Previous Updates from South America and before (- Dec 2009)

Hi folks, it's that time again where you need to put your feet up and read the latest instalment of the everlasting adventure of Land Rover travellers part 753! This episode will entail death defying leaps, fighting crazed wild animals and more.

To begin with, we are in the beautiful city of Cartagena (pronounced Cart-a-hey-na for those that speak no Spanglish) in northern Colombia. We are once again on the Caribbean coast and are now set to finish the South American leg of the trip by moving onto the next continent.

To think back to what we have done is taking a while so I hope you have set aside a few hours to carry on reading......... only joking, you should only need an hour! I left you in suspense  last time without telling you the ins and outs of our newly entered country. Colombia has been amazing. Not the scary dangerous kidnapping land we are all use to hearing about. All that is changing. It has not gone 100% but there are only a few danger zones left and hence we have a lot of freedom to roam. That said, we have kept random bush camping to a minimum to reduce the likelihood of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On the way from the border we made a stop in a wonderful and sleepy little town called San Gil where we stayed longer than expected. The only reason being that it was very chilled out and friendly. No city rush and very quiet all day. We went on a little adventure into a cave just outside the town while we were there. This cave is known as Cueva de Vaca or the 'Cow cave' and was so named as a cow managed to fall into the entrance many years ago and was lost to the depths. The cave is flooded in parts and this therefore entails those entering to get wet. Very wet would be more accurate as the depth of water leaves less than 10cm of air gap in places. It was great fun crawling, swimming and sliding our way through this amazing underground river and if I can get the temperamental waterproof camera to give me my photos sometime, then I will get them on the website for you to see.

On our way to Bogota now, we made a few more stops. Firstly Lago de Tota where we spent the night on a beautiful, but chilly, white beach before driving around the lake and stumbling upon and town which made dessert. And only dessert so Kelly was in her element as can be seen at http://www.heartofdarkness.com.au/columbia.htm ! We then headed for Villa de Leyva, an amazingly well preserved colonial town which is alive with people on weekends. The rainstorm which pinned us in a restaurant while we were there was incredible. The roads turned to streams and the place was deserted in seconds. It freshened the air and was a good excuse to sit and enjoy a locally made beer. The final stop before Bogota was well worth it. We went underground into a salt mine. This is no ordinary salt mine as not only is the whole mountain made of high quality salt but they have built a cathedral in one of the huge hollowed out caverns and one can wander through tunnels to find all sorts of facilities in part of the mine which is no longer being excavated. The place was beautiful and as luck would have it, we managed to choose the day after a countrywide holiday to visit so had the place almost to ourselves. As it turned out, of the other 20-30 people visiting at the same time, most were Australian!! They get everywhere.

We got into Bogota where we were very kindly adopted by the parents of a work colleague of Kelly. We had a room and got fed well. We could not have asked for a better place to stay and having met some new friends (Daniel and Viviana) in Villa de Leyva, we also visited them and they kindly agreed to watch the Land Rover while we went off to our next planned destination, Galapagos. We were to spend more time with them on our return. We now had to abandon the Land Rover for the first time and take a bus to Quito in Ecuador. This was for several reasons, first the trip is about 30hrs and we did not fancy the driving, second the area by the border is still a little uncontrolled so we decided to err on the side of caution and put up with the bus ride from hell. How other travellers do it often, I can't imagine. At least we got to Quito in one piece. Secret Garden Hostel was a fine reward and allowed us to research last minute deals out to the Galapagos Islands. We managed to find a Luxury class trip for half the standard price and jumped on a plane the next day.

The trip was based on board a beautiful Catamaran (Nemo II) and gave us the chance to see many of the islands. The days were spent visiting the animals by walking or snorkelling, the nights were spent eating and talking to the others we shared the boat with. We had a great group and got to see loads of animals with indepth information supplied by our naturalist and guide Juan-Carlos. The trip was worth writing home about. The chance to see the Galapagos Tortoise (or Turtus as my sister used to call them) was utterly brilliant. These pre-historic animals are still roaming the islands (with protection from the parks services now) after many thousands of years. We even got to see Lonesome George who is the last of his species. He is only 90 years old and may live another 200 years without the chance to produce pure offspring, due to the slaughter of tortoise by pirates and sailers 300 years ago. I have added a few photos so check out http://www.heartofdarkness.com.au/ecuador.htm . When the remainder of the group flew back to the mainland, we stayed on Santa Cruz island for another 4 days to get a different perspective of this incredible place. From there, we dived for a day, walked a 3km long lava tube tunnel (which went dark on our attempted return journey. Apparently $3 only gets you so much electricity. We had no torches so ended up using what we had, digital cameras, to find our way out of the pitch black tunnels!), and swam in a flooded lava fracture. The wildlife was everywhere and sealions, iguana and all the bird species do not seem the least bit worried about visits from the less feathered variety as they swagger by, totting huge camera lenses and sunburnt faces.

Following on from this trip, we got to spend a couple of nights very close to the base of the famous Cotapaxi volcano just south of Quito. A very tranquil spot where we did almost nothing for 48hrs. Reading and eating is the almost bit. Sleeping was the rest. It was now time to get back on a bus and rejoin the beloved wheels in Bogota. The return bus ride was a little easier going and took less time even though it appeared we were going more slowly. Our coach broke down about 45km outside Bogota but with another coach behind, we simply did a quick switch and off we went again. This time, we got to stay with Daniel which was fantastic. Local Colombian food and the chance to get lost in a local mall. Dinner at a mexican restaurant gave us a taste of things to come and cocktails got the night off to a good start. Thanks go out to Daniel and Viviana for all their help whilst in the city and since. I just hope we can repay them in Australia in the future. German and Hilva, our adopted Colombian parents were very sad to see us leave but have kept in touch by phone as we headed north to the coast.

Up until now, we have had absolutely no troubles on this huge continent of South America. This can all change too easily as we were about to find out. As we headed north, we stopped in Honda for a night and saw a Big Bike festival before going into Manizales where a friendly hostel and more new friends kept us a day longer than planned. Medellin was next and a big city it was too. Drinks and a meal with Santiago who we met a few days before meant we got to see a friendly face once again. On the journey towards Cartagena is when it all got nasty.

We were minding our own business, cruising along the Pan-Americana highway about 100km out of Medellin when a truck pulled off the road in front of us and a motorbike with rider and passenger rode out from behind the turning truck. They jumped a stop junction and never saw what hit them as they tried to head down in the direction we had just come. I had about half a second to react and no chance at all to miss them even though we were only travelling at 40km/h. We did not see them and they did not see us but should have stopped even so. My change in direction meant they hit the front corner of the Land Rover instead of front centre which may have meant we ran them over after knocking them down. They were a mess. The rider was worse than his passenger and with a giant first aid kit and not only a well trained first aider but a doctor on the scene also, we did what we could to stop blood loss before an ambulance turned up. It was then statements and descriptions and a customary alcohol check. (It was before beer o'clock so nothing to worry about there!) The Land Rover needed some minor adjustments in order to make it driveable as the damage pushed the left front wing in towards the tyre and radiator. We decided to make for Cartagena and stopped only to sleep. The last few kilometres from the city however, involved us running out of diesel (we had driven right across Colombia without refuelling and hoped to get all the way but luck was not on our side), being pulled over by motorcycle police (for the first time in Colombia...... in fact it was the first time we had been pulled over on the entire trip so far!) and then we got a puncture and had to stop to get air. These last two days are not what you would call fun or lucky. We are pleased all this bad luck passed and now hope to enjoy the remainder of our stay in this beautiful country.

At present, we are waiting to load the Land Rover into a container and then find onward flights to Panama. This appears to be the only way to get across the Darien Gap, despite attempts to use other forms of transport. The next update will therefore sail across the airwaves to you, not only from a new country but a new continent as well. I look forward to it and hope you do likewise. Enjoy the photos.    

Sorry folks but this is a long awaited update and is going to be a long one due to earlier equipment failure. During a hard time in the laptops' life, it decided enough was enough and started doing things it was not told to do. Suddenly all I got was the blue screen of death and my heart jumped. All my photos and everything else, locked in a little box which I had no access to. I had played with it without success so we sought out a doctor who could help. Luckily we stumbled on a pair of doctors. One spoke only Spanish and the other luckily both Spanish and English so between them, I got everything back after a complete rebuild, even if I do have to feel my way through a couple of things in Spanish now! Anyway there is loads of thanks to the computer doctors especially Aime because I can now waffle on to you once again.

We seem to have come a long way and actually crossed a whole country without being able to write, so with adventures flowing through the fingers now, I will start at the beginning and hopefully finish at the end and who knows what will happen in between.

On eventually leaving Georgetown, with some reluctance due to the number of Land Rovers present, we hit the hard road south to Letham. Again we stopped overnight en route to break the journey as the road was worse than our previous trip along it. We almost came a cropper as we were leaving town and mentioned where we were going. The question was raised about our ticket for the ferry in the middle of nowhere. "What ticket?" was of course our swift reply. It seems you need a ticket in one direction only for a river crossing ferry about half way along this leg. No-one of course told us this at the ferry or anywhere else for that matter and the only place to get tickets is in advance in Georgetown. Apparently no ticket, no travel so return to Georgetown and buy one is the only answer we would get at the ferry. It was very fortunate that we had not left town yet so had a mad dash to the Western Union office which, of course, sells ferry tickets!

