Adventure-Overland: Transafrica - Panamericana and next?

I will start the panamericana in the next days. This time without an specific time frame, or route plans. I will decide during the day - what I will do on the next day. I`m 40 now and always dreamed about an extended or big trip. There is no timeframe who looks perfect for something like that. In the early 20`s I had not enough money. Later the career don't called for an break. With 40 both doesn't looks better, to be honest. But sometimes we have to risk something.

Time is the most valuable what we have - why not risking something - to take time for ourself? We don't know if we are able to travel that way when we are retired. So I did quit my job and will start in the next days.



Here you can follow my journey:

http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

Like on our Transafrica - I will report in SMS Style over my two-way satellite-Messenger - till I have an Internet connection to upload larger text and pictures.  I hope to write on a daily base - but when travelling extended and without an exact schedule, this may be hard to write that often.

For the Transafrica I was well prepared, had a tight schedule, a booked car shipping homewards - I love the freedom who comes with the new trip!

My funds are not very high, but for overlanding you (should) not need much money. No Hotels, not much restaurant food, wild camping - helps to save money.

I will try too to keep you updated here. And hope to meet some of your travelers, who are also on the Panamericana  

Surfy

Blimey, big step and on your own. Bon voyage!!!

Sonds like a great trip, will follow your travels on the forum, so Bon voyage

Thank you for your comments and Feedback! Now I`m since some days in Ushuaia, and are waiting for the arrival of my container who hopefully contains my car

I did feel the limitations of the live as Packpacker, who have to book Tours or use the official Bus-Lines. I miss the travelling liberty we have as self driving overlanders, to stop where we want, to rest where we want, to light a fire an enjoying the nature....

Unfortunately not just the Hotels and Hostels are fully booked, also the rental cars aren't available. I`m happy that I was able to book an Hotel, bevor for the last Rooms was sold for over 2500 USD/Week - here is high season.







More pictures and more detailed experiences you can find in the travel blog and diary:
http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

4x4tripping

Hi and as Happy new year,
Photos look great, feel sure your motor will arive soon, and be OK,
best of luck on your trip,

Nice beaver!

Thanks for your feedback  

There are some new updates in the Blog - here just some short notes.

It is very relaxed to have enough time during traveling. I was a full week in Ushuaia, did a lot of trips, but also some days where I just walk through the city and relax. But I still miss my car - and hope that he arrive soon.

I did meet many interesting people, and start to get a feeling for traveling alone.

The catch of the day (out of the aquarium for shure). These Kingcrabs are.... Very tasty!



The animals you will not miss, if you visit Ushuaia



an amazing szenery seen on an booked 4x4 trip



another perspective of Ushuaia



The diary and a lot more of pictures you will find here:   http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

4x4tripping

There happens a lot in the meantime. I did have a nice time in Buenos Aires, a very nice city! I like the city from the beginning.

I did a lot what i should not do as a tourist - running around at night with my camera, visiting "no-go" areas, using my smartphone to find my way and so on.

And finally I was able to get my car out of the Port of Zarate.

Everything went fine so far, the car is here, and everything sees to work fine.  













Now I don't need a Hotel, don't have to fight about to get my meat "medium-rare" - I can do it by myself.

You can find my diary and a lot of more pictures at http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

Glad to here you now have your car, happy travels,

Medium rare, the only way. I had one of the kingcrabs in Florida - 3ft across and VERY tasty.

Now you have your vehicle you can at last get out there and explore. Go for it!

Now I`m on the road since a while, have travelled through parts of argenina and chile.










There is a lot to read and a lot of pictures in the blog: http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

I`m still writing any day my diary.

Empty beaches ... wonderful!

I don`t know where to start. There happens a lot in the meantime!

Let me show you some pictures as appetizer - at the bottom you will find the link to the daily diary and a lot of more pictures :-)

This pictures are a conclusion of my trip till Coyhaique



















The daily diary and a lot more of pictures you will find here: http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoy :-)

4x4tripping

That glacier's awesome! As for the sheep, it would make a great shot for a caption competition.

