We are headed into Northwest Argentina, followed by the Atacama Desert, eventually driving through the southern region of Bolivia where their famous salt flats reside and then to Santa Cruz where we will obtain our Brazilian visas for the Pantanal. This means that we will be out of contact for about the next week; however, […]
Category Archives: Argentina
A Rodeo is a Rodeo
November 10, 2008 – 12:45 pm
The world is full of differences and we have been very privileged to witness a tremendous amount of diversity throughout the course of the expedition. Differences abound at all levels of society and culture and learning about why people, cultures and countries do things differently and more importantly, appreciating that certain things are in fact done differently is an invaluable education. However, from time to time, you also learn that many things are quite similar and familiar to what you know and recognize from home, wherever that may be.
Roadside Shrines
November 2, 2008 – 10:08 pm
Having your own mode of transportation has a lot of benefits. We have said countless times that there is no substitute for having the ability to explore a country free of the constraints of public transportation and on your own schedule. When you have your own transportation, I believe you become a lot more aware of your surroundings, especially the small details that might blur by the window of a bus or a train. One thing that I have noticed a lot of here in South America are roadside shires. If you ask any of the other members on the expedition, they might actually go as far as suggesting that I have become obsessed by these roadside tributes, especially when I slam on the brakes to go and take a closer look at them.
How To Drive Through Chile Without Breaking The Bank
October 27, 2008 – 9:18 pm
Even with the rising value of the US dollar and the dropping prices of oil worldwide, when you are on an overland expedition, you still need to be a little creative in order to conserve your budget. We have been on the road for about 20 months now and during that time, we have become pretty good at coming up with ways to stretch our money.
New Video – Stuck in Buenos Aires – A short window into our 6 week delay.
October 22, 2008 – 2:49 pm
I am still hard at work on the blog regarding the exact details of what happened with the trucks in Buenos. With Fernando’s help we are putting together a blog that will give a better researched insight not into just what happened to us, but more importantly, why it happened the way it did. More importantly we want to give everyone an insight as to why it is such a tragedy that Argentinean government treats not only us this way, but treats all of the citizens in Argentina the same.
Taking it One Step Further
October 21, 2008 – 10:59 am
When it comes to driving around the world, obviously there are several different routes you can take because as far as I know, there is no one official path to take. I assume that if you make it a full 360 degrees from east to west, or from west to east, you can lay claim to driving around the world, barring of course the time and distance that you and your vehicle(s) spend crossing the bodies of water that lay in between. On our particular expedition, we are covering the appropriate east-west distance to fulfill our goal of driving around the world but in the process, we are also deviating quite a bit north of the equator and quite a bit south …
El Chaltén and Fitz Roy
October 18, 2008 – 5:22 am
The two towns of El Calafate and El Chalten are easily considered the jumping off points for quenching all of your basic Patagonia needs. While El Calafate is more of a destination in and of itself these days catering to any and all, El Chalten is geared more towards climbing and trekking enthusiasts as it’s tucked at the foot of world famous Mount Fitz Roy.
El Calafate, EcoCamp and Perito Moreno Glacier
October 17, 2008 – 5:13 pm
For all of us, visiting the far reaches of the Patagonian region of Argentina has been a dream come true. It’s generally in the destination top ten list of any traveler and is now one of those places that will one day require a return trip. Driving on the famed Austral is an extra bonus that few will ever know. Keep in mind though that it is a long way down and some stretches can be pretty difficult. Most roads roads aren’t paved and the barren land outside the window is exhausting.
The Overlander’s Guide to Last Minute Press Conferences
October 13, 2008 – 7:34 pm
If you’ve got a story to tell, and you want the southern states of Argentina to be the first to know, then Esquel, Argentina should be your first stop! Speaking from experience, you’re going to want to head down to city hall (or wherever any major press conference is taking place) introduce yourself to at least one person with either a microphone, pen and paper, fancy hair do, etc. That is pretty much all it takes to get the attention of every other journalist in the vicinity. Don’t worry, they can resume their conference later.
