Planning to drive from LA to Patagonia next year (looking for copilots)
Link to blog!!! - http://ushuaiaorbust.com/blog/
I better post this before I get banned for welching on my bet and posting in DC. If I'm banned and anyone wants to go for any part of the trip - PM flopnuts or BRC - they know me on twoplustwo.com and can contact me. More eyes and ears are always welcome. I've got one guy who wants to go - but he'd have to quit his job, so obviously nothing is guaranteed. I just got back from a photo trip in Patagonia, where we drove a lot. I LOVE the region and South America in general. Never been to Central America but I've had some great trips in Mexico. I have two jobs and I'm sick of both. I don't think the side job will last much longer, and the day job is about done for me. I probably need to stick it out until the end of year to get my bonus and pay off some 401(k) loans. But unless I get plugged into some interesting projects - I'm gone. I figure there has to be some advantage to dying alone with no kids. This would be the adventure of my life. I'd try to live-blog it as much as possible. Our photo tour guide from the Patagonia trip is planning a 20-day partial boat tour next May that he's calling "an expedition". We'll get into some fjords in Southern Chile that hardly any one's ever been to - much less landscape photographers. So that's my parameter - be in Patagonia by mid-May. I've done some cursory research, and it seems pretty doable. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35876322/n...nyc-argentina/ http://www.worldlyrambles.com/summar...o-or-not-to-do You have to ship your car across the Darien Gap - which is a PITA. Very rough plan is to drive to Cabo, then take the ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan. Then head South. I'd probably zip across El Salvador and Honduras as fast as possible, enjoy myself in Costa Rica and maybe Nicaragua. I've been to Peru, Columbia, Chile and Argentina and know they're pretty safe. I feel like I'd want to avoid driving in Brazil, Venezuela (govt might seize my car) or the Guyanas. Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia should be fine. I know not to drive at night in sketchy places and find secure parking for my car. I plan to mostly camp and stay in hostels. I can sleep in my car in a pinch. Maybe splurge on a hotel when I want some extra security for my car. On the way back I may either sell my car or ship to LA or Florida from Colombia. Prerequisites:
Big question is whether or not to take my FJ Cruiser or buy an Outback or something for $5k: Pros:
Cons:
Any thoughts or advice is mucho appreciated. I am fine with the idea that I could have everything stolen and have to limp back with my tail between my legs. You don't have an adventure w/o risking something. If I get killed I had a good life. My biggest fears are getting kidnapped or paralyzed in a car wreck. Both seem fairly low probability. |
Lots of people who have done this keep blogs of the trip. This guy is my favorite so far. Some Korean dude decided to drive an old Mercedes Turbo Diesel on the Pan-American highway. I like his attitude and this section made me fall in love with Guatemala: http://drivetosouthamerica.com/photo-journal/guatemala/
http://i.imgur.com/2nqUAJj.jpg I have been to Colombia and the girls there are just flat out insane. Imagine a girl like this working as a shipping clerk in the US. |
That's really awesome. What's the name of your blog? Hope you're able to post some updates on here.
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Who controls the radio?
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Soo... traveling through Columbia eh..... Von miller might want a ride.
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Yep, she's hotter than bacon grease.
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Wear a rubber dude
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Sounds exciting. I hope your blog takes off and that you don't die.
I wouldn't worry about getting banned. I don't think people get banned for welching on bets in DC. |
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Watch your cornhole.
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Department store mannequin filled with anti freeze.
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It sounds exciting. Good luck with the prep work. You just got back? It was a guided tour of some sort? How'd you book it?
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Sell that FJ. The blue books on those vehicles are through the roof. It'll let you have some money for when/if you make it back. Sounds like a fun adventure.
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Sounds like a once in a lifetime epic adventure, and also dangerous
Its basically the Wild West in some parts of the nations you'll be passing through, the hidden compartment for valuables idea is a good one, and I would definitely make sure my Spanish is somewhat fluent |
These two guys might be interested.
