STANDUP comedian Carl Joshua Ncube and his wife Nelsy are
tired of paying rent at accommodation facilities which they rarely use as they
are always on the go.
After serious considerations, the two, just after the
Victoria Falls Carnival last year, decided to move out of their lodgings in the
resort town and stay in a tent at the Rest Camp. They designed it in a
comfortable way that made it seem like a real home and had many admiring them.
Noticing how convenient it was as they were staying right
in the CBD, they decided to challenge themselves to construct a caravan.
Their only setback was that they did not have a vehicle
which they would turn into a caravan. But in no time, a well wisher from
Victoria Falls reached out to them and offered a coster vehicle which was no
longer in use. The two gladly accepted the bus and for the past weeks, have
been hard at work, turning this coaster into their new home.
And now, the caravan – which they have named Bumblebee —
already has a bed, couch, refrigerator, power points and working lights. It is
nearing completion with the two targeting to move in soon.
“In August last year, we decided to do away with rent and
moved out at the end of December as we had to serve our notice first. I
convinced Nelsy that if we move into a small thing like a tent, we could end up
owning a house by the end of the year,” narrated Carl.
On her part, Nelsy said it did not take much to convince
her as she was tired of paying rent every month.
“I didn’t care and it didn’t matter where we’d stay after
we moved out of our lodgings. We’ve done so many crazy things as we once packed
up, sold our things and went to Asia for a year.
“Of course, change is scary, but you can’t be paying rent
all the time as it is a waste of money,” she said.
Nelsy said the plan initially was to get their own land
where they would pitch up the tent.
“After realising we had no money to buy a stand, we decided
to pitch the tent at Rest Camp and moved in. While we were there, we thought of
getting a bus and converting it into a caravan because we’re always travelling.
“Imagine you travel two weeks in a month and yet you still
pay a full month’s rent and bills. So we were like what about taking our home
with us on the road hence the idea of the bus conversion.”
Explaining the bus conversion, Carl said: “We were given a
bus shell that we’re converting into a solar powered caravan. We’ve already
started the process of converting the bus into a living room. It’ll have one
bed, L shaped couch, kitchen sink, stove and a bathroom with a shower and
toilet”. The couple, which is running what they have named the Camp Feel Good
project, said they have finished doing carpentry inside the bus and are now
focusing on wiring and piping.
“The process has been amazing and a learning experience
though it’s also been challenging. I had to learn to do carpentry which is
something that I have never done before in my entire life,” said Carl.
Interestingly, the couple has been working on the bus on
their own.
“We’re getting our notes on the conversion from YouTube.
Life is a learning experience of a lot of different things. I took this (bus
conversion) as a learning course and this involves watching videos on YouTube,
reading a lot and trying to harness personal experiences.”
Once the solar powered caravan is ready, Carl said he will
use it to tour Africa where he has comedy shows lined up. He has already been
booked for 20 shows in eight countries – Botswana, Namibia, South Africa,
Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
“I’ll be touring eight African countries by road in our
caravan. I’ll be doing comedy shows in those countries’ cities as well as
showcasing my cooking skills.
“The goal is to sell Zimbabwe in other countries.”
But before touring, either him or Nelsy need to buy a car
which they will use to tow the caravan and most importantly, acquire driver’s
licences. Carl said they were working on this and will soon be doing driving
lessons as they want to drive themselves on the road trip. “I believe that this
tour will become a reality and success but other than the licences, we need to
get the caravan cleared by the transport authorities.”
Turning to the country’s domestic tourism, Carl said
Zimbabweans, most of whom complain that Victoria Falls and other local resorts
are very expensive, need to get over wanting to stay in five-star hotels and
look into affordable packages if they are to enjoy what the country has to
offer.
“People have been doing tourism wrongly. If you come out of
this whole mentality of wanting to stay in five-star hotels, you will enjoy
more. Start by camping in places that are not necessarily Vic Falls because
this is a world class tourist attraction so quite likely, it’s going to be
expensive”.
He said people should follow their footsteps and invest in
tents so that they travel the country.
“If one can stay in a tent, they can enjoy more while
parting with less. This way you can spend your money on experiences rather than
sleeping,” suggested Carl. Chronicle
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