It was the best of times, it was the most random of times…

By Melissa Terry in

November 11, 2008 – 11:58 am

This is to transcribe, as best as memory serves, the events that took place between Friday October 24, 2008 and Monday October 27, 2008 aboard the NaviMag local.  What occurred on Monday could not have been what any of the 90 passengers had in mind upon boarding on Friday-that is unless anyone was expecting to disembark 12 hours early via tugboat, 500 yards from the port while sporting damp life jackets under their backpacks.  What exactly went wrong, no one can ever really know for sure.  What we do know is that on the night of Friday October 24, those 90 passengers, albeit mostly eager coeds, boarded the NaviMag excited to spend the following 3 nights and 4 solid days gawking the beauty of the southern Chilean fjords.

Patagonia 040

Navimag is a vessel like no other on the seven seas.  Imagine the spirit of a fine luxury cruise liner that consistently goes above and beyond the utmost standard in modern nautical engineering.  Hopefully an image similar to the Queen Elizabeth 2 immediately springs to mind.  Got it?  Now, take this grand image and replace it with the exact opposite.  I guess what I meant  by “going above and beyond” is to just simply get used to the ever-present smell of sewage gasses hovering near the cafeteria.  And oops, did I say “fine luxury cruise liner?”  I meant to say “cattle and cargo ferry” with scheduling promptness rivaling an African government office in purgatory.  Above all else I believe one can conclude that NaviMag’s first mistake is the blatant disregard of tide tables, followed by disregard of time itself.

Patagonia 093The gang was actually set to depart on Thursday, arriving on Monday but found out that the NaviMag, in an attempt to recover 3 weeks of lost time, changed it to Friday-Tuesday…hey, no problem, we understand.  Friday’s timetable went from leaving at 6pm, to 9pm, to 2am to 4am to finally leaving Saturday morning after breakfast was served at 10:30.  Again, no problem, although I guess it is a little bit of a shame having to spend one of our guaranteed 3 nights still in Puerto Natatles….oh well…they did still reluctantly give us and the trucks half off on passage in exchange for promoting them on the site.  An hour after departure, we were exactly where the brochures promised: calmly cruising through narrow straights of snow capped mountains cascading into the inky water below.  For the rest of the day it was clear that choosing the NaviMag was the absolute right way to go since the ongoing scenery could only be seen from these particular decks.  Day progressed into night as one drink turned into many celebrating Laura’s 25th birthday.  By the next morning the ship had completed it’s careful navigation of the fjords and was on to open water.  It’s just as well that the dramatic scenery was on pause for the next 24 hours since open water, for all intents and purposes, often equals heaving seasickness.  I imagine that, although tasty, the meatloaf and strawberry juice for lunch that day wasn’t the best ‘last meal’.  Sorry, Laura.

By Monday morning word had spread that the last night on NaviMag always concludes with bingo and a disco.  A disco? Bingo?!?  If you need me I’ll be in my cabin getting ready!  Not so fast, you…they’ve just called for morning announcements in the lounge (probably just to make the nights events official).  Instead, it went something like this:

NaviMag Lady: blah blah blah…we left late, arriving a day early…blah blah. Scheduling problem. But since disembarking will begin at 8, dinner will be at 6:30!  You can all go check out the bars in Puerto Montt for a night instead of being cramped on the ship!! Does that sound like something everyone might be interested in?

Collective 90 passengers: Whoa? What??! blah blah blah….Where the $%@# are we going to sleep tonight?  What are you gonna do about this, lady? We all paid for 3 nights 4 days, meals included!…blah blah blah….WHAT ABOUT THE BINGO?!?!….seriously, how is NaviMag going to resolve this and compensate us accordingly?…blah blah blah…

This went on for roughly 30 minutes while the Navimag employee was repeatedly getting pelted with verbal eggs and rocks.  However, she did a pretty good job riling up the crowd by offering zero answers to the mounting questions.  The only thing that was clear was that everyone needed to be off the boat by 8, so they could board the next round of passengers waiting in Puerto Montt.  “Uh, oh.” At this point some of us retired to the top deck out of harms way incase the frothing mob were to storm the bridge.  An hour later a petition appeared reading something along the lines of “We will not get off unless compensation is received”.  Dang, people are serious…we signed it, but just for the sheer thrill of it! Another meeting after lunch re-fanned the flames until it was agreed that NaviMag foot the bill for hotel rooms suitable to match respective cabin fares paid.  “Alright! Now time to relax until our early dinner!”