<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KAWoP1kncRE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> |
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Learn Spanish, gringo, or you'll stick out like a sore thumb.
Also, have fun. |
Yep I'm cramming as much as I can for the next 6 months.
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YOU'RE A FOOL AND YOU'RE GONNA DIE.
Just kiddin. Mexico is a safe place. Nothing like Syria. |
I read a blog about some dude who drove from Alaska to Argentina in a Wrangler. Seems like an amazing trip.
Last i read, he was gonna circumnavigate Africa in his Wrangler, but that would lead to certian death I'd believe. Good luck |
carry a gun
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Bud - I got conversational fluent in Italian at the Beverly Hills lingual institute. Not expensive like you'd think.
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Hola fellow planeteers! New touchy-feely blog post is up: http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2017/12/16/...time-equalize/
Current plan:
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Really cool blog and thread dude. good luck! I've body surfed at that beach where the trailer park is in La Bufadora. We used to go do the Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride every spring and fall. Once I had kids that stopped -heh. But good times. have a great trip. what an adventure! Rep.
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I don't know what I thought you looked like. But it wasn't that.
Enjoy your adventure! |
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Heh - this is the the girl who seems pretty serious about joining me. Just another dog hoping to have his day. Anyone feel free to reach out to me on social media - all the links are at the bottom of my blog. |
And we are on the road (left Thursday). The longest journey starts with the first beer. Or something like that.
Did a Tijuana bearded gringo brewery/gastrobpub-crawl with a poker buddy. He had tons of good inside info. on how to be an American in Mexico. My back was killing me after 3 days of nonstop packing and moving, and I felt sick yesterday. So I decided to get a cheap hotel room in Ensenada and am resting - hoping i feel good enough to do a hard hike or two soon in this National Park: https://moon.com/2017/06/parque-naci...r-baja-mexico/ I probably won't post here too often, but feel free to follow my blog: http://ushuaiaorbust.com/ https://i.imgur.com/plfSs0w.png https://i.imgur.com/UZrtj9P.png https://i.imgur.com/DyrAAEK.jpg That's the good stuff. https://i.imgur.com/KwIwEj4.png Best al pastor ever. These burned their way out today. https://i.imgur.com/weREdZb.png Friendship Park, where the border meets the sea. https://i.imgur.com/ryhdTOi.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AaB884p.jpg We are strawberries we want to be food. Do not step on us! |
Looking forward to frequent reports with plenty of pics, stay safe :thumb:
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It starts today? I haven't even started packing.
Oh, well. I'm out. May your roads be bandit-free and may your water always be pure. |
And poops be as solid as they can be.
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Good luck on the trip!
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Why does it say McChicken on the taco wrapper?
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Hell you cant even get authentic Mexican in Mexico these days! |
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Curious about your co-pilot, are we sure he is the right man for the job?
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Pantagonia on a motorcycle with a fly rod, only way to do it
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super cool
im jelly |
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Given the McChicken wrapper and the US dollars in the tip jar, I'm starting to think this whole thing is a scam. I bet he's going to spend the entire year in some suburb of Tucson. I want to see a big canal and some ladies in bowler hats before I believe him.
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Wife and I took an excursion to Ensenada on our honeymoon cruise. There was a Mexican restaurant by one of the beaches that was ****ing LEGIT. I don’t remember much about how to get here other than a wood fire oven and the food.
Wife was super drunk and ate a Serrano (sp?) thinking it was a “little jalapeño”. I spent the next hour laughing my ass off and telling her she didn’t want those Mexican hospitals. It was way more fun than the beach. |
First actual travel blog post is up! http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2017/12/26/and-were-off/ Man this is time consuming. I wrote the content in like an hour the other night when I had no internet. But just getting all the images uploaded, captions and stuff took 4 hours.
