10.12.11 Writing this last blog entry for
2011, onboard MS Grande Africa in DAKAR; Senegal. The last link between the
continents: from this small island Isle de Goree 1km off Dakar in the course of
+-400 years some 15 million!! African slaves have been shipped off to American
plantations and mines allover. The old continent of civilised Europe gaining
silver and gold (see further).
1.12.11 Sitting with 2 more globedrivers at this
50.000tons RoRO’s (small) swimmingpool looking out over deepblue waters under
the almost vertical sun in between New and Old in the midst of the
transatlantic (to Dakar, then Hamburg). We crossed the equator exactly 4 years
after our first one in Kenya (11.6), later repeated in Ecuador(5.10) and Brazil (10.10).
3 years and 141.000km after the Katamarano
arrived by ship in Baltimore, via magnificent sites, nature, people, colours
and smells, from afrocaribbean blacks full of alegria to ancient golden (pre-)Inca jewels. From marvels as the
Grand Canyon and the Iguazu Falls, from 10’s of superb sunsets and 2 robberies,
via 2 short flights to long awaited scenery (Angel Falls and Nasca lines)
and37hours boating on the Amazone
estuary, to free goods and dance & music,and to lost civilizations and lost car parts enroute.Within the Americas
the differences in culture, nature, economy and reality are enormous zigzagging
from North to South via the Centralamericas.
+100.000 of pics and an equal amount of
fantastic experiences and opportunities to witness this New Continent. Armed
with an open mind, some more than basic equipment, some decent knowledge of
languages & what to expect, and a good Lumix camera.
Yet the 141.000km in 22 ½months in the Americas are completely
different from the 134.000km in 28 ½ months of Africa and Asia . AndI must admit : happy tohave been here, … I’d still prefer southern
and eastern Africa… but we still have ANOTHER 29 months ahead of us!
The last Aremains to be explored: indeed, the other A –down under- is still
relatively unknown to us, as is 80% of good old Europe.
So don’t cry, for in 2012 … we’ll continue
to another continent once more.
WHAT a marvel, the Americas!
We’re glad we’ve seen most
of the great things here, but agree not having seen it all. The Galapagos (too
expensive) or Ushuaia (too far south with winter coming up), some of the places
we could not get to for lack of an adequate 4x4, because of bad continued
weather, or cause we simply didn’t know or care of its existence.
On the other hand we’ve been
to places few globedrivers/trotters go to, for the same reasons if with
opposite effect. Very few drive all the way to Columbia ‘s National parque of
Tayrona or the San Augustin site; Venezuela’s Angel Falls, or the NorthEast
corner of Brazil’s splendid beaches. Let alone risk doing the jungle trip in ex-British
Guyana-Suriname-French Guiana.
Some mobilhomes or 4x4’s
driven here around by Europeans experienced very big technical problems with
electronics or else. We do not know of a single vehicle which did not suffer
any at all or got completely broke.
Some of our colleagues got
themselves into serious travel-related problems with real robbery at gunpoint,
stabwounds from knives, destruction of their vehicle by accident or on purpose.
Others have been blocked by serious floods or nasty roadblocks due to strikes, or
have seen the inside of a ‘hospital’ during someweeks due toinsect bites ortropical diseases.Some
have lost all their valuables, some were forced to return home earlier than
planned for, we learnt sad stories of corruption, scams or aggression.
Some were very
disappointed with (too) many bad experience(s) on the road ...but without them you cannot travel, not even
in so-called civilized Europe or the USA.
Some came totally
unprepared, speaking not a single word of Spanish, without a minimum ofmechanical training. Or arrived withold or false
information, or just plain stupidity and ignorance causing them problems which
could easily have been avoided.
For some it was the first
trip abroad, with a very old or very new mobilhome or 4x4, and who came less
prepared mainly suffered more than the seasoned traveller.
For some it means the very
last trip (never again such an experience), for others it opened up the desire
for more and better. Some travel to meet up with other Europeans living here or
also travelling like they do. Some drive to impress the friends/colleagues with
‘see what we dare/can afford/do’ syndrome boasting about with a very elaborate
blog or more. Some think they know it all as now really seasoned
America-drivers.
In +13 months in the south
Americas, 6 months in the north, and 3 in the central Americas the Ford
Katamarano’sodometer just hits 145.000km.
We came not as the x
millionth tourist to just enjoy the sites, with some of our footsteps in
historical places, to find beaches in splendid isolation, to feel nature
abound, for the wide vistas, the colours and aromas, the jungle and deserts,
the sunsets; for some unique magical even mysterious hotspots on or off the
beaten track.
We mainly drive around
traveling to witness the alegria in
dance music streetlife, to put in our memory
(and that of our HD’s) the small things of local life; to see for ourselves for
instance why beautifulCarthagena
never got in the hands of pirates as opposed to many other Spanish silver/trade
towns including Panama; to discover
the few remaining gold treasures or ancient mummies tucked away for posterity;
and to see some traditions that will soon disappear as in other countries.