Around 8pm, we were approaching Puerto Montt, the hotel beaconing on the shore. “Oh, just look at it! It’s beautiful. Whoa! What the…?  Are we setting anchor?  But we’re still 500 yards from the port. Seriously? Now what?”  One look at the waterline reaching the shore told us that we were about 6 hours too early.  It was around this point that we were told that TWBR, having already received a 50% discount, would not have hotel rooms waiting.  “Aw, what the #$#@?”  Some brief reminding NaviMag that our deal was still contingent upon receiving the same standards as all other passengers, not to mention that we are the ones that documented the entire debacle and will be telling the story to our audience. “Yes!”  But wait, there’s still that whole ordeal about still being 500 yards from land.  “Wait…What’s that? A tug boat?”  Within the hour everyone was suited in damp life vests loosely fastened, carefully taking the emergency steps one at a time down to the tug boat laughing at the randomness of it all and wondering how it ended up this way

The trucks were not recovered until around 2am while everyone enjoyed the plush lounge with new friends that now seemed like family after such weekend.  So for all the new friends we made with some incredible views and pleasant crew, we thank you NaviMag! You can keep your scheduling  conflicts, life vests, and nauseating smells.

Patagonia 105

By Melissa Terry | Posted in Chile, For some laughs, South America | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

A Rodeo is a Rodeo

By Steve Bouey in

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. Observing these similarities is also highly educational and over the course of time, you also begin to realize that in general, people throughout the world might not be as different as you think they are.

Recently, we were fortunate enough to be in El Chalten, Argentina for the 23rd anniversary of the founding of the town. It was still the off-season in El Chalten in terms of tourism but the town was buzzing with preparations for the celebration. The festivities on tap for the anniversary party included a live concert, a gaucho parade and a huge community wide asado (BBQ), all leading up to the marquee event – bronco busting. In other words, they were going to have a rodeo.

North America has a pretty strong cowboy culture and nothing really symbolizes that culture and celebrates it quite like a rodeo. Two of the biggest rodeos in the world are held in North America in Denver, Colorado and Calgary, Canada, respectively. Cowboy culture is prevalent in Mexico and it just so happens that it also plays a big role in the cultures of a handful of South American countries as well, especially Argentina. All of the expedition members were pretty excited at the opportunity of attending a South American rodeo… almost as excited as we were to pig out at another Argentinean asado.

DSC_0011

The rodeo was quite a show and the local gauchos from El Chalten and the surrounding area put on an amazing show as they each took their turn trying to ride on the back of a wild bronco for as long as they could. As I watched the rodeo in El Chalten, I could not help but think that it was pretty similar in structure and style to the rodeos I had been to back home. One of the most important parts of a rodeo in the US or Canada is the master of ceremonies. These individuals walk you through the entire rodeo, introduce the various events and competitors and give you a bit of background on the ferocity of the animal a cowboy or cowgirl is about to risk their life trying to ride all while doing so with a sense of humor that keeps the crowd involved and entertained. The rodeo in El Chalten was no different as the MC kept the crowd laughing with the delivery of one bad joke after another in between the thrilling rides taking place in the center of the arena.

DSC_0099

DSC_0052

DSC_0084

DSC_0119

There were several other similarities between the rodeo in El Chalten and ones that you might typically find in North America. The crowd mostly consisted of families each with small children dressed up like cowboys, live country music was playing (although the country music in El Chalten is much better than anything you might hear from Garth Brooks or George Strait in my opinion), animals were on display for you to feed and in some cases ride, merchants and craftsmen were selling their rodeo and cowboy related merchandise and the cowboys themselves were all taking a beating for our entertainment. The drifting smell of hay and animal feed accented with barbequed meat and vegetables in the air, the itch of dust in your eyes, the clanging of cowbells and the whistling, laughter and applause from the crowd was all very familiar. The only real difference I noticed about the rodeo in El Chalten was the spectacular backdrop of snow capped, Patagonian mountains surrounding the outdoor arena. Aside from the scenery and of course the fact that everyone was speaking Spanish, it did not matter how far I was from the Denver Coliseum and the National Western Stockshow, a rodeo is a rodeo and everyone was having a good time.