Now to go dig up gblowfish 10 things so I can get a recap of the game I missed. |
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Really nice read, enjoyed it very much
That trip will be worth it for the eats alone, those seafood dishes are absolutely murdering me |
suzzer has a Christmas Eve moment: http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2017/12/29/...as-eve-posole/
Still struggling to keep up in the blog. Very little cel or wifi in central Baja doesn't help. |
Good read. Sounds like you lucked out for xmas eve.
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Good stuff yet again, keep up the good work
BTW you said you're now traveling alone, what happened to your co-pilot? |
Really cool, thanks for sharing the updates!
I had the pleasure of going from Oregon to Florida in a camper van for 30 days back in 1990. It was great and well worth all of the memories and stories. But what you are doing is on a whole different level. We never went to foreign lands or anywhere that there was much chance for language issues. I am impressed that you are taking this on and am sure it will be one of the greatest opportunities you will have in your life. Stay safe out there and keep us updated! |
I'm assuming you're avoiding Venezuela on your way down.
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Great read and pictures. Looking forward to future posts.
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Get on tacomaworld.com and start a thread about this, you'll get a lot of help.
FJCruiser is a good base vehicle. |
The Christmas eve post was really good. Thanks for sharing.
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I do want to fly in and see Angel falls however. I assume there are tour groups for that. So unless Venezuala bans Americans I'm going to try that. |
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I kick myself harder and harder every day for not coming down here during the last 17 years I've lived in LA. |
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You might want to put a link to your blog in the OP.
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Thanks a lot guys. It's actually really not dangerous at all so far. Baja is as safe as Patagonia imo - which was also very safe. You just have to be smart about stuff. But even then there's no armed-banditry or anything like that. Just petty crime. Hell in most of the bigger towns all the Mexicans have iPhones. It's really only when you're near the migrant labor camps - where they don't have a pot to piss in - that you have to worry about your car. And all the hotels have big fortress courtyards with gates they close at night - so you know your car is safe. Or if you camp out you pay like $5 and you're inside some safe fence. Once you get to central Baja there's basically nothing - and wild camping is totally safe. I've found Mexicans in Baja almost entirely to be extremely polite, trusting, honest and courteous. It's seems kind of like Alaska - where people stick together because they're so spread out and rely on their neighbors fighting the elements. There are a million snowbirds down here from the US and Canada. If it's safe for a 70-year-old couple in a $200k RV, it's safe for anyone. I encourage anyone to come down and drive Baja some time. I've been to a ton of places and it's probably the most scenic drive I've ever seen next to Southern Utah. |
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Thats a great adventure you're on, color me jelly |
Thanks! Latest blog post is up: http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2018/01/02/...as-shipwrecks/
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I'm following along and enjoying your trip. you're saving me a lot of money as I can scratch this off my bucket list.
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Any CPers in Cabo right now?
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Good read man. Sounds like you're enjoying yourself.
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Thanks - I'm having a blast so far. Baja is amazing. I head to the mainland in a ferry on Tuesday.
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Hmmm, wonder if somewhere out there there's some surfer dudes posting on their blog about the weird traveling dude who kept bugging them about a party.:D |
So incredibly jealous of you. I wish I was able to go with you
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A couple new blog posts since my last post here. Lots of food, some nice scenery and fun 4x4ing:
http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2018/01/07/2-bahias-1-cove/ http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2018/01/12/best-things-life/ <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/94dvbV7Ygss" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe> Also suzzer tries surfing. http://ushuaiaorbust.com/wp-content/...-1024x768.jpeg |
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Best fish tacos in the world. Also, there's another great place in the marina called Los Deseos. |
Thanks but too late unfortunately. I'm in San Miguel de Allende now. I took the ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan a couple nights ago. I spent one night on a boat (Crazy Collin from the blog) in Puerto Vallarta. Next week I start a 5-day spanish immersion class in Puebla.
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I've yet to see any food that I wouldnt totally destroy, and the natural beauty down there is really something to see... I'd like to let a coastal Mexican come live in my place for 6 months a year, and I'll take his place
Its too bad about the that crumbling dream home, looks like it had real potential at one point |
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