This Expeditionary Life

It’s Lava at first site!

What did the boy volcano say to the girl volcano? I lava you. Okay, so just trying a little volcano humor here before getting to the truth of the matter. Volcano’s are dangerous, great to observe from a distance, but many people have died from not taking warnings or being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“VOLCANOES ARE AMONG THE MOST DEVASTATING AND DANGEROUS NATURAL FORCES IN OUR PAST, BUT…

Taking the cable car  high above Medellin, we had no idea this would be such an adventure. We walked from our campsite here at Al Bosque, here is Santa Elena.

As with any large city we venture into, we usual expect traffic to be horrific, people rushing about, and seeing old churches and museums just doesn’t really seem to be our thing anymore.

Medellin, well it’s different. A slower pace,happy people

Volunteering Biblioteca Fundacion Arte del Mundo was an exceptional treat for us. Not only did we help with much needed repairs and improvements we made some life long friends.

Everything you know is wrong: Oranges aren’t orange.

I was a little baffled, well a lot baffled actually. Shopping for fruit such as oranges, lemons, limes and a few others in the farmers market, grocery stores and even on fruit sellers carts on the street, I thought because of the green color the fruit was not ripe yet! Well, I couldn’t have been more ‘WRONG! “

The green skin of an orange…

Leaving Ecuador and getting close to the border with Peru

Raising the Peruvian flag at the border at 8am

Here’s your sign.

Stamped into Peru

Venezuelans entering Peru

  Meanwhile, after getting all of our required insurance, passport stamps, vehicle temporary importation and so forth we hit the road southbound. Almost immediately I began to realize the shift of change in the landscape. Sand dunes, desert and a few peaks of the Pacific Ocean for miles. After a two days of driving through this environment I began to get bored, lol. However, in retrospect it was a great opportunity to finally sit back relax on a two lanes black top going 70 mph.

  but I’ve learned over the years to be patience and see how things unfold. Well it didn’t take long. A few days later we found some of the most amazing oasis in the desert. While traveling down the Pan American on Peru’s norther coast we were treated to some delights. Peru there are some stunning landscapes, beaches, ruins, and quaint fishing villages.

Buenos Aires’s best Cemetery

Recoleta cemetery is one of the world’s most extraordinary graveyards, with over 6,400 grandiose mausoleums resembling Gothic chapels, Greek temples, fairytale grottoes and elegant little houses. The exclusive cemetery is the last stop for the country’s most celebrated (and controversial) presidents, intellectuals, army generals and entertainers, and a popular attraction for visitors to Buenos…

Since arriving here in Colombia, I’ve not eaten anything from a box, a can, or bottle. Well, there was the beer I had, it came out of a can, lol. Viva Colombia for keeping it fresh. The fruits, vegetables and the meats are from local farms just minutes away. Having two growing seasons probably helps too. Stay healthy my friends.

Grocery shopping. It’s quite different here. Giant yuca, cactus, gummy bears, banana leaf….. Yeah my list is a little unusual. Anything on your list unique and unusual when you’re shopping in a foreign country? 

It was exhausting. Slow, as in having mountain bikes pass you going up hill. Slow, as in going down hill, gearing and lightly braking, having everyone pass you again. Cold, leaving Bogota’s mountains and sweltering hot across the farmlands, then entering the rainforest, before finally arriving two days later on the Caribbean coast, Santa Marta.

I’m incredibly grateful I made it. It was quite…

A free “Guide”!

I was excited to go on my own walkabout photoshoot this morning. Just as I left the lodge, this dog, who shall remain anonymous, joined me. This is not the first time, but I always find it interesting how dogs, especially here in Colombia will attach themselves to you. Spot we’ll call him, became my guardian for the day. Up steep hills, across creeks, in the stores, lol. I noticed at the on…

In Colombia it’s traditional to light candles and let the fireworks explode on the 7th of December. This day is know as ” Día de las velitas” Little Candles Day. One of the most observed traditional holidays in Colombia, December 7th, the eve of the Immaculate Conception is a public holiday in Colombia.

This day is the unofficial start of the Christmas season throughout the country. Like these…

Museum del Oro, it’s golden.

Museum de Oro

Hands down, thumbs up, or whatever satisfaction you want to all it, Bogota’s Museum de Oro (Museum of Gold) is the best of the best as far as a Gold museum, and I’ve been to many.

Bogotá’s most famous museum is one of the most fascinating in South America, and contains more than 55,000 pieces of gold and other materials from all of Colombia’s major pre-Hispanic cultures.

Serio…

Need Land Rover repair, parts, service or even a new Landy in Belize?

Call these folks! LR-BELIZE LTD., also called “Land Rover Defenders in Paradise”.  Today we had a grand time,  stopping in to talk with legendary Graham Herbert and his wife Joyce. You can’t and shouldn’t miss their shop at mile marker 63 on the Western Highway. As owners and fellow Land Rover enthusiast we found it hard to break away after stopping in just to say hello for a few minutes on our…

Ruta 60 from Chile to Mendoza Argentina threw everything at us. Long dark tunnels, almost 30 switchbacks with hairpin curves, steep climbs and descents with no guard rails, but spectacular scenery. Finally reaching the Argentina border was a relief. Would we do it again? Absolutely!

Again, thanks for following and in a few days or so, I’ll post on our adventure through Bolivia and Chile.

Thanks