With ticket in hand and a plan, we hit the road. Uneventful journey down south as there was no water over the road any longer. Once into Letham, we dropped in on Don's place and slept in the garden again. Having taken careful directions the following morning we followed them. They were basically get on this road and follow it for 50miles (80km). That was all well and good sitting around the breakfast table but the reality on the road was a little different. For a start, there were often three roads heading roughly in the same direction. Some would go through small lakes, others would skirt around and miss mud bogs. Occasionally the roads would leave each other and just venture off into the unknown. Which road should we follow was always met with a mildly amused look of confusion. It all went pear shaped close to the end of the trip as we stayed on what looked like the main road but should have taken the unmarked smaller track. Luckily we met a couple of long distance cyclists. There were cycling from their home, 70km to the local town for food and then returning! They pointed us back the way we had come and kind of explained the need to take the other track. 'There was only one' of course, yet we managed to find maybe a dozen so had to go with one and I think we got lucky this time. All we had to do now was test the depth of the water which we had to cross. The 3 or 4 smaller lakes were negotiated on foot by the chief depth prober, Kelly. No problems there, usually less than mid thigh and only leaving muddy feet for her and me with a smile as I followed in the Land Rover. The final crossing however was a little more serious and in other years, would have required the use of a hand hauled raft to get across. We again were lucky the rains had failed this wet season so having walked and swum the route and finding no more than a metre of water, we took the plunge. This was the Rupununi river and brought us to Dadanawa where we were visiting the station, possible the largest in Guyana, which ended up being home for almost a week. We got such a warm welcome, it felt like we were family. We were housed in staff quarters which were clean and comfortable and we set about being useful. This included feeding animals, telling stories and some challenging mechanical work in their bush workshop. Sandy and Dwain instantly became like second parents and got us involved, showed us around and introduced us to many of the locals in more than one of the local villages. We had an amazing experience and ate a lot of fresh beef as that seemed to be staple diet on the farm. We were now getting well into this lifestyle but visa days were limited and we had to make the hard decision to leave back to Letham to save us any bureaucratic problems at the border. Big goodbyes to new friends and we set out again with a new plan. A quick visit to the ruins of the Hydro electric power plant built by the Chinese and which only ran for 18months before a storm washed most of it down the mountain gave us a break and also a cool dip in the river before going on towards Brazil again.

Crossing the border on a Sunday here was almost a mistake. The top customs guy was not easy to deal with and threatened to seize the Land Rover if we did not go back to Guyana because he could not find my exit paperwork. The most amusing and frustrating thing was I had handed it to him personally only five weeks before and he had managed to lose it so it was not my problem. This meant extra photocopying for us and that in itself was a challenge in a closed on Sunday town. It came down to 'who you know' once again and thanks to the son of a brother of a guy I met in Manaus previously, we got sorted and away! We later heard a story about the customs guys from locals. He had been moved from his previous posting at the Venezuelan border because of locals threatening to shot him!

Now in Brazil for the fourth time, we sailed to Boa Vista and ended up getting extremely lucky again. Whilst talking to a friend met the last time in town, a car stopped next to us. A big Mexican and a small Brazilian got out and greeted us warmly. The Mexican was a doctor motorcycling to Ushuaia. The Brazilian was the director of a sports stadium and Luis the motorcyclist was sleeping in the office of the stadium. "We could too" and so having been scratching our heads about where to bunk down, we now had a place and a local guide. We stayed in town long enough to get a feel for the place and get some minor servicing sorted with a very professional workshop. The office we slept in had air conditioning which was a must in the humid environment. A local tour included an afternoon at a riverside beach with slightly warm but refreshing river water. We did however want to get into our next country and managed to drag ourselves away from the easy life to head north after a few days.

I refuelled with only a few litres of diesel in Brazil as the price is high compared to where we were heading. Roughly US$1.20 per litre and 5 litres would see us across the border to Venezuela. We passed into the new country with little fuss and very easy paperwork. The only problem now seemed to be the lack of fuel at the border and we were on vapour. Back to spanish speaking and we had to test ourselves to negotiate a tank of diesel from a closed fuel station. This worked and, thinking I would only be allowed a few litres to get us to another station further north, was pleasantly surprised that the pump clicked off to a full tank. 110litres and now to pay the bill. I thought he said twelve dollars and was of course pleased with the price as the bill is normally more like US$100 for the same fill. It turns out he said US$2 and when I had picked myself off the filthy floor of the fuel station I readily handed over $2 and a little tip for allowing us to buy fuel when everything was closed. It turns out that he overcharged me because I paid in USD. I should have paid only about US$1.20 for the full tank! The smile as I entered fuel stations in Venezuela could not be pried off my face with a crowbar.

We were now in La Gran Sabana which is a beautiful part of this country made up of plateau mountains, rivers and waterfalls. We stopped regularly to swim and climb around numerous waterfalls, most very near the only road in the area. It turned out to be the best road we drove in Venezuela. The scenery was breathtaking and we ambled up this part of the country slowly taking it in and relaxing everywhere we wanted to. We met a Land Rover going south along this stretch and spent the night camped next to Daniel and Daniella from Switzerland, hearing of their adventures and unfortunately the stories of a complete engine rebuild taking 3 months in the northern part of the country. Where are Ian or Timmy when you need them? The following morning, they headed south and we trundled ever north after having had a swim in a natural river swimming pool complete with waterfall and surrounding garden. A heavenly place and all natural.

Our next stop happened to be a riverside camp ground which gave us another chance to swim and cool off but that night it rained. There is no word for the amount of rain that come down on us and tried to wash everything away. The river was big and was more then 1m higher the following morning. Torrential and downpour are just not big enough words for descriptive use!

The goal for the following day was to reach Cuidad Bolivar from where we could journey out to the famous Angel Falls. Finding a hostel is always a good feeling but finding a really good hostel with cold beer and a friendly group of people is priceless. We ended up taking a flight the next morning with some of these smiley happy people and got out to the small settlement from where we could explore the surrounding area and see the falls. The day of our arrival was filled with a real waterfall adventure. We got to walk under a huge thundering waterfall, getting soaked and deafened as part of the deal. The power of the water going past us was un-measurable. 

After a good feed and a night of sleep, we set out in a long outboard powered boat to complete the 80km by river to see the falls which we were there for. The boat ride entailed some interesting up rapid manoeuvres through which we often got a drenching, but it was all worth it on seeing the awesome sight of the highest waterfall on earth. We hiked through the jungle for an hour, up to a view point and just took it in as best we could. The night was spent in hammocks close to the falls so the view in the morning was a bonus before we got the return boat trip, this time down the rapids which got quite scary at times as we were always very committed to the direction and flow of the river. We got back in one piece and the return flight on the eight seater was uneventful. We are getting more used to the small planes used for this type of trip and even Kelly looked less green than usual.

The Land Rover was still where we left it on the street outside a government building. Apparently its' protector, a local police officer had cocked his gun to scare away someone trying to see what was in the rooftent one night while we were away so lucky we left it in good hands. The road took us onwards to Puerto Colombia to the east of Caracas. Our one aim in this country was to miss the capital. It has a reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world at present. We did get lucky again on the road to the south of this violent city and when we stopped for lunch at a local panaderia. The owners happened to be Syrian and following a random conversation in various languages and an explanation that the Land Rover parked outside had driven through their country, they proceeded to load us down with gifts, including the best fresh bread around, a huge watermelon, a bag of rusks, sweets, chocolate and drinks! It was amazing and we gave back some puzzles and things for their children. All in all, a very unexpected and valued experience.

The night we spent out on this road was another one to remember. As we were settling down to enjoy an evening rum and watch the sun set, parked up in a jungle clearing where there were 2 capped oil wells, the most incredible noise erupted from the jungle not 50m away from where we were sitting. It sounded just like the roar of a jaguar and so we were a little on edge. We did not work out what it was until the morning when it occurred again and we saw the culprits. It was only a troop of monkeys who were obviously talking to each other before bed and then as they got up. As you can imagine, sleep was not as easy as usual.

The road took us through Maracay where there seemed to be a strong draw towards a pair of golden arches. After a very expensive box of chicken nuggets we made our way up over the 1800m escarpment to get to the beach and had the reward of our first swim in the Caribbean. The water was clear and warm with huge waves during the day. These calmed down in the evenings which turned out to be the best part of the day to beach and swim it. A few days near the beach was long overdue and we lapped up the freedom to just do nothing.

