The European quest for the legendary El Dorado prompted the exploration of the furthest reaches of the New World, including the first known navigation of the Amazon River. Luckily for us, we just had to pop into the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) in Bogotá to find it. Continue reading
Whoever came up with Colombia’s tourism slogan: “The only danger is wanting to stay” was bang on. We’ve found three different towns in which we could happily while away the rest of our days, the only country to make us feel this way in South America Continue reading
Having hit the Peruvian coast, it wasn’t long before we left the busy Pan American Highway to ride east into Peru’s central highlands and then north towards Ecuador. Exiting Lima, we experienced the worst traffic to date and we were relieved to get out of there unscathed. We spent the next two weeks exploring towns that were well off the tourist trail and were touched by the friendliness we encountered.
The true standouts of northern Peru are the lesser known archaeological treasures left behind by the pre-Inca civilisations that inhabited this region. We visited ancient townships, temples and museums showcasing the rich cultures of these peoples. Continue reading
When you hear about a recently opened, beautifully paved road that goes from Peru’s jungle to its coast, it is impossible to resist. We didn’t know at the time, but this road – the Interoceanic Highway – had been dubbed by the Wall Street Journal as South America’s Route 66. Continue reading
We had been cold for way too long so it was time to descend to the jungle and warm our bones. A two day ride took us from the barren high plains of the Bolivian altiplano, down through a misty cloud forest and into the verdant Amazon basin. It was pure joy to ride unencumbered by layers upon layers of warm riding gear.
Our destination was Villa Tunari where I hoped to see an old friend. Unfortunately I was too late. Continue reading
No Nos Gusta Me Gusta Spanish School
Sucre, Bolivia’s capital, is a beautiful town of white-washed colonial buildings and pretty plazas. It is also a well-known place to study Spanish and after six months on the road, we felt it was time to broaden our knowledge of the language. Continue reading
Our first view of the Argentinan/Bolivian border was almost comical. A frantic flow of pedestrian traffic forced us to a stop on the road. I was reminded of a trail of industrious leaf cutter ants as we waited for a break that didn’t come. Locals ran back and forth carrying and pushing loads way bigger than themselves with a life or death sense of urgency. Our eyes followed this line of activity across a bridge to our destination. On the other side, we saw a road clogged with roadside stalls, red taillights and general chaos. There was Bolivia. Continue reading
From Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, we crossed back into Argentina. We traversed the dusty, crusty Gran Chaco region and after four days of flat nothingness, we were thrilled to ride up high and see the ice-capped Andean peaks again. Continue reading
“We should all stick together & string our hammocks in a group so we’re not infiltrated by outsiders” he said. Having already caught four slow boats just to get to Manaus, the young traveller was an expert. He boarded the boat and led his small posse of 20-somethings off to fortify a prime hammock location. Continue reading
We have made four border crossings now, each with their own quirks but all following the same basic procedure: exit ourselves (immigration) then exit the motorbikes (customs) from the current country; ride across an empty “no man’s land” between the two countries; enter ourselves (immigration) and enter the motorbikes (customs) into the new country. Continue reading
Our Odyssey Overland 