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I think it is safe to say that most members of the crew are becoming a little stir crazy as we wait to get back on the road. Most of us have been here for two weeks or longer and starting to not believe anyone when they say “any day now”, but as it stands, tomorrow really might be the day! Probably Tuesday though. Wednesday at the latest?

In the meantime, however, we are all keeping quite busy to arrange and map out the events and course of the foreseeable future. No leaf in South America will go unturned, I tells ya! No cheek will go un-kisssed! It’s not really like that but it is certain that we are gonna take this continent by storm and by style checking out all there is to offer! But seriously, everyone is working really hard for everything to come together just right in order to make this segment of TWBR the best yet. So in between Tango lessons and eating delicious 33 cent choripán at a Boca Juniors game we are researching the sights and sounds of upcoming destinations.

First item on the agenda: Bouey’s dad’s colleague’s organic farm outside of Bahia Blanca, Argentina. It is quite the convoluted relationship, I know, but we are all anticipating a very unique and rewarding experience! We have already been told that we will definitely be welcomed with a true Gaucho style BBQ. If that isn’t enough, the farm also boasts a composting and fertilizing plant for our learning pleasure.

The plan after that is to keep heading south! Hopefully most (if not all of you) realize that Patagonia is not only the maker of fine fleece wear, but a region shared by Argentina and Chile at the southernmost point of the continent. It is the closest land mass to Antarctica and as such, we will be greeted with colder temperatures and shorter days. No matter the time of year, it is rich in stunning landscape and without a shortage in outdoor activities and adventure sports. Lucky for us, though this time of year is perfect for whale watching off the Valdes Peninsula!

It is yet to be determined whether or not we will continue to the island region of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina in our trucks or whether or not we will board the trucks and ourselves on a ship that will ferry us through the Straight of Magellan and through the fjords off the Chilean Patagonian coast. If the latter is the case we will adjust our driving route accordingly as to not miss stopping in places like Ushuaia (the worlds southernmost city), El Calafate and El Chaltén (the two towns nearest to Los Glaciares National Park) and Bariloche (a popular ski town nestled among several mountain lakes in the foothills of the Andes).

And all of this is barely just scratching the surface of what is truly to come, so stay tuned!

One of the main things that has been taking so much of our time for the last handful of months is putting together the new crew.  This time around we have a solid crew of 7 people leaving Buenos Aires with us.  Some will make it all the way home, some may have to leave sooner, but these are the faces you will be seeing on the site for at least the next few months.  With an international crew spanning from here in Argentina to all the way up in Canada, we will have a very diverse amount of knowledge, opinions and outlooks that should prove to broaden the types of stories we write and certainly guarantee much more content up on the site.

Right now we have three new bios up, and shortly we will have one more, Fernando Bishcof, from here in Buenos Aires.  Soon we will have a friend from South Africa joining us once she is done studying and working in Cambridge.  So click the link below to check out the new crew.

New Expedition Crew Members

We are changing up some of our video gear for the last segment of the expedition, and with this we need to sell some of it.  One of our FS-100 Focus Enhancements digital recorders is for sale.  Click the link below to learn more about it, and if you have anyone in the video industry that may be interested please have them contact me.

steve@theworldbyroad.com

http://www.focusinfo.com/solutions/catalog.asp?id=150

South Africa is a large and diverse country, but here in the Western Cape Provence, I can not help but feel like I am somewhere else. I do not know exactly where it feels like I am… maybe Australia, maybe Central Coast California, but it definitely does not feel like Africa. I guess that it part of the beauty of the African continent. Not only is there a wide range of cultures and languages, the natural landscape of Africa is also extremely diverse.

The mountains near Nysna

The highest bridge in Africa (also the highest bungy jump!)

Cape Town waterfront

View of Cape Town from Table Mountain

Cape Peninsula

Cape Town’s landmark: Table Mountain

Mountains cradle the winelands in Franschhoek

The amazing scenery makes tasting some of the best wines in the world even more pleasurable

The Garden Route is one of the most spectacular drives in the world

I have to admit, after crossing the Sahara Desert in blazing temperatures and slogging through the soggy jungles of west and central Africa, the cool air and mountainous surroundings here in the Western Cape are quite refreshing and remind me a lot of home… both California and Colorado. As always, pictures really do not do a location like this any justice, so in addition, you will have to take my word for it that this part of the country, and the continent, is one of the most beautiful places on earth and Cape Town is one of the most picturesque and attractive cities in the world. Even though the Western Cape is in Africa, if you look around, you might as well be thousands of miles away.

If you ever find yourself in southern Namibia, you must stop by the Quivertree Park just north of the South African border and outside of Keetmanshoop. Some friends of ours in Windhoek had recommended the Park for an overnight stay on our way south and it actually makes the pages of Rough Guides and some other guidebooks. However, until you have seen this place with your own eyes, you have no idea what to expect and no description can really do the place any justice. The bottom line about the Quivertree Park, is that it is just plain Jane weird.

Not exactly the entrance to the Hilton

We arrived at the Park just after dark, which made driving down the long, lonely gravel path even more strange. The actual campsite is about a kilometer off the main highway and along the way, your imagination starts to run wild with images from horror movies like Wolf Creek or the Hills Have Eyes as your headlights illuminate some of the other residents of the park lingering along the road. There are absolutely no lights on around the campground and all of us were getting a little bit nervous about our choice of campsites that night. We finally ran into some other campers who assured us that the place was in fact a campground, the other residents were well behaved and that as far as they knew, we would make it through the night without getting murdered. This place was definitely like no other campsite I have ever bedded down at.

The Quiver Trees are unusual in and of themselves

You are never alone while camping at the Quivertree Park

In the morning, you rise to find yourself in the middle of a large stand of Quiver Trees, trees unique to the region and aptly named, and realize that you are also in the middle of a very large collection of unusual art. You also realize that you had plenty of company throughout the night. The Park residents have been assembled in consultation with and are the brainchild of a 78 year old woman who runs the place. She actually lives in the next town these days, but has been putting together the strange and unusual artwork at Quivertree for many, many years. Honestly, I do not know what the overall objective of the Park is… maybe it is some sort of recycling project, maybe it is a display of unique art, or maybe it is just the tangible extension of a crazy old lady’s thoughts. Whatever the case may be, the Quivertree Park is definitely worth a visit, and if you do decide to stop by, make sure you arrive after dark… it will make the experience even more bizarre.

A fellow overlander

Park manager

Not sure where they were from, but they appear to be having a good time

I got nothin…

Sweet ride

Not sure what the old lady was thinking on this one

You try knocking on the door of the “park office” at night and see what your imagination starts to do

TWBR crew and our new Quivertree friends