Our trip through South America is mostly over now. We have another couple of countries to visit but we are well and truly north and getting close to the Central American stint so felt the need to head now for the most northerly point possible on the continent, not including a peninsula in Colombia which is in cocaine territory. We went well out into the Caribbean on the Paranagua Peninsula to camp on a deserted beach. The only thing not going for this part of the world is the amount of rubbish strewn along all the beaches in the area. Locals seem to treat their country as one big garbage bin with no cares about the future or having to see the result when they go back to the beach next weekend. It is sad but nothing we can change so we just had to move on and get clear of it. We did find the opportunity to live up to the 'Toyota Recovery Wagon' title which we carry. A Toyota was stuck in the sand and looked like they had been there a while. With no other vehicle around, they were mightily please to see our green machine arrive and with little effort from us and a tow rope, they were on their way again minus a bag of oranges! A stop in Coro found us amongst new friends, drinking in the street and trying all sorts of local drinks, both of the alcoholic and non variety. Again, speaking a mixture of languages, we communicated our trip to those with open mouths and blank looks questioning 'how was this trip possible?'. Only two days after the first rescue, the Toyota Recovery Wagon was used again on a side outing to some caves where we met a few local lads who got their Hilux stuck in a deep muddy puddle and needed our help. These guys paid in beer but even better, one called his father in a town we were to pass through and organised a free pizza. Bonus. This actually turned into a full evening of entertainment with pizza to start, a trip to local shops, back for ice cream and then a night in a local very dodgy but secure motel which was all part of the deal of pulling the Toyota out of the mud!!!!

Merida was a stop we had been looking forward to for sometime and now a mountain road was all that stopped us getting there. Driving at 4000m and over a pass brought us down in Merida and initially a problem finding parking. The local secure parking places wanted to charge us close to US$50 for two nights which was ridiculous. We did find a slightly cheaper place before a door opened up to us and we pounced on an opportunity which seemed to come with a shining light. The friendly Catholic church was having renovations done but had an empty garage which was ours for the duration of our stay in town. This helped us stay a little longer than planned with the likes of a new friend Aime, preventing us from running away from the town too quickly anyway. During this time I talked Kelly into going canyoning down a local river. We walked, climbed, stumbled, fell and abseiled down this beautiful river, getting a good cold shower and bath whilst doing so. Some of the jumps into small holes or shallow pools took some guts and we arrived back at the hostel with a collection of bruises to show for our morning adventure. Amazing fun and definitely one to repeat sometime in the future when the opportunity arises.

The day we tried to leave, we actually got out of the town about 3pm so luckily the next town was not far. The fuel situation was likely to be bad near the border so we started filling up. Tanks, jerry cans and even plastic water bottles were topped up to their maximums ready for Colombia. After that, every fuel station we came across was worth a dribble of extra fuel due to the price differences. Once at the border, the smooth operation of entering Venezuela was soon forgotten as the customs officials do not work weekends, making exiting more challenging. I ended up pushing my paperwork under the door of the office and hoping for the best before running to Colombia, only to find the same problem. At least we could go and stay in the local town of Cucuta and wait for the office to open on Monday morning.

We are currently in Bogota but I am going to leave the Colombian experience for another day as I know that you have done well to get this far and I don't want to further your torture by writing like Eamon!!! Sorry Eamon, had to have a dig. We head for Ecuador soon and will continue the tune when we get back.

No its' not a mistake, we are still in Georgetown and have had an interesting and well spent time since the last update. We have in fact travelled through Suriname, into French Guyane and back which I shed some light on at the end of the last update. We have changed currencies far too many times and have eaten french cheese with a baguette.

We set out to drive straight over to Cayenne in the east of French Guyane from where we gave ourselves time to explore before returning along the same road at a slower pace. We hate driving the same road twice but in this instance we have no choice. There are no other roads! The highlight for this part of the world was the night on a beach in western Suriname where we got to see huge Leatherback turtles lurch gentle up the beach in front of us and dig a hole to lay eggs in. The hole was then filled in and the female would sidle back down the beach and enter the water again exhausted but job done for another year. It was amazing. There were so enormous and we felt like we had fallen into a National Geographic documentary. Once in and out of France, returned to the same beach and got to see the babies struggle down the beach and launch themselves into the waves for the first time. Only a few manage to get out of the confines of the underground nestsite so we only got to see a handful hit the surf in the darkness. An unmissable experience which I will regail to others time and time again in future travel talk.

After shedding some currencies and following a ferry ride or two, we were back in the country where they all speak English and how easy everything is too. We returned to see Tim at Roverworld and the first job was to try and solve a couple of ongoing problems. The gearbox came out as the gears were sticking somehow and we assumed a clutch problem. It turned out to be a tiny bush in the centre of the flywheel which had lost all its grease and meant that the clutch was not disengaging the engine. A USD5 part was all it took to sort out the actual problem but the gearbox removal and refit is such a pain that a few other parts were replaced just in case. The only challenge then, was to try and get the overdrive sorted. This has been a problem for several years now but has never been that bad! I decided to strip and clean the offending item which turned out to be quite a job but with assurance from Andy Denton in the UK, that it was possible because it was only a mechanical lump, I went for it. All clean and with new gaskets and oil, it was back on and so far has been fine but my fingers are still crossed.

I now did a few other bits and pieces while we waited for a parcel to arrive from Australia. This took longer than expected so we had plenty of time for seeing the city and spending time with new friends. We were upgraded from the tent in Ahmads' garden to a bed in the surburbs with Charlie and his family which was so appreciated as Ahmed left after his holiday and we were homeless for about 5 minutes. I have been doing all sorts of other Land Rover work in Timothys' workshop and have seen a very different side to this country. The only downside of it being the internal government paperwork which we have had to do occasionally. Guyana is an amazing country and would develop at an amazing rate if the money flowed to correct places..

From here, we set out back to Lethem in the south and plan to visit a converted cattle range which is run by the father of a girl we met and apparently is also a Land Rover graveyard! We are looking forward to moving on after so long but just hope that the road to Lethem is ok as the rains have been through and the conditions of it will have deteriorated since our trip up here. All fuelled up and with good local rum stocks, we set out today and leave some amazing friends behind. We will be in Brazil or Venezuela before the next update. So until then...........     

Machu Picchu…… what an experience. If there is one historic visit which you do in South America in your lifetime, make it the ruins of the Inca city of Machu Picchu. It was mind blowing watching the cloud swirl away and reveal the lost city to us as we sat near the guard post high up above the main part of the city. Before the cloud lifted, we could have been anywhere in the world, after, there was only one single place we could be and it was instantly recognisable and unforgettable.

We decided to drive out to the nearest point to reach Aguas Calientes. Santa Theresa was at the end of a rough road but the approach along the cutout in the cliff made for an exciting drive. The train which we planned to take for the final 12km to Aguas Calientes would not let us aboard without tickets and they would not sell us tickets because it was after 3pm. The train left at 5pm so crazy rule but lucky because I did not take passports so had to go back to fetch them and so we ended up walking anyway. It got dark before we arrived but the walk along the railway line was definitely a different way of reaching the ancient city. 

We headed straight for the border of Brazil with information that a new road existed all the way to Rio Branco but the correct information would say that there is almost a road. Instead there is more than 400km of road works and in very well planned style, the whole road is dug up and being worked on at once so the easiest way to allow work to take place is obviously to close the road to traffic for daylight hours and make vehicles wait all day in the sun only to be released to drive through the roadworks after dark! It was the most stupid and time consuming journey we have had to undertake so far and the whole thing took more than 3 days when the distance is possible in one long day.

Once in Brazil again, we had a challenge. The road to Manaus is said to be impassable. It is often referred to as the Road of Bridges and stood in our way of getting into the heart of the Amazon region. We needed local information and so we headed to the Tourist Information in Porto Velho. They contacted the roads department which said the leg was impossible. Not to take no for an answer, we drove north to Humaita where we met Stan and Rebecca who were the perfect solutions to our situation. Not only did we sleep in the safety of their compound and eat home–made cinnamon scrolls but we also got enough local knowledge to confirm the road to Manaus is possible in a 4WD. It was nice to be able to communicate in English and hear about the good work they were doing in the interior of the river regions.

The road was hard going. 1000km in total took 5 days and in this time we saw one motorbike on the road! When we arrived in Manaus, the hostel owner commented that he had never meant another person who had driven the road!  We took our time as any damage would leave us in big trouble. We saw an anaconda cross the road and another dead. Tried to help a monkey which was attacked by an eagle and watched many large lizards scamper as we drove by. The road had so many bridges to cross. Many we had to get out and either rebuild partially or simply weight test. Several were rotten and had we looked more closely, we may have turned back which would mean a long drive and an expensive ferry trip. When we got close to Manaus the flooding became apparent. The water is normally high at the time of year but this year has seen 60 year floods so we were driving through 1m of water on occasions. The road was partially washed away and the ferry ramp was nolonger visible so we drove into deep water in order to get on a ferry to do the final crossing into Amazonia. It was quite an adventure to get to Manaus and our next move was to go on another adventure into the jungle to see something only really possible in this part of the world.

A 5 day tour into the heart of the Amazon region had us hiking through and camping in virgin rainforest, following tributaries deep into the middle of nowhere in small boats and seeing a sloth close up which was amazingly lucky. At one point we had an ants nest fall into our boat and we were bitten stupid for the next hour until we managed to rid the boat of the last of these vicious biting critters.

Once back safely in Manaus, we enjoyed ice cream before driving out north to the border town of Boa Vista where we made some new friends. A Land Rover owner drove past us parked up outside the police station trying to get a visa extended. Less than 2 minutes later he was parked up next to us and chatting. We will stay with Ricardo on our return before driving into Venezuela.

We now had a chance to go into the Guyanas, which most overlanders miss out on. The first country was Guyana and to get to the capital Georgetown meant a trek of some 500km through the primary rainforest which is so incredible to be able to drive through. Stopping for a canopy walk gave us an insight into what goes on at the tops of those huge trees shown on nature documentaries. The strangest things about this country, they speak English, they drive on the left and they drive Land Rovers!

