Hello everyone

Unni · 21st June 2020, 21:46

Hello everyone, my name is Unni. I am a Keralite, settled in Bangalore but lives mostly in Southern Africa, currently in Botswana-a beautiful landlocked country with very good roads and a beautiful driving landscape.

I am a geologist by profession, and I explore for diamonds for a living. I generally drive a lot as part of my job, most of it in off-road, 4*4 conditions- hence a keen interest in anything related to driving.

I came across Team-BHP in 2007/2008 when I was in Angola for a 5-year stint and this was one of the forums which I would check-in when I felt a bit home sick. Since then I have lurked around often, and the forum has been my go-to resource on vehicles and general driving in India.

We have owned a Suzuki-Alto and now a Suzuki-Brezza, but most of my driving has been in my two Toyota Land Cruisers at work, a station wagon and a double cab bakkie. Other than these, I have a thing for boxy vehicles and absolutely love the Mercedes G-Wagons (I probably would never own one) and the old Land Rover Defenders (planning to own one for a short period of time). You can spot several gorgeous Defenders in Southern African roads.

The quality of discussion here is top-notch and the general principles and the class of this forum is something all should be proud of. I am very happy to be a part and hope to contribute meaningfully.

GTO · 22nd June 2020, 14:07

Welcome to Team-BHP, Unni!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unni

but lives mostly in Southern Africa, currently in Botswana-a beautiful landlocked country with very good roads and a beautiful driving landscape.

I am a geologist by profession, and I explore for diamonds for a living. I generally drive a lot as part of my job, most of it in off-road, 4*4 conditions-

A beautiful country, diamonds & 4x4s - wow! You are living the life. Hope we can have a travelogue or two from you. Before I even read further, I just knew there had to be a Land Cruiser in the mix

. Which series? Current or the older ones? Share pics!

I keep reading that the global demand for diamonds is declining due to many macro factors. Has that affected your explorations at all?

Unni · 28th June 2020, 17:53

Thank you very much GTO. The land cruisers are J70 Series, 2015. Excellent vehicles, particularly in terms of reliability. Mining industry in Southern Africa is generally big on Toyota and the way they hold is truly remarkable.
Diamond industry (and mining industry in general) is quite cyclical and downturns are part of the business. This however is unprecedented and this year is easily the worst in the history. The industry do expect to recover by end 2021.

21st June 2020, 21:46	#1
Unni Newbie Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: BLR/GBE/LAD Posts: 7 Thanked: 44 Times	Hello everyone Hello everyone, my name is Unni. I am a Keralite, settled in Bangalore but lives mostly in Southern Africa, currently in Botswana-a beautiful landlocked country with very good roads and a beautiful driving landscape. I am a geologist by profession, and I explore for diamonds for a living. I generally drive a lot as part of my job, most of it in off-road, 4*4 conditions- hence a keen interest in anything related to driving. I came across Team-BHP in 2007/2008 when I was in Angola for a 5-year stint and this was one of the forums which I would check-in when I felt a bit home sick. Since then I have lurked around often, and the forum has been my go-to resource on vehicles and general driving in India. We have owned a Suzuki-Alto and now a Suzuki-Brezza, but most of my driving has been in my two Toyota Land Cruisers at work, a station wagon and a double cab bakkie. Other than these, I have a thing for boxy vehicles and absolutely love the Mercedes G-Wagons (I probably would never own one) and the old Land Rover Defenders (planning to own one for a short period of time). You can spot several gorgeous Defenders in Southern African roads. The quality of discussion here is top-notch and the general principles and the class of this forum is something all should be proud of. I am very happy to be a part and hope to contribute meaningfully.
	(12) Thanks

28th June 2020, 17:53	#3
Unni Newbie Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: BLR/GBE/LAD Posts: 7 Thanked: 44 Times	Re: Hello everyone Thank you very much GTO. The land cruisers are J70 Series, 2015. Excellent vehicles, particularly in terms of reliability. Mining industry in Southern Africa is generally big on Toyota and the way they hold is truly remarkable. Diamond industry (and mining industry in general) is quite cyclical and downturns are part of the business. This however is unprecedented and this year is easily the worst in the history. The industry do expect to recover by end 2021.
	() Thanks