But why DO WE trAvel!! To curiously learnof this mix of ancient
cultures of Inca and other indigenas with Africans imported manumilitareand immigrating Europeans
lured by a quick dash into gold silver or later on sugarcane or mining or
wood…), with some flavour of Japan, India,…; curious to see how this failure of the old colonisers France
Holland Denmark Germany Sweden England Portugal and Spain ‘in the name of the
King/Queen and the Church’ (but actually just to boost temporarily the next war
within the old continent) led in no time to robbery by pirates and buccaneers,
later to slave revolts& guerrilla fighting, sea battles &wars for trade
and silver and gold, and finally to cries and wars for independencia by local libertadores such as Che and Bolivar,
leading again to 19th-20thC dictatorships & military one
manshows, and totoday’s +- stable ‘democracies of the rich and powerful’, and
even world top economies such as Brazil(as long as this lasts).
Partly our challenge was to go for some of the
mythical stuff, the gold ormedicine or
wood ‘diggers’ in the Amazon, the rites by local shamans and voodoos, or the
rhythm of capoeira or music inspired by the Afro- grand grand grandparents; to
conquer the not done ‘roads’ via British Guyana and the equal ‘offroad’ leading
in the end to the Amazona, after
Suriname and the Dom of French Guiana; to find out why beautiful Cartagena –
free standing spanish city within a fortified walls, with its today’s
stillsplendid fortifications and
hundreds of guns- seems one of the few 16t-18th Charbours (as an island surrounded by swamps
N+E, the open Caribbean W+S, and accessible only by the zigzagging channel into
Boca Grande) never been captured and destroyed by the Drakes or Morgans and
their lot of pirates resp. buccaneers…; to going that extra mile for a
traditional fiesta or that magnificent site off the beaten track, or find
another exquisite marvel by Brazil’s baroc ‘Michelangelo’ in Minas
Gerais.
Add to these 22 1/2 months
on the American Continent (2008-2011) our 28 1/2in Asia (2004-2006) and Africa
(back in 2006-2008)and we still got a mere 29 months available (of our total 80
months planned for this worldtour) for Europe, Australia, and maybe China.Mmmm.
!! Enjoy Xmas and START OFF –from
OLD to NEW- in A FANTASTIC 2012 !!
100 Pics are better than 1000’s of words,
here just a few from the last months.Give us a few more weeks to upload the
colors of the New continent over our fast line at home.
Why should YOU want to come to SouthAmerica? Because of the
DIVERSITY & Variation from N to S, from E to W, even within countries, in
terms of :
Nature!Go and find your spot for days or weeks of solitary discovery in or
out the 100’s of national parks. From +45degrees desert to snowcapped +5.000m
tops, from kilometerwide streams to hotwet jungle, it is a huge and sometimes
raw subcontinent here. You want to raft, ski, surf, kayak, golf, hike, fish?
The choice is incredibly wide.
5.200km from the northernmost spot in
Argentina to deepsouth Ushuaia.
7.400km of (some of the worlds’ nicest) beaches
in Brazil alone.
Cayman rich Pantanal to orka-rich
Atlantic.Unspoilt Altiplano till cascading blue glaciers. Fjords, Andes, andmillions of ha of agriculture for mais, bananas,
coffee, cows, horses, mate, … but beware of the coca mafia.
Culture!From ancient and antiques pre-Inca constructions of +2.000 B.C. to world
famous 20th C architect Niemeyer, 1.000 years of medicines and
shamanism, magnificent Iglesiasfrom 16th C onwards, be impressed by +2.000 year old pottery or +700
year jewellery in the Gold Musea. Or attend nice jazz, tango … evenings for
free.
Alegria! And
lust for life, as expressed in Dance and Music! Apart from traditional folk
music, you can discover live the rythms of samba, tango, merengue,bossa nova,
tropicalia, or afro-inspired cumba, candombe, mapale or porro…and on the
Caribbean side of course Bob’s reggae.
Or read up some of the NoblePrizeliterature
like Pablo Neruda or Garcia Gabriel Marquez.
Meet with giant
tapir, river otter, rhea, kondor. Swim with dolphins or piranhas. Or go and see
the last of the giant leather &marine turtles, harpy eagles, armadillo,
Humboldt and Magellan penguins…And the traditional agriculture in e.g. Bolivia.
Drive
thru the unspoilt Andes or Cordilleras, along
active volcanoes, on the last of the famous dirtroads such as the Carretera Austral or theripio-richRuta 40, or in the dusty traces of Paris-Dakar. Play polo with the
top, enjoy the best asados and parillas and savour the topwines, pisco sour, caipirinha or local cerveza
and succos.Assist the local festivals
and spiritual shamanism or other (religious) events.
But beware of sandflies and mosquitos,
tarantula, anaconda and puma.
History!Go in the foot/horsesteps of dirty war Pizarro, saintly20th
C Dom HelderCamara or tough 19thCfreedomfighter dentist Tiradentes. Drive from pre-Inca sites (Quilmes,
Trujillo…) to the Secret Valley and Machu Pichu. Learn from Generals having
lost or won (a) war(s), from El Libertador to el Che…, from cruel 20th
C dictatorships to todays scandals and potential dictators.