After a brief stay in Georgetown and a plan to return on the way back, we headed out. Through Suriname and to French Guyane known locally as France. We spent some time in Cayenne, the capital and visited a Hmong market where the Laos refugees settled 30 years ago. A visit to the Space Centre  which launches the Ariane rockets was awesome for the engineer in me. The country in general is very expensive so our stay was all too short but with euro currency and French food and drinks, the place was a fun change from the Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries we have been frequenting lately. Suriname is also expensive but the capital, Parimaribo is beautiful Dutch architecture and a strange mix of languages, about 6 of them so well worth wasting a few days in.

After leaving Arequipa, we made our way out to Colca Canyon to see the Andean condors flying. At 4 metres wingspan they are incredible to watch in the air. Heading afterwards to the coast for the first time in a few months took us along a really bad road but through some of the most beautiful mountainous desert scenery. We spent a night out in this amazing environment before hitting the beach. We have now driven from East to West of the continent but where a swim marked the east extreme, the west was only going to get a toe dipping! Too damn cold. The strangest thing about this leg was driving through the irrigated desert and seeing it all green and producing all sorts of foodstuffs. A stop at Puerto Inca overnight was just enough time to see some impressive ruins and to take a walk along the cliffs before we made for Nazca. Famous for the lines and geoglyphs, we took a flight over them for an hour and landed feeling very ill indeed! It was now time to join the ranks of people in South America who can proudly say "some monkey stole my camera" only for us, it was a break in and the camera was a large video camera which is a necessity to the trip filming. A setback but we tried to get it back before admitting it was well and truly gone. It was stolen from in front of an expensive hotel with a security guard. We were none too impressed as you can imagine and I spent a few days in the underworld trying to buy it back, mainly because it contained a tape with an hour of footage on it. Eventually we decided that I had to go to Lima and try to buy a replacement. Before this, we made our way to an oasis in a sea of dunes near Ica. Huacachina has some of the largest sand dunes on earth and we got to sandboard down some serious slopes and get a hair raising ride around in a 6 litre V8 weird mobile. This world of sand and a tiny desert town was a welcome change from the likes of Nazca and Ica but we now had an extra bit of the trip to plan in. We drove on to Pisco where they make, of all things, Pisco. A strong local alcohol made from grapes and well know as the base for the famous Pisco Sour drink. Two years ago the town was decimated by an earthquake measuring 8.0 and lasting just over a minute. We got to experience an earthquake while we were there too! It was only about 4 seconds and an estimated 3.0 but the whole hotel shook and made for an interesting wake up call!

I made my way up to Lima, a place which I really do not like. I left Kelly relaxing in Pisco and went hunting for a replacement camera. The good news is that I found a few cameras in an electronics market and negotiated over a better model than what I had previously. I had a very quick look around town and visited the San Francisco church catacombs which were full of bones. 25,000 skeletons decorate the underground tunnels and give a slightly creepy feel but quite an experience. Once back out of Lima, I rejoined Kelly and the Land Rover and we drove to Ayacucho which is in the mountains again. Unfortunately we found out the next bit of road we needed to take to Cusco was closed due to a government dispute. Our only choice was a 1000km trip back the way we came instead of the 250km which was not possible. Hitting the road, we stopped in Huacachina again and then got all the way to Abancay which is a middle of nowhere town. The final day saw us reach Cusco and start planning some historical experiences including of course a trip to Machu Picchu. So far here, we have visited Pisac, Saqsayhuaman (pronounced Sexywoman!) Ollantaytambo and several of the smaller archaeological sites which we saw by hired motorbike. We will experience Machu Picchu in a few days but so far the sites have been mind blowing so we are looking forward to what is meant to be the most dramatic site of all but we do have to put up with hundreds of tourists.

On another note, the Land Rover is coping well but she has needed a little chassis welding due to the pounding of the gravel roads. The amusing thing I experienced in Lima was that the Land Rover main dealership does not sell parts because they don't have parts! If a vehicle breaks down they order them from the UK and wait 2-4 weeks for repair completion!!!

The next update will not be out for a while due to us entering the rain forest in Brazil so I hope you can wait patiently for news which will be forthcoming when we again find internet. Until then, stay sane.

Having reached Arequipa in Peru, I look back and see we have come a long way and had some amazing cultural experiences, which were often not planned. We are currently at 2400m and that is the lowest we have been for more than a week.

The road from Sucre went back via Potosi and we ended up having to pay our first fine for speeding. A shiny new radar gun had a digital readout telling us we were doing 90 in an 80 zone. We were a little scuppered and faced the facts. The real problem arose when the policeman explained we had to return to Potosi in order to deposit the fine in a bank in town. It was Saturday and the bank did not open until Monday but our visas were finished and we had to leave the country and this was a little more serious so we came to a small agreement and soon got on our way.

La Paz was the most awesome city I have been to. It was just an amazing array of people and buildings all around the outside of a large bowl. The higher we went up the hill, the poorer the surroundings became. The centre of La Paz was actually warm compared to the higher land around and the view of the snow capped peaks just added to the overall experience of the city. We left the Land Rover at the Oberland Hotel in the low south and spent a few days at the Adventure Brew Hostel in the centre. This was the obvious choice to stay as the hostel has its’ own micro brewery in the basement and each night of accommodation included a free beer!

Wandering around the streets, we saw the witches market and got a visa for Brazil worked out for Kelly, which took some legwork. Organising to film cyclists going down the Road of Death with Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking meant we were on the road again after a full maintenance day. The road to Coroico has been known as the road of death due to the number of vehicle fatalities and lately cyclist deaths over the years. Now crazy people cycle down the road with 600m drop offs beside the single track gravel road. We got film footage and once at the bottom, I decided to do the cycle so got a lift back to La Paz with the Gravity bus and left Kelly in the valley at 1200m where it was warm. I got back to the city and spent the night in a cheap hostel before doing the ride the following morning. 68 kilometres downhill with minimal pedalling. We left from 4700m in layers of clothes and stripped off steadily on the way down, ending with shorts and t-shirt only. It was a great ride and suspension bikes helped to keep us on the road and not over the edge.

We drove back up the road the following day, missing the cyclists coming in the opposite direction and got through El Alto and to the Tiwanaku ruins. The following morning we explored the ruins which are being restored with foreign money. It was now time to leave the country as we had overstayed the visa by a day. Crossing the border into Peru was interesting as the paperwork involved entering the same information into a computer 3 times on separate forms and then also in hand written form in a ledger. Amazing bureaucracy!

This was country seven so far and we made for Puno on Lake Titicaca. From here we went out to some of the islands, including some of the floating reed islands that the Uros people still live on. Overnight we stayed with a local family on Amantani who fed us and gave us a warm bed as the lake is at 3800m and gets cold as soon as the sun has gone. We got to experience local dancing complete with costumes and moved to Taquile island in the morning for a steep 1 hour walk up the hill to the town where we had a local lunch and saw how the island cooperative works. No government rules. They live by 3 guidelines, no stealing, no lying and work hard always. A very peaceful and happy community.

Once back in Puno we had a night out with friends and set off the following morning for Arequipa. The road was longer than expected but proved to be another great road through the Andes, complete with an amazing sunset as we got close to our destination. Now in this huge city, we have explored the monastery which is heritage listed and a great place to get lost for a few hours. Wandering around other ancient streets before we head back out into the wilds to see the Colca Canyon.

5th May 2009: It seems like a long time since I updated our situation but looking at the calendar, it's only been a little over two weeks. We have covered a lot of ground in that time and have passed through part of another country in order to reach Bolivia, our sixth country to date.

On leaving Cafayate in Argentina, we headed north along the famous Ruta 40. This road turns from tarmac to gravel, to rough gravel and finally to single vehicle track as it winds its' way higher and higher into the Andes in northern Argentina. We set out, knowing we had a challenge ahead of us. We stocked up on water and took extra food as the areas we were about to enter are desolate and harsh. There was river water available up the valley following the 40 but the food situation was little more than basic. We ended up deciding not to crawl our way to the top in a single day and so managed a couple of easier days driving to allow us some acclimatisation time. The 40 is known as being the second highest navigable pass in the Americas and took us to just shy of 5000m. We actually camped at 3300m which was our highest camp to date. The tent froze inside and out! The frozen morning saw us creeping our way higher and higher and feeling the air thin as we did so. The Land Rover felt it also and she breathed away heavily but never missed a beat. We stopped for breakfast at 4200m and then continued ever upwards to the saddle. Once there, we hiked a little higher just for the fun of it before starting our long trail down. Luckily for us, the road was in remarkably good condition and we made good time but the countryside changed on the other side. It became even more barren and now parched dry. It was the start of desert travel for us and being a single vehicle, we had to go easy and minimise our risk of being stranded out on our own.

We drove through a very odd little desert town called San Antonio de las Cobres where we only stopped for lunch before hitting the 40 again. Unfortunately for us, this bit of road was some of the worst we have driven in South America to date. The corrugations could hide a man lying across the road with ease and after 80km of bone shaking, we were so pleased to find a bit of tarmac again. The plan was to detour to Purmamarca to see the 'Seven Colours' but what the maps did not show was a pass. We dropped from 4200m to 2400m in 30km and this involved more than 90 sharp curves and a lot of brake heat. The road was a stroke of genius for whoever was mad enough to design it.

