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:

1. Must learn reasonable conversational Spanish. I know a lot of words but no sentences, etc. I am using this online thing called duolingo. Looking for an an immersion program in LA. There are some Spanish classes by me but they don't start right away.
2. Lose at least 30 lbs. At 257 - I'm 40-50 lbs over-weight right now. It's just no fun in a lot of ways. I won't enjoy myself unless I get below 230. Plus I hope to get laid a decent amount with my fun story and mad Spanish skillz.
3. Maximize my social media footprint so hopefully the blog picks up some traction and has a lot of viewers. IE - finish photo website (pretending to sell photos), get active in 500px (2p2 for photographers), start blogging, get active on forum for people doing these driving adventures (forget the name), FJ Cruiser forums, Instagram.
4. Figure out what modifications if any I want to do to my car. A flat roof rack with a pop-up tent seems really cool. But as I'm going to be jobless maybe I should think about limiting spending. Or maybe some kind of hidden compartment to hide camera gear/computers/etc?
5. Research, get permits, visas etc. ahead of time.

Big question is whether or not to take my FJ Cruiser or buy an Outback or something for $5k:

Pros:

1. Great car, nice and high so I can see things developing.
2. Built like a tank to protect me in a crash.
3. Can get into fun places like camping on the beach.
4. I pan to blog the whole thing - so me and my FJ is a fun angle. Me and my Camry lacks the same zing.

Cons:

1. Everyone says try not to draw attention to yourself. Big ginger beard with CA plates in that car does the exact opposite. (I'm hoping people will think I'm ex-military or something lol)
2. I am stupidly emotionally attached to my car, and have put some customizations into it. It's got 100k miles so it could easily last me another 10 years. I really would have a hard time selling it at the end, even though supposedly you can get good money in Brazil. Also I know there's a very real probability it doesn't come back from being totaled, or stolen. I have to be ok with that.
3. 15 miles to the gallon/15 gallon tank (yeah wtf) - but I figure I can carry extra tanks.

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.

Who controls the radio?

Soo... traveling through Columbia eh..... Von miller might want a ride.

Yep, she's hotter than bacon grease.

Wear a rubber dude

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.

UshuaiaOrBust.com (I haven't done anything with it yet - on the list).

Who ever has an ipod and doesn't have terrible taste in music.

Watch your cornhole.

Department store mannequin filled with anti freeze.

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?

I think I fit that bill. You like Air Supply, right?

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.

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.

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Isn't that a late 90s grindcore band?

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.

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

:D Absolutely not.

Bud - I got conversational fluent in Italian at the Beverly Hills lingual institute. Not expensive like you'd think.

Hola fellow planeteers! New touchy-feely blog post is up: http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2017/12/16/...time-equalize/

Current plan:

• Leave Wednesday (the 20th)
• Chill out with my friend in Tijuana for a night
• Maybe camp at La Jolla campground south of Ensenada in La Bufadora - or maybe just head further into Baja
• Camp and hike for a few days in Sierra de San Pedro Martín national park in central Baja
• Make my way to La Paz, take the ferry over to Mazatlan on the mainland
• Maybe head down toward Puerto Vallarta and chill on the beach for a bit
• Go north a bit to San Miguel de Allende for a few days
• Make my way to Puebla for a week-long intensive Spanish school a this place: https://www.livitspanish.com/ which comes highly recommended
• Hang out in Oaxaca for a few days at a couple campgrounds which are hubs for "overlanders" - who are people doing what I am doing, except most of them have some sort of camper van or RV. Mostly I plan to eat lots of mole. Food in Oaxaca is a highlight of the trip
• Make my way over to Tulum by Feb 1 - to meet up with some friends who are doing a similar trip (except the whole world) on their motorcycles: http://endofallroads.com/ (they're all pilots with a lot of seniority, so they're taking a month on/month off to ride - 3 year trip around the world)
• Hang out in Tulum for a couple weeks
• Then all signs point to a very pretty girl I work with coming to hang out with me for 3 weeks, drive from Tulum, check out Belize for a week, then Guatemala
• After that it's pretty wide open, but I will probably try to find another week-long intensive spanish class in Antigua, Guatemala
• Then my motorcycle buddies will be driving the rest of the way through Central America starting March 15th
• Then I still have to be in Patagonia on 4/16 but I will probably fly because I have determined it's ridiculous to try to drive down there that fast

So that's the latest - keep up with the blog for more!