DSC_0178

DSC_0173

DSC_0144

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Action Sports, Argentina, South America, Trip Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

There is Definitely Something Cool About Chile

By Steve Bouey in

November 9, 2008 – 12:35 pm

We get a lot of questions tossed our way at The World by Road. Many of the questions have to do with the specifics of the expedition such as why we are doing it, how we are doing it and how we are paying for it. For the most part, these are all straight forward questions with more or less straight forward answers. We do also get quite a few subjective questions and depending on which expedition member you are talking to, the answers to these types of questions will undoubtedly vary. One of the subjective questions we get a lot is what was our favorite country or experience on the expedition. I guess it is not that often that you meet someone who has traveled to the extent we have, so asking what country or countries we enjoyed the most can be a pretty interesting question for a person curious about travel to ask.

Trying to decide which country one likes the most is a difficult task that necessitates a lot of reflection. Again, different countries on the expedition each hold different meaning to individual expedition members. Each country we have crossed through presents memorable moments that make impressions on all of us that will last a lifetime. In some cases, even a few of the bad experiences we have encountered along the way can sometimes transform themselves into positive memories over the course of time. Personally, the type of mood I am in at the time might also affect how I respond when asked what country I enjoyed the most on the trip. No matter what mood I am in though, there are certainly a few countries that always stand out in my mind above all others and one of those countries is Chile.

DSC_0241

First impressions are important and immediately after crossing the border, there was something very appealing about Chile. The mountain scenery outside Futalufu was like a snapshot from a postcard, the fresh, crisp mountain air rejuvenated my lungs and the friendliness of the people combined with the humble yet functional architecture of the houses and buildings provided an inviting warmth even in the cool, late winter air. Even though I was thousands of miles from home, and even though I had only been in the country for a few hours, I was already starting to feel at home. It is definitely an indication that a place has grown on you when you start asking people how much property costs in the area. The magic that I felt upon entering the country is hard to shake and every day that I am here, I continue to find more and more reasons to like Chile.

DSC_0280

DSC_0289

The natural beauty of Chile is remarkable and the scenery is more diverse than you can image. In the south, steep mountains and glaciers tower over storybook meadows and quiet valleys. From the vistas and lakes along the dusty and remote Austral Highway to the spectacle that is Torres del Paine, just when you think you have witnessed one of the most perfect landscapes you have ever laid your eyes upon, you round a corner in the road only to come across something even more breathtaking. The same holds true for the equally remote deserts and salt flats in the northwest. It is really hard to describe the incredible scenery in Chile and even more difficult to articulate just how that scenery makes you feel. I think what makes Chile such a beautiful country visually is that there is something for everyone. If you are a person who is not particularly fond of the mountains, you need not drive far to enjoy some pretty picturesque coastline. If water is not your thing, in addition to having parts of the country receive some of the highest rainfall levels anywhere in the world, Chile is also home to one of the driest deserts on the planet. Those looking for an arid climate or a trek through seemingly Martian terrain will not be disappointed by what the Atacama has to offer. The relatively low population density in Chile outside of Santiago, combined with the large amount of land that has been designated as national parks will hopefully mean that a lot of Chile’s natural beauty will be preserved for generations to come.

DSC_0401


I guess one of the most fascinating things I find about Chile as opposed to any other country I have been is that it reminds me a lot of home… both of them. I grew up in Northern California and the central coast of Chile is a carbon copy of the landscape I remember growing up. If you were to knock me out, cover my eyes with a blindfold, drop me in the central coast region of Chile and ask me where I was, I would swear that I was somewhere in California. The same can be said for my second home, Colorado. However, unlike the United States, here in Chile I can drive between Colorado and California in just a couple of hours. There are not too many places on earth where you can stare in awe at a jagged snow-capped peak and enjoy inhaling the distinctive, salty air that can only be taken in near an oceanic environment at the same time.