Purmamarca turned out to be very touristy but having walked the small town and seen the seven colours of rock, we shared a campsite with a German couple driving all over in a Land Cruiser. They were most impressed when I managed to fix their National Luna fridge/freezer which they had been having trouble with since new. We set out the following morning with the same plan as our new German friends, Chile.

This meant a drive back up the huge pass to 4200m and on. The road was tarmac all the way but the day involved a lot of miles and in the end, we passed 4800m three times before getting to our destination of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. The final piece of road took us from 4800m to 2400m in 40km exactly and this was a straight downhill road. It was an amazing experience to be able to idle down using engine braking for so long. The brakes had to be conserved for when needed, as the experience of others warned of the dangers of not having brakes any longer.

San Pedro de Atacama was a very cool little desert town, built of mud. We spent a couple of nights exploring the area including the Valley of the Moon and Toconao near the Atacama Salt Flat before getting up at stupid o'clock to drive out to the El Tatio geysers for dawn. The geysers send a constant flow of steam into the air due to a frozen underground river contacting with a laval hot spot. The steam is most visible in the early hours when the ground temperature is a chilly (or was it Chile!) -5degC. We headed for Calama and our next night in a cheap hostel.

Calama is another strange place. It has everything you could want and yet the only reason for going there is because it is on the road everyone travels. It is a mining town and therefore has the feel of a frontier settlement but was ideal for stocking up again.

This was a last opportunity to feel development before heading back out into the desert and onwards to Bolivia.

The road to the border was all gravel but not bad. We even picked up two Uruguayan hitch hikers and had them on the roof until the border. Once out of Chile, it was amazing at how easy the Bolivian formalities were. A total of USD$11 and a little to and fro walking, had us and the Land Rover into a new country. What a relief as many had told us of huge problems at these borders.

It was getting late but we decided to go for Uyuni and we followed an overland truck straight to a great place to stay. Tonito hotel was an oasis for great food, information and amazingly friendly service. The draw of the Salar was indeed present. We spent 2 days on the 10,500km² salt flat and what an experience. 110km/h on a flat perfect crust of salt. Nothing lives on the salt and camping on an island (Isla del Pescado) was a little strange. Expecting to wake up in the morning to waves, all we saw was salt lapping at the beach with no movement at all. A cactus grows 1m every 100 years and we found 10m examples around the salar. Amazing to think they have been watching over this white landscape for more than a thousand years.

Our next stop was for a single reason. Potosi is another mining town but its' mine is 400 years old and the methods have not changed much in that time. We did a silver mine tour and got taken down into the depths of the old mine which is still worked today. With simple protective clothing, we risked life and limb as do the miners, everyday of their working life. The tunnels often required us to crawl on hands and knees and the dust was bad, even away from the current work areas. Life expectancy in the mine is very low. Miners usually die before they reach 45 and one dies almost every week from a cave in. More than 6000 work the 500 entrances in the mighty silver mountain which dominates the skyline on one edge of the city. The silver ore is often hauled out in a bag on the miners back and most shifts last up to 18 hours for very low pay. It is however, almost double the wages of others in the town so many see no choice in what they do, despite the risks. Two hours underground was enough and the fresh air tasted sweet as we emerged back into the glare of the sunshine.

Now in Sucre to the north, it is time to stop and relax a little whilst doing another Spanish course. The suite in Casa Al Tronco is just what the doctor ordered and at USD 20 per night, is not going to break the bank. The bill for chocolate is another matter entirely!

Adios for now and when another adventure begins, another update will ensue.

R    

17th Apr 2009: Another country down and what a country it was. Paraguay was a hidden gem for us and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute we spent there. The people were incredibly friendly and the country led us to experience some unexpected adventures.

To leave Brazil however, we had another experience which could not be booked or planned or for that matter, paid for. We were heading for the border and had wrong information which said we could cross at Puerto Murtinho near Bonito. We stopped at dusk to ask if we could stay on a private Estancia or cattle station. The employees all said no problem but the Patron or boss had other ideas. It was a move on situation where one of the employees came to the rescue. If we drove him into the local town which we were heading for, we could stay in his sisters' garden. The offer was amazing and we actually drove over a garden wall to park up in the garden as promised. The evening was spent talking to the family and seeing how they lived. We ate with them and drank Terere which is a cold version of Mate (tea like herbs drunk through a silver straw) with them. The garden was a great free camping spot and we left an assortment of gifts as thanks. The following morning we made our way to the border, only to find that the information had been duff. It had come from many sources but all failed to mention the lack of Customs and Immigration posts. Locals can cross but not foreigners. This meant a manic 300km drive down to the next border point to leave the country before Kelly's visa expired. We were a day late but had no issues luckily.
Now we were in Paraguay and ready to see the country for ourselves, after all the stories we had heard. The roads seemed good. The fuel was cheap and the people all seemed helpful and friendly, even the road police who stopped us at checkpoints only to laugh at the steering wheel being on the wrong side of the vehicle and give us directions. We stopped for drinks and ice cream in Concepcion in the east and then free camped in the wilds further on down the road. Our next stop was Filadelfia (and yes it is spelt correctly before anyone points it out!). This town is inhabited by Mennonites who originated from Germany and have had an interesting history since then. We met some interesting and easy going people and stayed in a hotel with air conditioning which was a bit of a luxury for us. It was nearly 40degC and the room only cost us USD14 so it was well worth it. We rested and planned and eventually got going north into the Chaco area and a National Park which took our fancy. We had lots of local information from friends we met and so thought we were sorted. We were luckily enough to spend a night on a property where the owner caught problem jaguars. We got to see several and one of which was freely roaming in the area where we camped. The noises a jaguar makes at night are scary and we did not get too much sleep that night. Seeing jaguar was well worth the sleep deprivation though.

The road on to the National Park was however a little wet and the winch got its' second use in anger. We slid sideways off the road into a big muddy ditch but by a stroke of luck, 3 trucks had been stranded not 100m away. They had been there 6 days already and had no rescue in sight so decided to help us instead. The winch did its job and I am now glad I replaced the steel winch cable with a Dyneema plastic type rope. It made life so easy and we were soon on the go again, only to be stopped at the park entrance due to more water.

We stayed at the entrance overnight and met an array of people who helped us get through to some beautiful and hidden areas the following morning. Guess what? We got stuck again. This time in deep mud and we managed to use another vehicle to snatch us out. I hate to say it but this was a Hilux. A Toyota of all things! On we went again and had no further sticky issues. We did get to see wildlife including a huge spider which walked across the road in front of us. I had time to see it and stop because it was the size of my hand and very furry. We caught a wild stork which had been injured and left it in the capable hands of the rangers. The road out of the park and back to the only main road running the length of Paraguay was another challenge. More than 100km was fine dust like sand and hid all the potholes and undulations in the road so often we were driving through with no idea what the vehicle was about to do. Everything ended up coated in dust including us and the vehicle took a pounding. We made it out in one piece and before continuing on to the capital had another rest day in Filadelfia. Two hitchhikers made use of the roof on our way south into Asuncion and a few days in a hotel was a good base to see the city. An easy going place with an undertone of crime which luckily we did not experience, we loved the place. We made some local friends and spent a night being treated to beer and BBQ. The night ended with us being shown the collection of guns in the house where we ate.

Amazing people and wonderful scenery, but we had to move on. The plan was to go back into Argentina and through into Northern Chile so we made our way via the ruins of several Jesuit missions. Once back in Argentina, we covered 1100km in 2 days to meet up with a friend from Ushiuia who had moved to Tucuman only recently and of all things, had a Land Rover. We had to have an adventure together so Ian found a little used track running to Cafayate and we decided to attempt it. This was our first bit of altitude driving and we reached 3670m and overcame numerous obstacles including land slides, and water crossings to get to the destination.  It was my favourite bit of road to date (if you could call it road) and we were glad to have a second vehicle along even though the off roading was not enormously challenging for the Land Rovers. After fond farewells, we sent Ian off on another mini adventure and we headed back to Cafayate to prepare for our next leg.

Until another time, travel and live safe.

R

17th Mar 2009: Hi from sunny Brazil. I know it's not been long since the last instalment but so much has happened in the last few weeks that it would be rude not to.

We have not come far from Iguazu but we certainly packed it in. With a limit on our stay in Brazil and the number of days left being few, we decided to do what we can before getting out to Paraguay. With visas sorted in Iguazu for Kelly getting into Paraguay, we set out north and took a few days to get through to the Pantanal. An area of high rainfall and serious wetlands containing huge numbers of animals (and for that matter insects!)

