 100kph and below. On the other hand, tourists never like being rushed. Tour trucks do not even do 70kph. They want to experience the sceneries, landscape and appreciate the whole experience.

Qn: How long has it been here?
Ans: About three months so far

Qn: What are the hiring charges?
Ans: It is between $150 and $200 (Shs400,000 and Shs536,000) a day and we do not do any self-drives. We have our own driver who knows it well. By the way, it is fitted with a monitoring system. I can disable it when I am in Kampala and it is in the national parks! I can watch it on my phone and know when the driver is speeding or siphoning my fuel. I can also tell how much fuel they have filled it with at the station.

Qn: What are the challenges experienced so far?
Ans: We have other tour vans but when most people see this one, they want to abandon what they had already booked and go with this one.

Qn: How much did it cost to have it custom made?
Ans: About $45,000 (Shs120m)
These caterpillar like tyres look like they are aliens.

Qn: Can these tyres be punctured?
Ans: When buying it, the Japanese assured us that we would never experience any puncture just like tractors don’t. have you ever heard of a tractor with a puncture? But in case we did, it would probably cost us Shs1m-1.5m for one tyre.

Qn: You are always in the wilderness, so you never know
Ans: My friend, let me tell you. We have seen other tour cars get punctures every two days, but for us we have never experienced any with this Cruiser. The tyres are tubeless.

Qn: Do you have jacks?
Ans: Yeah, we have two pressurized jacks and the long Tanganyika jack.

jkatende@ug.nationmedia.com