DSC_0105

DSC_0137

It is not just the Chilean countryside that has made an impression on me as I also find myself attracted to life in the city. Santiago is a city that has pleasantly surprised me and it was not what I expected out of a major urban area in South America. Santiago is a large city and even though nearly one third of the entire Chilean population calls Santiago home, for me personally, Santiago is manageable and far from intimidating. Santiago does experience urban problems prevalent in major cities throughout the world such as smog and traffic, but there is a peacefulness, cleanliness and sense of organization about Santiago that I do not feel in many of the other international cities I have been to. The layout of Santiago, especially along the Mapocho River, leads me to believe the urban planners know what they are doing. Santiago is home to more parks, gardens, landscaped medians and mature trees than any other major city I have been to in quite a while and in the older neighborhoods like Bella Vista, the colonial architecture is well preserved. The geographic location of Santiago is also perfect because if you start to feel congested and claustrophobic or you become tired of the amenities and conveniences you would expect in any major western city, relief is not far away. By heading east out of Santiago you can find yourself in the heart of the Andes in only an hour or you can venture west to the Pacific Ocean which can be reached in only two. What more can a city-dwelling, outdoor enthusiast want? World class skiing is a stone’s throw away from Santiago and pristine coastline with sandy beaches and good surf breaks are a toss in the opposite direction.

If you have not noticed by now, I am a huge fan of Chile. To make matters even more exciting for me, I have only really seen a fraction of what Chile has to offer, traveling just about half the length of this amazing country to date. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the people in Chile are just as pleasing as their natural surroundings. There are not too many places in the world where a taxi driver will stop along side you in traffic on the busiest street in town to give you directions or where a woman sitting next to you on the subway will kindly point out the correct stop for the Brazilian Embassy after overhearing your conversation. Everyone we have met so far has been friendly, courteous and hospitable, so if you do not find yourself getting hooked on the natural beauty of Chile, you are just about as likely to become addicted to the charm of it’s people and culture.

INSERT_MAP

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Chile, Environment, South America, Trip Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New Photos – Congo (Pointe Noire)

By Steve Bouey in

November 8, 2008 – 9:35 pm

Our original plan was to leave Dolisie and head directly to Brazzaville, however, our sources in Dolisie said that the road to Brazzaville was not safe and we would most certainly encounter rebels along the way. The only other alternative was to head west to Pointe Noire and get our Angola visas there. From Pointe Noire, we could cross through the Angolan province of Cabinda before heading south into the DRC and then continuing on into mainland Angola. This was the same route our friends the African Surfers had taken so we headed west without hesitation considering it would save us a lot of driving on poor roads, we had been offered a place to stay in Pointe Noire and assistance with our visas and I was still extremely ill with malaria.

The decision to head to Pointe Noire was a fateful decision in some regards but also a blessing. We had numerous problems trying to get our Angola visas there and end the end, were unsuccessful even after four weeks of persistence. However, the hospitality and generosity we received from the expat community in Pointe Noire made up for the lack thereof by the Angolans. We ended up being stuck in Pointe Noire for over a month but thanks to the kindness of the guys working for MTN, Patrick at La Pyramide, Chris from Alpha Petroleum, the Bardin family and the Orlando family, and last but not least, Asmah and her family, our stay in Pointe Noire was as enjoyable as it could be considering our circumstances. In the end, we had no choice but to backtrack all the way to Dolisie and take the road to Brazzaville we had been warned about. Unfortunately, we had to make the trek to Brazzaville without Shoppman, who had to fly back to the States to attend his sisters wedding.

[flickr album=72157608515659370 num=44 size=Square]

INSERT_MAP

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Africa, Congo, New Photos | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New Photos – Congo (Road to Brazzaville)

By Steve Bouey in

November 7, 2008 – 5:35 am

The road to Brazzaville was probably one of the worst stretches of road we had encountered on the entire expedition for multiple reasons. It was the time of year when the rains were subsiding, but not yet completely over which meant that the roads would almost certainly be inundated with water and mud making the journey difficult at best. None of realized how bad the roads would be and how exhausting driving them would be. The stretch of road from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville is about 350 kilometers and it took us about four days to complete the journey. We were constantly getting stuck in mud that came up to your thighs, navigating seemingly impossible sections of road and at one point, having to rebuild an entire bridge in order to continue on to Brazzaville.