The road north was all tarmac which we found a little dull for our liking so we sniffed out some adventurous routes and got deep into the wetzones. We passed Santa Helena which proved to have a beautiful river beach just outside town and I went for a swim. The temperature of the water being almost not refreshing until you got 2m down! Once we got into the area, we took a muddy dirt road into the Pantanal and found a place to stay. We actually found two and rejected the first on grounds of it being foul and also unfriendly to us staying. The second place was much better and we organised to go on a private boat tour down the Miranda River. Leaving at 5.30am meant that we might be lucky and catch sight of a Jaguar somewhere on the riverbank. No such luck! We did however see many other local inhabitants. Birds by the hundred and the largest rodent in the world, the capybara which are really amusing to watch in their family groups. Monkeys frequented the trees and the caiman sat and watched us from the banks. The caiman is basically a fresh water crocodile which can grow to 2.5m and lives on the local fish and occasionally an unlucky bird or two. I swam in the same river where they live but they are very unlikely to attack humans due to the amount of food available to them.  I did however get nibbled by piranha!  Once I had sat still enough for a few seconds, they would come in and use their teeth to attempt to clean off old dead skin. It was a slightly disturbing experience due to their reputation. The worst thing was, the river was a chocolate milk brown colour and I could not see what was eating me!

We experienced mosquitoes, Pantanal style! Not by the thousand but by the millions. They came in swarms at sunset and were the only reason we didn't stick around longer. We did want to go further north so took our dirt road and ambled along watching the wildlife. This time we saw giant otter and caiman eating caiman. Also a racoon. We had still not seen a Jaguar or an Anaconda and unfortunately that is the way it stayed. We did see an Ocelot later on but only briefly. We made a detour to Corumba for fuel and then had an amazing free camp night in the jungle on the edge of the wetlands. The sound at dusk was deafening with crickets, frogs and all the other insects trying to talk at once and not hearing each other so talking louder and louder. The darkness was often interrupted by the sight of fireflies glowing and one night the area was full of them. So beautiful.

Heading back south we made Bodoquena late in the afternoon and looking for somewhere to stay, found the Bentione hotel (www.hotelfazendadobetione.tur.br).  It was empty but a really stunning place and following some negotiation, we got two hostel beds with air conditioning which was  a bit of a luxury for us. The following morning we got a free breakfast and then a tour of their waterfalls. They had five main falls on their land and had setup walkways in the jungle to connect them. We made use of flying fox or zip line into the river which turned out to be great fun. The guide also  dragged us under a waterfall into a small cave which we would never have seen without him. After, the owners Acylino and Regina made us an offer we couldn't refuse. They scraped the bill and sent us on our way with so much great information that another adventure was just around the corner. Top place and really top people.

The road they pointed us down was the best so far. For more than 100km we followed what appeared to be a tiny farm track. Often with grass in the middle of two wheel tracks, we headed evermore west and then south, hoping constantly that we were on the right road if you could call it that. We went through farmland and virgin jungle, through mud and dust and Kelly got a gate opening workout every so often which meant there was no dozing off for her!

We did eventually pop out of the cuds and found a real road once again. Bonito was now the aim and having spent another day bush camping we made our way via a couple of caves, into town. The first thing we did was book a diving trip. This was to be no ordinary dive trip so it was important we could do it whilst here. The dive required us to abseil or rappel 80m down into a huge cave. The dive was then done off a floating platform and was a cavern dive with torch. Photos of the cave can be seen at www.marcelokrause.com.br/abismo/

The dive was incredible. Finning around giant stalagmites and seeing million year old structures along with trees and animal bones at a depth of up to 20m. The water was 19deg and I wore two wetsuits to stay warm which was a good option as Kelly was chilled by the end in her single suit. There was then a surface tour in an inflatable which gave us the chance to see all the nooks and crannies. Even with this interaction in the cave, humans have had only minimal impact on this awesome rock formation.

The only way out was back up the rope we came down and this used ascent gear and took the best part of half an hour to achieve. We popped up out of the entrance and straight away felt the heat of the jungle which we had not missed whilst being troglodites for the day.  Such a different experience which is unlikely to be possible anywhere else in the world due to silly restrictions. All we needed was an Open Water diver certificate and an hours rope training . One voyage into the depths which I will never forget.

We have done another days waterfalling and that involved another cave, this time we swam and squeezed through the door and it felt like being born again as the photos in the Brazil section will show. All in, we have had some great experiences and adventures and will be heading to Paraguay in two days so the next update should be from country number five.

Until then, be good and go to bed when you are told!

R

1st Mar 2009: I know that the last update was a while ago and that life around the world has gone boringly on without info from the eternal traveller but here it is. It is time to learn once again, where we are and what we have been up to. Please stop reading here if you are bored already or if you have another very sensible reason to do so but otherwise read on and I hope you enjoy.

The current location for us is Iguazu which is known for its' waterfall. What an amazing place. We have been staying in a hostel for almost a week now, camping in the garden. In that time we have done maintenance and oil changes, visited the Brasilian side of the falls and yesterday we spent the afternoon in a bird park, which strangely enough, was absolutely great. All the aviaries had walk throughs and the birds could come and be sociable, many did. We had Toucans with their enormous coloured beaks, come and sit next to us and even try and nibble our toes. Kelly had her shiny new Havaianas pecked at and ran! The way everything was set up was impressive and although a tourist attraction, it did not feel like we were in that role but more like explorers searching for birds in the jungle. Most nights we have spent at the hostel because it was good to have English speaking people around for once, but one night we went to another optional campsite. It was a quiet night as we were the only ones in this huge forest site but the flies and mosquitoes drove us round the bend and we returned to the safety of our original place.

The last few weeks from BA have been hectic. We had a timeframe for once and that included getting to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival and then getting back to Iguazu for Geoff and Kienny to have a chance to see the falls before returning to Australia. The drive up through Brazil was well worth the effort. We got Visas in BA and once everything was sorted, we got a ferry across into only our third country so far. Uruguay was a bit of an unexpected hi-light. It was great and really deserved a little longer than a week. We landed at a sleepy little port town called Colonia and immediately felt at home. It was safe and easy travelling and we even camped the first night at the end of the airport runway which in most countries would involve guns and shouting if attempted. The sun went down into the ocean with a phfftzzzzz  and the beers we were drinking as it did, made the same noise when opened. The local beer had to be sampled in a new country of course.

The next few days were spent ambling our way through the capital city and other smaller towns en-route as we made our way up the coast towards our planned destination in Brazil. We stayed one night in a yacht club just outside Montevideo and then by a lake and the beach. We even transported a group of Argentinian girls on the roof of the Land Rover so they could get to the lake where we swam and washed in the shallows outer section of what turned out to be a very sticky mud lake.

Another border crossing later and with no fret or fuss, we were in Brazil. Initially we were a little apprehensive due to all the stories told about the dangers of driving and the risk of robbery but we pushed them all aside and went for it. I am so pleased we did.

Brazil is a country with a huge disparity between rich and poor and hence the crime in the big cities is rife. We stopped off in Porto Alegre where the Land Rover engine was made. I wanted to get some spare parts for future use and it seemed like the obvious place. We ended up having to find a dealership to do this but at least I have spares when I need them. Further up the coast I had a chassis bush collapse and the steering started to shake violently. With my luck, we were back on the road in about 35mins with a new bush, fitted by a roadside mechanic who was in just the right place at the right time with the right part and definitely the right attitude! He pointed us to a little town where we could camp and we ended up finding a gem of a place not mentioned in any guide book we had. The small town had a beautiful beach and we stumbled upon another Land Rover driver with his 110. With the two vehicles proudly parked up in the little town square we had a look and took some photos of the well equipped pair. In doing so, we attracted a huge crowd of bystander who were keen to know more. It was a real Ewan and Charley moment and we made a lot of friends.

Florianopolis was our next planned stopping point. An island with beaches all around which attracts a lot of tourists but we sniffed out a deserted beach to the north and had a swim for a couple of hours. By the time we got out, we decided to camp nearby and found a very secretive camping site between some trees in the dunes next to the beach. Another great free camping spot and we even made sure we would not be disturbed by covering our wheel tracks at the entrance with branches.

We had a challenge ahead of us now. Sao Paulo is the second or third biggest city on earth and we didn't really want to go there but were forced to due to the road system. I can now proudly say that I have driven through Sao Paulo twice and survived. It was not a nice place and did not deserve any more than driving through so we got on our way to Rio. The coast to the south of Rio did deserve some attention though. It was a great scenic drive around the base of mountains and past bays and inlets. We started down one road to get to the coast, only to find out that the road had been washed away and was no longer on some maps. This in turn took us through an alternative landscape and included some amazing tunnels and a zig-zag decent to the ocean.

Once we got to Rio, it was straight to our accommodation for the duration. Only the best for us so the Sheraton it was! We stayed on Leblon beach which is the third beach after Copacabana and Ipanema. We spent 3 nights in luxury. There was 5 of us in the room and the bill was care of Geoff's Platinum Sheraton card. We were real hill billy's and even dried our clothes on the balcony which just did not fit with the norm!

Whilst in Rio it was time to experience everything we could possibly fit into the 3 days. We had Carnival at the Sambadrome tied up so the other touristy things had to be done. Christ the Redeemer on the mountain top was our first port of call. What an amazing view and a very cool train ride to the top (this is the engineer in me talking)!

Next we had to do the trip in the cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain. The queues to get there were horrendous but we had to do it to say we had! The view was actually better than the Redeemer view and we got the chance to see all the city beaches at once. We visited a gem manufacturing facility for which Brazil is very famous. We saw gems of all shapes and sizes and once the salesman realised that they were wasting their time with a bunch of hill billy's, they vanished and left us sitting there wondering what to do next. Out of this free tour, we got free water, tea and coffee, free early morning pina colada, free jewellery, free semi precious uncut stones and most importantly for us playing the system to the extreme, free chauffeur driven transport around town! What more could we want..........

