We have been through a descent number of countries on our way around the world, have seen our fair share of cars and have a pretty good grasp on the type of cars that seem to be most prevalent. Without a doubt, Toyota comes in as the heavyweight to date in terms of the sheer number of cars they have on the road. This is true in terms of both new and used cars. In Australia, the farm-utility Land Cruiser dominated the outback. Cambodia was where early 90’s model Camarys go to die but somehow do not. In China, new Prados, Land Cruisers and minivans shuffle the affluent around clogged and congested city streets. We have also seen quite a few Toyota models that are not available back home in the States. Everyone knows what a Toyota is and everyone seems to regard Toyota as the best manufacture out there.
Just as there are Toyotas we have never seen on the road in the States, people in other countries have never seen the Toyotas we are driving on their roads. The Thundra and Little Pepe both turn heads everywhere we go and gear-heads are always eager to get a glimpse under the hood… when they do, we are stuck for a while.
When we were in the early planning stages of the expedition, people suggested driving older model 4×4’s so we would fit in better and not turn as many heads in the countries we were driving through. We were warned that driving big, flash, new cars would attract unwanted attention. We did get robbed in Almaty, but I do not believe it was a result of the type of car we were driving (there was a 2007 Range Rover just down the street) and even if it was a factor, overall, driving brand new, flash, out-of-the-ordinary trucks has had a much more positive impact on the expedition. People are attracted to our trucks and because of that, we have met a wide range of individuals who are willing to help us out… from Cambodian Generals to Mongolian mechanics to Russian border guards. It is also reassuring to know that if we do hit rock bottom, someone is willing to buy the Tundra essentially on the spot… we have already had over three offers – all over $35,000 US in cash.
We have seen a fair amount of FJ’s on the roads
Being on the receiving end of all of this attention, especially when you are driving the Thundra, is kind of nice. In some ways it makes you feel like a bit of a rock star. I have said it before, but I would hedge a bet that by the time we finish the expedition, our Tundra will be the most photographed Tundra in the history of Tundras. I have no clue as to the number of times people have whipped out a camera or cell phone to snap off a few shots of the Tundra. It does not matter if it is a gas station, service bay, tourist attraction or even a police checkpoint, someone is out there adding a pic of the Thundra to their photo collection.
Given that our Tundra has been the focus of so much attention, it was a bit odd when I found myself whipping out my own camera to take a picture of someone else’s 2007 Tundra. Without a doubt, we were definitely the first people to take a 2007 model Tundra outside of the United States and I did not really expect to see any others, at least not until we hit South America. I would also bet that you could count the number of 2007 Tundras outside of North America on your hands, so when I did see a new, bright red 2007 Tundra stopped at a traffic signal in Almaty, Kazakhstan I was quite shocked. If you remember from a previous blog, Almaty had already given our preconceived notions of Kazakhstan a good rattling, mainly due to the overwhelming presence of luxury cars but when I saw that Tundra, it stood out from all of the other fancy cars around it. My excitement level was akin to a kid opening the GI Joe action figure they wanted at Christmas. I wish I could have shown the Russian guys driving the Tundra my Tundra as I am sure it would have lead to an interesting encounter. These dudes obviously had cash considering how much it would cost to import such a vehicle and in Kazakhstan, there are only a few ways to make that kind of cash. I do not want to insinuate as to what their occupation was, but either way, it would have been nice to add them into our little black book of international contacts… contacts that we would have not been able to add if it were not for the Toyota trucks we are driving.