Then of course there were the rebels. We did make contact with the rebel group known as the “ninjas” in the Pool Region of the Congo. For the most part, our experience with the rebels actually was pretty good. We did cough up a few packs of cigarettes and a few thousand Francs here and there, but we did get some amazing photos with the rebels and were even allowed to set up camp for the night at one of the rebel outposts. It was a memorable experience and we were either extremely lucky or extremely persuasive as we were latter informed that a Doctors Without Borders vehicles was robbed and completely ransacked by the same group of rebels only a week before we drove through the area. We must have made an impression on the rebel chief because not only did he let us spend the night at his camp, he provided us with an escort to ensure that we made it through the rest of rebel territory without any problems.

[flickr album=72157608515988978 num=39 size=Square]

INSERT_MAP

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Africa, Congo, New Photos | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New Photos – Congo (Brazzaville)

By Steve Bouey in

November 4, 2008 – 5:36 am

Brazzaville also shaped up to be a new exercise in patience for The World by Road. We came into town expecting to get our Angola visas without to much problem, but instead spent about two weeks dealing with probably the most incompetent and confused diplomatic corps in the world. Again, we were forced to push on after a long and frustrating time ultimately without any Angolan visas in our passports. Unfortunately, upon entering Kinshasa in the DRC on the other side of the river, we were promptly deported for not having onward visas… a regulation that had only recently been put into place. Forced to return back across the Congo River to Brazzaville, we enlisted the help of the US Embassy. The embassy staff was outstanding and helped us to get into the DRC in a very round about way which included getting signed, sealed and stamped letters stating that our final destination was Zambia even though it is essentially impossible to travel overland from Kinshasa to Zambia.

While we waited for the diplomatic process to take place, we were again shown a great deal of hospitality from some new friends… Olivier and his wife Katherine who ran a hotel/restaurant in Brazzaville called the Hippocampe. Olivier was sympathetic to our cause since he had completed the daunting task of actually riding his bike around the world when he was younger. The Hippocampe was a great place to rest and share stories of overland travel in a friendly environment. We also had the great fortune of meeting Stewart and Analesse, a couple from South Africa who were eagerly awaiting repairs on their Land Rover so they could continue their trip north through Africa.

[flickr album=72157608519518036 num=20 size=Square]

INSERT_MAP

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Africa, Congo, New Photos | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Roadside Shrines

By Steve Bouey in

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.

The roadside shrines in Argentina and Chile come in all shapes and sizes. The shrines range in size from a small alter the size of a birdhouse to a life-size structure that you can physically enter.  Many of the shrines seem to be clustered along the outskirts of towns, although they can also be found scattered along the roads weaving throughout the countryside in seemingly random fashion. After a few months of observation and after doing a little bit of research, I have decided to group the shrines I see into three main categories, each of which are related to who the shrine has been constructed in honor of.

Gaucho Gil

Arguably the most prominent of the roadside shrines are those built in honor of Gaucho Gil. You will know immediately if a shrine is in honor of Gauch Gil by the red flags, scarves and paint decorating them. Some of the shrines to Gauch Gil have so many flags waving in the wind that you can spot them from a mile away. Gaucho Gil is a bit of a folk hero in Argentinean culture. A man who refused to go to war, Gaucho Gil deserted the army and as he was evading capture, Gil was robbing from the rich and giving to the poor while helping the sick with his healing hands. Gil was eventually captured and while pleading for his life, he explained to the military sergeant who captured him that he could help his ill son. Gil’s pleas did not work and he was executed by the sergeant who later found out that his son was in fact seriously ill. The sergeant’s son did make a miraculous recovery, but the sergeant credited the recovery of his son to praying to Gil for help. Shortly thereafter, the sergeant erected the first shrine in Gil’s honor. The distinctive shrines honoring the Robinhood-like, healing gaucho are now dotted all over the country and it is thought that the red flags and scarves characteristic of these shrines represent Gil’s neck scarf soaked in blood after his execution.