  The Carnival spirit was abound and having walked along the beaches, we got taken by a street party. We had no choice in this action as the crowd and rhythm picked us up and carried us for more than 2 hours. There was no escaping it and beer sales in the crowd simple added to the need to be there. The experience was not to be bettered and even the Sambadrome was nothing in comparison. We did however have to experience it and at great cost, we sat from 9pm until about 5am. They danced and sang and looked very camp indeed. The groups encompassed up to 5000 people and that was impressive but the 80 minutes each team has is a little excessive and the competition seems a little contrived as the street is not a street and the crowd is almost asleep by 1am and yet it is only half way done.

All in all, Rio was not as bad as it could have been. Many people we spoke to were robbed on the street or in their hostels and so despite the party, I think we were lucky and I do not want to encourage others doing the same without being very very careful indeed.

Having got through all that, we are on the Paraguay Argentina Brazil tripoint border and will be heading to Argentina for a day at the falls before moving out to the Pantonal wetlands which should be a new adventure for next week.

I know this has been a slog but it is all over now and thanks for listening!

R

7th Feb 2009: We are well and truly settled in Buenos Aires in western Argentina. Having been here for 4 days now, we feel like we know the city a little and have had some amazing experiences of life here. Most of the city can be seen on foot and so we have been doing a lot of walking in and around the maze of city streets. There are rich areas and today we saw some of the poorer areas like La Boca with all its colour and pride but with just a hint of desperation in the air. Yesterday the touring took us into the Recoleta cemetary, famous for being a very well packed graveyard but also for being the last resting place of Eva Peron or Evita as she is known. The splendour and architecture of the mini crypt style plots is beautiful. Some are in disrepair and falling down which gives more of an idea about the age of the burial chambers underneath and also one has to think that maybe the families no longer exist and therefore there is noone left to maintain the graves above. In all, it was well worth the visit and in fact the hour we spent there passed very quickly whilst being respectful to those departed but still taking a few photos as a reminder of a very comfortable afterlife.

We are staying in a hostel in San Telmo. A district known for its antiques dealers and cafe's so we are in interesting territory. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to an apartment complete with kitchen, spare bedroom and bathroom and all for the price of a double room!

The Land Rover is currently sitting about 30km from town at the German Club. This club is a very different place and it's hard to see why it exists in the poor neighbourhood in which it has been part of for so long. It is setup for all types of sports and has a huge membership locally but appears to be for the wealthy only. We are using the carpark for storage and with security on the gate, it is a very good way to leave the vehicles whilst in the city. We will be returning to it tomorrow in order to take the next step and that is to catch a ferry across to Uruguay which will be only our third country en route.

The journey to bring us to BA was a long and dull one. 1600km in 3 days took us across the Pampas which are large tracts of flat grasslands with no real features that stand out above knee level. The main aim of this mad dash was to collect Kelly from BA airport. It was planned to cross quickly and in fact we made it in good time, leaving us some maintenance and recuperation time for us and Land Rover. With new oil and a good clean out of all the dust, she is ready to head north when requested! We were actually very lucky and met a local mechanic who is semi-retired but has his own workshop. We got to use his skills and facilities for very little money and it turned into a very good experience. He actually decided to fix a steering component which I know to be at fault and has been since Africa so I am now driving in a straight line again and haven't done so for about 8 countries!

I hope the extreme weather around the globe is not affecting you too much and keep well until the next thrilling instalment.

R 

29th Jan 2009:I am alive and I am well. I hope you are too. Not too much stress or bad weather or cold or snow or any of those other things which I recently escaped.
I am currently in Bariloche in Argentina and made it here after a lot of dirt roads and beautiful scenery which I can recommend to all.

I don´t think I mentioned that I was going to Antarctica??? Did I?? Maybe I did but anyway, I went to Antartica.
As most of you know, I hate the cold and to go south from Ushiuia was just plain stupid so what was I doing, spending USD4500 to do it? Now I know. I got back and have the photos and memories to tell me I made the right decision. The money was serious but the experience was so much more serious.
I would love to go back but will have to sell my story first before the cash flows again to that degree!
I promise to get photos up as soon as I get free WiFi again somewhere as my laptop will not like the local plugin networks where they allow it.

Having sailed back over the Drake Passage in calm waters, I found the Land Rover safe and sound and also found Alja who I drove around most of Australia with. She was sitting patiently in a Hostel in town waiting for my ship to arrive. We actually arrived a few hours early so I tracked her down and scared the beejeezes out of her! What a nice friend I am sometimes.

We stocked up on food and headed north for the first time. The trip had truly begun and it all felt real now. The scenery was amazing but it was not always possible to get out of the vehicle as the wind was often blowing in excess of 120kph so it was time to get north quickly.
Once into Argentina, we needed vehicle Third Party insurance and having tried to obtain this, I was told the Land Rover was too old. So the law of the land makes it necessary to have this insurance but the insurance companies will not sell it too me! Rock and hard place come to mind. I just hope the friendly policemen don´t ask for it!

Our first interesting stop was El Calafate. Here we visited the Perito Mereno glacier which you can almost touch when on viewing platforms. I have some great footage and photos of this moving ice mass and even caught a calf!
That may sound dodgy but it was actually viewing a huge chunk of ice falling of the end of the glacier snout and causing a small tidal wave in the lake below. An amazing experience in itself but just to be close to the ice was awesome. So huge and yet moving almost a meter per day.
Back on the road we headed into Chile to cruise the Carreterre Austral. The 1200km famous trail from Villa OHiggins to Chaiten. We tried to cross at a lesser border point and got to within 20meters of Chile. The only problem was 2m of fast flowing glacial melt water which we decided not to drive through. We had already driven through 1m to get where we were but 2m was stupid and we turned back. The lack of bridge cost us a further 200km of rough road to get into Chile but the scenery was excellent and the adventure was great. At times, we were following the road but it turned into a grass track across a field where you could just make out 2 flat grass paths where previous wheels had passed.

The Carreterre was tough and long and harsh but I am glad we completed it to Chaiten. For those that missed the news last July, Chaiten was destroyed by a Volcano. Not just by a volcano in fact, it was destroyed by ash which gathered behind a blocked river and when the river eventually burst, the town just disappeared under the slurry which carried away houses and cars and washed everything into the sea. We managed to get into the ruined town to film and photograph and saw the remains. Again, the photos will arrive mysteriously on the website soon(ish).

Futaleufu on the Chilean border was the perfect place to go White Water Rafting. It is a meca in the world for rafters and kayakers and did not disappoint. We rafted for 6 hours down Grade 4 and 5 rapids and had quite a time doing it, despite the cold water and rain which fell on us for more than an hour whilst on the river. The rapids definetly got the adrenaline going and with a skillful guide, we came out of it with no swimmers and all had the time of our lives.

Now back in Argentina and we have a few days in Bariloche which gives us a slight breather before heading to BA to collect Kelly.
I will get onto the website in BA and everything will become clear.
Now for those that got this far, I apologise for waffling and respect the staying power.
Until soon.
Rupert

26th Dec 2008:We are well south now. Having made it to Puerta Montt and found that all ferries that we needed were full, we were a little stumped and needed options. We spent a Saturday trying out ideas but with limited spanish, we got limited information. We did realise that we would have to return to the ferry terminal on Monday when staff were around. That gave us a free day and this was put to good use seeing Chiloe Island to the west of where we were. A day trip was not quite enough but it was all we could afford so we caught a ferry across in Geoffs' Troop Carrier which seats 5 comfortably. The coast road down the east of the island took us through fishing villages and along some tracks which took us up and down 45 degree slopes. We had an awesome lunch in a local fish and seafood restaurant and continued the road before heading north and back to the mainland. The following morning we got the news we needed. Only 1 ferry was going on the day and it was the Navimag which runs to Puerta Natales. We bit the bullet and jumped on. I say this because it is an expensive ride more than 2000km south and is actually an amazing trip. It saved us 2300km of road driving so we could relax and see the mountains and glaciers drift by whilst being feed huge amounts of food. We arrived in PN ready to hit the road again, so we headed out to see the beautiful and majestic towers of Torres Del Paine. They are famous all over the world and they did not disappoint. We did a few walks through the National Park and camped for free in the carpark of a campsite! Christmas was drawing ever closer, so it was time to make tracks for the bottom of the world. We set out for Ushuaia and stopped back in PN for a local meal before hitting ferries and borders and serious roads and punctures and breakdowns of fellow travellers. It was quite an experience just to get to the most southerly town and now we are here, I can understand why people rave about this place. It has a spirit of its' own and despite the cold wet summer, it is well worth the visit. Christmas Eve was celebrated with a BBQ. The fire was the only thing that managed to keep us warm so we all huddled close. Christmas day was actually spent at the alternative campsite seeing other friends who were celebrating on the 25th instead of 24th which most others make use of.

We now have a couple of days before the trip which we booked to Antarctica. It is 10days on an expedition vessel and is going to be unforgettable. I will update more when the trip is underway. In the meantime. Happy New Year to all and Happy 2009.