Be aware of todays persistent or coming up
disasters, such as inflation, FARC and other guerillera, unemployment,
inequality. Add to these de-forestation, lack of quality roads once out of the
main towns;coming up industry (petroleum chemistry car… ), huge waste and
pollution problemsaround mines (nitrate, silver, …), oil or illegal gold and
de-forestation sites, and feel the abundance of ozone, or the shortage in
drinking water. And likewise acknowledgethe ever expandingfavelas and more insecurity due to poverty.
Food! The famous rodizio
restaurants in Brazil where waiters line up with the nicest BBQ carne, the 1$ /menu deals in Bolivia (2
in Peru), salmon or trout at indecent prices.., or line up in Rio’s most crazy restorante at even crazier prices!
Nice
encounters and Great pics!Provided you have a
decent camera and loads of memory cards, and you can speak a bit of Spanish
and/or Portuguese, and come with an open mind and curiosity built-in: it will
be met by friendly locals anxious to meet those strangers on the road.
Security?it is best to take the guidebooks advice as to what areas to avoid
(at night) in (larger) cities or even some beaches. Otherwise: hardly more of a
problem than travels in Europe. Anyhow it calls for some luck, but we stayed
several times opposite Rio and were not even aware of the gangwars with the
policia and military, causing e.g. 14 deaths in 1 night (from 1.2007 till 7.2010
just under 31.500 people died in aggressions in Rio alone!).
Costs
involved?? Traveling around by your own mobilhome
is as in Europe, at better dieselprices but with huge distances. We spend not
much money with 95% of wild camping, and food is rather to very cheap. Of
course whatcould prove very expensive: your car must first get there and
return, and stay fit on not always tarmac roads!
Weather??Apart from the El Nino effect, beware of volcano ash and earth
shocks or occasional mini-tsunami, periodical torrential rain, extreme heath
and high altitude (temperature and lack of oxygen). Aminimum of planning and
weekly weather updates for the region you’re going into should take care of
most.
Diseases??A good amount of sweaters, KW, fleece, a good travel medicines
box, some pre vaccination and a really good travel assistance/ insurance should
take care of that as well.
Bad
roads & long distances?Of course, this is the
south Americas for you to explore. But you do NOT need a 4x4. Some careful
driving, avoiding all topes and, hey
man you’re supposed to be enjoying your holidays!
Nasty
people?? No more than in Europe or the USA. With
some precautions where and when to go or park and stay the night it should not
, - but potentially could – be(come) a problem.Luckily for campers the bad guys
did not yet discover the use of sleeping gas sprays to rob you (but apparently
in Bariloche they do!).
And e.g. Brazil is gradually cleaning up
its capital to be ready for the 2014 World football, and the 2016 Olympics. The
overall hospitality and friendliness, the thumbs up of the Brazilian, the smile
of the villagers outbeat it all.
Will WE come back here??From New Mexico/California onwards going south once more is not part
of our future travels for having seen enough of it, partly because also it is
becomingquite more dangerous
(Honduras…) and … there simply remains too much to be seen outside the
Americas.
When we can say we are glad to have been
around here so long: No, if ever we start allover we would love to return to
Africas game scene, maybe even Canada’s northern nature, and maybe even some
parts of the USA we did not yet travel.
And of course continue the second half of
India.Although, maybe we one day, taking our lead from James A.Michener’shistoric roman Caribbean, we might just
follow Columbus’ first trips here, when he ‘discovered not another route to
India or even China’ but this new world arriving at the Americas… via the
Caribbean isles.
Highlights South America 4.10-1.12.11
World’s highest waterfall
World’s largest waterfalls
Junglecrossing British Guyana
Dutch Suriname
Colourful cliffbeaches NE Brasil
Amazone islands crossing to Belem
Afro-(brasil) music capoera vibes colours
and fullmoondance
ArtworkbyMichelangelo
of Brasil
Museos de Oro
|Bogota, Cuenca, Quito) and Lima’seroticmuseum Rafael Larco Herrera
Sacred Valley and pre-inca wealth
Bahias do Rio /
San Salvador
Bolivia’s +4.500m
highalteplano and (salt) lakes
Museo Templo Luna
Trujillo
The blue glaciers Patagonia
Blessing of the Sea Peru
Armed robbery Salvador beach, andseat robbery Iberia
Pasa de los
condores
Papillon’sprisoncamp
KOUROU’S Ariane launch
site
Suriname’s bird contests
Ecuador’s Bullfight and Gold
Colombia’s exquisite Cartagena and Gold
Uruguay’s priceless classics
MuseoFonck Valparaiso
The fjords, glaciers and pure nature in S
Chile
The desert andElTatio Geysers in N Chile
Colours and smells of local markets
N.B. if someone can help me recover 3.000$ stolen by
Iberia (the Number 1 Spanish airline) …. a finders’ fee is guaranteed!