[flickr album=72157608525304253 num=10 size=Square]

Difunta Correa

During the civil war in Argentina in the mid 1800’s a man fighting in the war, Baudilio Correa, was captured, taken to the town of La Rioja and killed. Desperately wanting to recover the body of her dead husband, the grieving widow Deolinda decided to take her baby and walk to La Rioja to recover it. Unfortunately, Deolinda was unable to find water on the way to La Rioja and collapsed on the side of the road and tragically died. A passerby later found her body and miraculously, her baby was still alive, surviving by sucking milk from her breast. Deolinda’s grave soon became a holy site and people began to credit her for looking after them while lost on the road. Deolinda is now regarded as the saint of all travelers and more recently, has become especially popular among bus and truck drivers. Deolinda’s shrines are characterized by people leaving bottles of water for her in addition to photos of mangled vehicles left by people who credit her for saving them from seemingly fatal accidents on the road.

[flickr album=72157608525276901 num=10 size=Square]

Other Miscellaneous Shrines

Undoubtedly, most of the shrines on the side of the road are either built in honor of Gaucho Gil or Deolinda Correa, however, there is also a noticeable presence of other religiously themed shrines lining the sides of the road in Argentina and especially Chile. The vast majority of these shrines are catholic in nature, owing to the strong catholic presence in the region, but there are many shrines that seem to be constructed at the sites of a fatal accidents. It is sort of ironic that these types of shrines have popped up on the road after a tragedy has occurred… it is almost as if the builders feel that Deolinda in particular was not looking out for their loved ones and in a show of spite, constructed a shrine to honor their kin instead of one honoring the person who was supposed to be looking out for them. Whatever the case may be, they are all over the place and just like the shrines to Gil and Deolinda, vary in size, shape and elaborateness.

[flickr album=72157608520163280 num=20 size=Square]

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Argentina, Chile, History, South America, Trip Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

New Photos – Congo (Road to Dolisie)

By Steve Bouey in

November 1, 2008 – 2:30 am

Everyone was a little anxious heading into the Congo. We had been told that the roads were bad, that there were some potentially dangerous areas in terms of rebel activity and instability and that things in general would be a bit more difficult compared to what we had already experienced in Africa. Immediately after crossing the border from Gabon, we encountered some of those difficulties and first up to bat was our encounter with the border guards. The border crossing we chose to enter the Congo was pretty remote and there is probably not that much traffic so when we showed up, the guards were eager to see just who we were, and more importantly what we had with us. They border guards were fairly friendly, but after an hour or so of pulling everything we owned out of the trucks and going through each bag individually, even down to our toiletry kits, our patience began to wear a little thin. It proved to be the most extensive search of our trucks and our belongs to date on the expedition and to make matters worse, I was already starting to suffer from the early symptoms of malaria. I honestly do not think they were overly concerned with the security of their borders, but instead simply bored and curious.

The road south into the Congo was in pretty rough shape. It was narrow, corrugated and filled with water and mud, which made snaking our way through the jungle towards Dolisie a slow process, slow enough that we did not even come close to making it. Just before nightfall, we approached a small village and decided to ask permission to set up camp. Not knowing much about the security situation in the Congo, we figured we would be better off in the company of villagers than out in the jungle on our own. We were right, and the villagers welcomed us in with open arms. We were quite the attraction as we set up camp, prepared dinner and made some quick repairs to the trucks.

The next morning, we literally limped into Dolisie with a flat tire courtesy of the bad roads but luckily, we were fortunate enough to meet some South Africans on the road into town who offered to help us out. Derek and his colleagues were working for the telecom company MTN installing cell phone towers in the area and helped us to patch up our tires, get me the malaria medication I desperately needed and allowed us to set up our camp in the safe confines of the MTN warehouse in town. Derek was even kind enough to let me crash in his hotel room while I swat out one of the roughest nights in my life.

[flickr album=72157608514937376 num=32 size=Square]

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Africa, Congo, New Photos | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New Video – New Photos – An Argentina Asad0

By Steven Shoppman in

October 30, 2008 – 6:55 am

Just after leaving Buenos Aires, we were treated to two different delicious asados.  It has now been about a month since then, and after spending a few hours editing the video together from our time there the experience was that much more intense.  Sometimes when you are in the moment everything is happening so fast that you miss some of the little details, but after reviewing all of the video and photos the primitive style of cooking meat here in Argentina it is quite a larger extravaganza than I remembered.