And one time more some Pictures. Shoot them on my way to Puerto Montt (Argentina and Chile):

















More Pictures, my daily travel diary and about people I meet - that you can find in the Blog:

http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

4x4tripping

Stunning!

wow fantastic pictures...isnt the world a beutiful place.....please keep putting them up...enjoy your travels.....

In the meantime happens a lot :-)

I near drowned myself with the car, but some locals avoid that this happens.















Details as usual in the Blog: http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

Surfy

What, no photos of you nearly drowning? Guess you were a little bit busy at the time!

So, what happened?

Tom Mc wrote:

What, no photos of you nearly drowning? Guess you were a little bit busy at the time!

So, what happened?

I guess you had to try google translate to get it

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Here also a small Picture-Update, all from Argentina (Mendoza to Cafayate). At Mendoze there I had the first unplanned repairs (caused by my harsh driving behavior). At Argentina I also meet again Roadblocks, the way the locals try to get noticed by the gouverment.

Unbelievable that 6 Peoples could block a road since days, just allowing to cross that roadblock 3 times a day for 15 minutes. On both ends more than 20 cars are waiting. I guess without the two police guys - the mob would solve that "roadblock" very quickly...

The so called demostration was because the village want a cleaner for the school... I had to cross there twice, lucky me that may timing was optimal, otherwise I probably don`t had the necessary patience..

















More Pictures and the daily based diary you will find at my Blog: http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

Surfy

The photos are all wonderful, but No.7 emerging from the cacti is great, the rock formations afterwards are even better.

Tom Mc wrote:

The photos are all wonderful, but No.7 emerging from the cacti is great, the rock formations afterwards are even better.

My Photography-Skills are very limited, it is truly beautiful here!

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To drive the officially closed road 40 from Payogasta to San Antonio, was not one of my best ideas.



To prepare the vanished roads at above 4000m heigh, to put big rocks in the rivers to build a passage you can cross... That was way too much for my condition at that height... Stupid to stay in waist-deep in icy water, who try to wash you away. But it brings me further...




Anway. Very important is to wear the right shoes for that conditions.

At the end I meet a passage which I was not able to cross, and had to return. Back to that roadblock from the morning.. Grrrrrrr...





But I made it on a less adventurous road to the Jungle and to the City Salta. Meet too some animals which I didn't want to meet often.

More pictures and my daily diary you can find here:

http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

Surfy

"To drive the officially closed road 40 from Payogasta to San Antonio, was not one of my best ideas."

So driving on your own across the continent was? Nah, it's all about adventure. What you're doing now, others can only dream about.

Go for it!!!

Play too hard ends usually in a higher repair bill... I was lucky to reach Salta and don't to had an breakdown on a closed Andean-Pass...



However, soon I could drive further.. A beautiful wild camp on a dam wall in the middle of the Jungle...





I`m trying to reach Chile since 3 days, don't have any food in my fridge, because I had hoped to reach the border on the evening, where they usually confiscate my meat and food...



I just try to reach the border of chile, but the landscape was to beautiful to just drive through!



At this evening I drove from 200m attitude to 4200m and finally reach the border at 4pm. But the border crew don't let me pass. The border to chile is close because of fog. I show them my Thermal-Camera and Monitor setup, that I don't had to care about fog or even smoke - but no chance.

I don`t know what was the problem, then the guys coming from Chile could pass the border without any problems.. So I had to Wildcamp with heavy headache, because of doing 4000m attitude within some hours..

More you find like usual at my Blog:
http://adventure-overland.blogspot.com

Surfy

Thanks for the update, it certainly is beautiful there.

You were lucky they didn't impound your Thermal-Camera by saying you were military or a spy. I am sure many a border guards around the world have a nice collection of electrical equipment in their possession! Yes I'm a cynic, but you hear of this type of thing going on all the time.

What broke on the Toyota? It's done so well so far, something had to go wrong eventually!