R

10th Dec 2008:The team are away. We have made it back on the road at last. It was after all time to get rolling as Santiago had run out of beer...... or so they told us. Maybe they wanted us to leave!
I stayed for quite some time at La Casa Roja or the Red House, not far from the centre of the city. It was an amazing hostel and not surprisingly with a hostel of this quality, was owned by an Australian from Perth. Secure parking was easy and the place has 100 beds so getting space was not too difficult. I enjoyed the place rather too much and because the beer was good and cheap, we tended to stay in more than venture into the city.
I met some interesting people and two Americans in particular were worth chatting to as they have just driven most of the way round the world in the last 2 years, aiming to finish back in the US in about 6 months. Their website is linked from mine on the links page so have a look at the world by road.
We are currently in Pucon, mid way down Chile. I say we because the team has grown. Geoff and Kenny arrived and got their vehicle out of customs storage and we then got an outrider. Simon is a British adventurer who bought a 400cc motorcycle in Santiago and decided he wanted my poor Land Rover to carry all his stuff so he can ride motor cross style. He is a lucky lad and is making us of my spare tent. It is very cool to have him along because he is exploring areas off the beaten track to see if we can make it through or searching for free camp spots in the middle of nowhere. The team is therefore 5 with Eamon whose face is already on the website from the Australia leg.
Pucon is an adventure centre and hence, we did something adventurous. I had never Hiperspeeded if you can term it that. It involved holding on a molded float and diving through up to grade 3 white water rapids in a helmet and wetsuit. It was hard work but great fun and got the adrenaline flowing. The run only lasts about an hour but when you consider the river is fed by snow melt water, that is plenty and we had quite a morning.
For the last few days, we have been bush and free camping in forests and National Parks whilst driving some very cool roads. Chile has a main backbone road which runs north south. We have been criss-crossing this and seeing the coast and the mountains, mainly on gravel roads and ending up in the middle of nowhere. We did a serious uphill walk and made it to an off the tourist track lake which was beautiful. Photos to follow. Simon decided he needed a bath so swam despite the temperature. Some of the roads we are driving are single lane gravel and I always hope there is noone around the next corner as there is no way to tell. Most roads are logging roads and therefore the logging trucks are slow but damn big and need to be respected.
So far the trip is coming together nicely and everyone is getting into the habit of going south. We do need to reach the bottom by Christmas day because there is a big overlander party there which will put us in touch with many others who have been places and done things we are keen to see and do but more of that later.
In the meantime, the website will be updated with some photos soon and I hope you are doing ok.
Stay well and keep in touch.

19th Oct 2008: I am still in Adelaide and fly to South America on 29th October to start the process of getting the vehicles out of the container and on the road in Chile. The remainder of the team arrives at the beginning of December and the expedition heads south after that. The team currently consists of 4. Eamon is flying in from Perth and the other, Geoff and Keni fly in from Alice Springs to make Tiera del Fuego for Christmas day.

2nd Dec 2007: The Land Rover is currently broken down with serious engine problems and is more than likely going to receive a transplant from a diesel powered vehicle for the next leg of the expedition. Funding to be found and project to be started in early 2008.

The cause of the problem was the use of Opal Fuel in northern Western Australia and in the Northern Territory. This fuel is designed to prevent petrol sniffing in the communities but in turn, creates higher temperature combustion and has left the Land Rover with head gasket problems after serious prolonged overheating.

Australia 2007 trip is still underway but this is an update because there is a break in the current trip and so more info is being asked for.

May 2007 saw myself and Eamon arriving back from our South East Asia trip through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Perth was in its winter time and was not the nice temperature I had come to expect of the place so it was time to go north and do so quickly! I was needed for some diving in Exmouth so the first leg of the journey was foot down all the way. The Land Rover behaved herself perfectly and I stormed the first 1200km to Exmouth stopping to look at some interesting places although only briefly. The trip therefore really started in Exmouth where we all met up and got some great diving in. We spent some time in Exmouth as we had to prepare for 3 people travelling in the Land Rover even though 1 would be beside it on a motorbike! I was therefore a support vehicle for 2 wheels again.

The adventures never stopped and although we stopped to work for a bit, there was always things happening. The first really top spot we visited was Karijini National Park near Tom Price. The NP was awe inspiring and we did a walk/climb called the miracle mile. We were told it was not possible and too dangerous to attempt so we had to try. It was not too dangerous and certainly possible but there was no mention of the icy cold swim which had to be made half way through. I decided to be a wimp and climbed around the pool on rocks with little or no holds so was expecting a dip but success was on my side and I came out as the only dry person on the little expedition.

We met some very cool people on the way, some of whom are linked from the Links page. Marcel and Patricia were our climbing partners for this little jaunt. After a few days in the NP we headed north to the edge of the Pilbara region and had mining tour which showed how iron ore is dug out and the transported to the coast and onwards. Huge machinery and all very interesting to see from a first hand perspective. We spent a whole week in Pt Headland and the use of Eamons' friend Johns' house was a godsend. We washed and ate and relaxed and internetted before knowing it was time to be moving onwards.

The coast to Broome was very quiet but so beautiful and the beaches were always worth a stop off. The road was long and the fuel stops not exactly plentiful but nothing too arduous for myself and now fellow overland travellers. The motorbike fuel situation needed a little pre-planning as the range was not that of the Land Rover but that was overcome on occasions with the Land Rover carrying extra fuel as necessary.

Broome meant a break from the road and we all ended up with jobs. I approached Willy Creek Pearl Farm where I had done a tour 12 months before and had secured a job within 30mins of getting into town. I was to be a Pearl Tour Guide and Alja was to run the cafe side of things on the Pearl Farm. Eamon managed to get himself a very cushy number walking the camels up and down the beach. The tough bit was getting to and from work. For myself and Alja, helicopter is now the only sensible solution! We flew to and from work in a little baby Robinson R44 and loved every minute of it. Life is hard sometimes!    We worked for nearly 2 months in Broome and did a few side trips whilst there. Geikie Gorge and Cape Levique were worth seeing.

The next leg involved a new motorbike for Eamon. He traded his road 250cc for a trail 650cc and could now continue north with us. The Gibb River Road was beckoning and the adventure was about to really get going. The dirt road took over from lovely smooth Tarmac and we had nothing but dust for the next month. We stopped through the Gibb River Road to swim in rivers and waterfalls. Did day hikes and river adventures. Such an amazing part of the world and yet so few people realise it yet. (Luckily). At the end of the GRR, we needed fuel and supplies so into Kununurra it was for us. A quick side leg to Lake Argyle let us view the largest manmade waterway in the Southern Hemisphere (I think?).

We were now set to do the big one! The Tanami desert crossing. The Tanami track is just over 1000km of harsh dry dirt road and was always going to be a challenge. Both Land Rover and Motorbike had punctures and I think we got off lightly all things considered. The highlight of the start of the track was the viewing of Wolf Creek the film at of all places, Wolf Creek Meteorite crater. This was thanks to our new friend Simon who had all the audio visual gear you could ever want in his 4x4! The crater was best seen by dawn light so it was an early morning hike that took us onto the rim for the sunrise. Great experience because there is nothing for hundreds of km's.

We started the track with a puncture. Mike and Phil in another Land Rover stopped and helped with a jack so the job got done more quickly. As they left with big smiles and us throwing endless thank yous, they thrust cold beer in our hands and disappeared into the dust. The remainder of the track was tough on people and vehicles and we had to pass through a bushfire at one point which jumped the road right in front of us. We had just had a minor Land Rover hicough and were quite lucky to get the vehicle running again so quickly with only a broken fuel pump fuse to sort out. (It had been shaken to bits by the corrugations).

The final puncture was at the end of the road and so we had enough spare wheels to finish but the motorbike was now in trouble and we had to stop time and again to try and keep the front tyre inflated. Once in Alice the problem was resolved and I bought a new tyre myself for the LR and she was better shod than ever before.

We had been running on Opal fuel made in Australia by BP Fuels. I implore anyone with an older petrol engine not to use this fuel as it caused all sorts of problems through overheating. The small rise in combustion temperature which prevents the fuel from being sniffed caused the LR head gaskets to go and serious damage to the engine. As you would expect, BP was not interested in the situation and so I am replacing the engine with a diesel which will make life a whole lot easier.

The adventure was not over and despite now using huge amounts of water and oil, we had to continue. We followed the old Ghan route into the Simpson Desert areas and touched on Lake Eyre after seeing the very interesting happening of Coober Pedy. If there is an Odd spot in Australia then CP it is! There are holes dug everywhere and mine shafts left open all over the land. Stay on the road or you risk falling into one of these which may still be being worked or may have been long abandoned by it owner. Worth the look though.

Our run to Adelaide was only marred by the now serious engine problem but we did get to see some of the Flinders Ranges and managed to limp into Jamestown where the Land Rover currently rests. She is sitting in a friends barn and will be continuing her journey to Adelaide on a trailer in the new year. The vineyard where she currently waits patiently for the new adventures is where we all did a bit of WOOFING which is working for food and roof. Not too mention wine of course. Our host David Box was a real wine drinker and we helped out with the vines and olives in exchange for his free tasting sessions. These tended to last all night and might involve the consumption of multiple bottles of very fine red!

Adelaide will be base for a while and plans for South America are already started. Feel free to browse photos on the website and email anything you want to know.