Check out the photos and video for your own window into the wild world of Argentinean BBQ.

[flickr album=72157608513406119 num=30 size=Square]

The Video (Lower Quality on Youtube)

Watch the High Quality version below on Vimeo

The music from this segment

 

 

By Steven Shoppman | Posted in Argentina, Food, New Photos, New Videos, South America | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

How To Drive Through Chile Without Breaking The Bank

By Steve Bouey in

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. Some of our money saving activities are totally legitimate, some admittedly involve bending the rules a little bit and others are dependent upon the right circumstances and a little bit of luck.

Our current expedition money saving scheme involves avoiding, to the extent possible, paying for gas in Chile. Given the distance we need to cover in Chile, this sounds like a pretty difficult task, but in reality, it is actually quite simple. At about $2.45 a gallon, gas in Argentina is relatively cheap… one of the cheapest countries to fill up your tank in the entire world. On the other hand, just across the border in Chile, gas is nearly double the price averaging around $4.25 a gallon. When you take into account the distance between Puerto Natales in southern Patagonia and the dry landscape of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile (over 2,500 miles or 4,000 kilometers), the difference in the price of gas in Argentina and Chile becomes a serious budgetary factor. Luckily for us, Chile is situated in such a way geographically to make jumping across the border to fill up our tanks a very viable option for saving money. Chile may be 4,000 kilometers long, but it is only a few hundred kilometers from the coast to the Argentina border at it’s widest spot. Chile’s geographic layout, combined with international border crossings staggered about every two hundred kilometers, make it relatively easy to jump across the border into Argentina, gas up, cross back into Chile and not deviate that far from your original Chilean route. In fact, some detours across the border actually take you through some pretty spectacular scenery.

DSC_0221

DSC_0222

The only real problem with this whole money saving plan is that taking gas from Argentina across the border into Chile is not exactly welcomed by Chilean customs. We have been told that the Argentinean officials will usually let you slide if you are simply filling up the standard, manufacturer supplied tank in your vehicle. However, in our case, filling up an extra hundred liters more in external Jerry cans in a way falls into the category of smuggling. I guess it is a small price to pay compared to the price you have pay for fuel in Chile, and so far we have managed to drive several thousand kilometers in Chile without paying for gas and without getting caught bringing it in from Argentina. Furthermore, after our experience with the corrupt customs officials who hijacked our trucks in Buenos Aires, I am all for sticking it to them whenever I get the chance and therefore have absolutely no moral or ethical dilemmas with smuggling fuel out of Argentina.

DSC_0136

DSC_0256

DSC_0260

Even though it is technically illegal to bring Argentinean gas into Chile… we have also been warned by observant gas station attendants hip to our plan… customs and immigration officials on both sides of the border do not seem to be too concerned with the smuggling fuel across their respective international borders. It is a little suspect when an immigration officer stamps you out of their country only to see you reappear wanting to get back in a few hours later. In reality though, it is a much higher likelihood that you will get busted entering Chile with some dried beans or some stray fruit, vegetables, or meat that you totally forgot you even had in the trucks… check. We have managed to talk our way out of hefty fines for the aforementioned violations and hopefully we will not have any future problems with our money saving plan because so far, our little border runs have probably saved us somewhere in the realm of 300 or 400 dollars in fuel expenditures. We did have one little hick-up with our operation and that involved the keys being locked in the Sequoia by a rouge gust of wind in Argentina a few hours before we were scheduled to board a once a week ferry in Chile, but disaster was avoided with the help of a friendly Bombero (firefighter) in Rio Turbio with a piece of wire. So, for the time being, our fuel smuggling activities will most certainly continue wherever possible. I just hope the customs guys have not written down our website from the side of the trucks and decided to check out the site and read our blogs because the only real cost of these international fuel runs right now is about 16 additional stamps on my already rapidly filling passport.

DSC_0230

DSC_0003

By Steve Bouey | Posted in Argentina, Borders, Visas and Paperwork, Chile, South America, The Toyotas, Trip Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)