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.

I don't know what I thought you looked like. But it wasn't that.

Enjoy your adventure!

Thanks man. What did you see any of the campgrounds in La Bufadora? Trying to decide if I should hang out for a bit or just head down to mid-Baja to hike.

https://i.imgur.com/iYxKhvM.jpg?1

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:

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.

Good luck on the trip!

Why does it say McChicken on the taco wrapper?

LMAO didnt notice that until you said something

Hell you cant even get authentic Mexican in Mexico these days!

I noticed this and the fact that the tip jars are filled with US dollars. Food looks good though

Curious about your co-pilot, are we sure he is the right man for the job?

Pantagonia on a motorcycle with a fly rod, only way to do it

Yep, if you cant do it that way... its a worthless waste of time

super cool

im jelly

Because the wrappers are stolen

That’s a damn good question. They don’t even have pollo in the menu.

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.

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.

Very cool! Good luck, have fun and be safe......:clap:

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.

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.

Great read and pictures. Looking forward to future posts.

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.

Yeah the standard route is to go down the west coast of South America (mostly - the drive down Chile is very very long and some people jog over to Argentina where it's flat and much faster), then curl back up and do some Uruguay and Southern Brazil, then ship your car somewhere else or sell it. I have seen a blog of someone who did the Trans-Amazonica highway in a land cruiser. If I'm feeling crazy adventurous I might try that. Then in theory from there you could drive across Venezuala to Colombia. But I haven't heard of anyone trying that. So very doubtful. Maybe by next year it will be more stable.

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.

I'm on FJCruiserForums.com - member since 2007. They all think I'm crazy. One dude was literally too scared to take his FJ into Baja and rented a Rav4 instead. Which is just ridiculous. Baja is so safe. Seriously. The worst thing I've heard about is petty crime. I feel safer here than most of LA. Also no one's going to steal an FJ because it would stick out like a sore thumb. At worst they might smash and grab. But I have a locking trunk in the back that should prevent them from getting anything too valuable.

I kick myself harder and harder every day for not coming down here during the last 17 years I've lived in LA.

He did quit twitter as planned, but because he got a job in Berlin. I knew about 6 months ago he was wavering so haven't counted on him. I'm going to meet up with my friends on motorcycles in a few weeks. Then my hot female coworker is coming down at the end of Feb.

You might want to put a link to your blog in the OP.

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.

Done - thanks!

Sounds like a once in a lifetime trip he is missing out on

Thats a great adventure you're on, color me jelly

Thanks! Latest blog post is up: http://ushuaiaorbust.com/2018/01/02/...as-shipwrecks/

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.

Very cool. I’ll be following and watch your six down there.

Any CPers in Cabo right now?

It might sound cliche and corny... but when in Cabo, why not hit up Sammys bar for

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Good read man. Sounds like you're enjoying yourself.

Thanks - I'm having a blast so far. Baja is amazing. I head to the mainland in a ferry on Tuesday.

Cool, look forward to your next blog.

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

Yeah I can imagine. "Gen-Xers are weird man."

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/

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Also suzzer tries surfing.

http://ushuaiaorbust.com/wp-content/...-1024x768.jpeg

If you're still in Cabo, be sure to hit Taco Gardenias. It's near downtown Cabo.

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.

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

Sorry, man! Next time!

You can buy (or infinitely lease technically I think) a nice plot of land in most of these places for like $15k. Some places are sketchier than others about getting the rug pulled out from under you though.