Day 6, 7, 8 & 9 - Salar de Uyuni

Had my Pathfinder washed and oiled - literally! They spray the underside of the vehicle with used motor oil which protects it from the salt

.... and I found cheaper gas - apparently the trick is to negotiate a price above the local rate and lower then international

 I head off for the Salar De Yuni bright and early - the approach to the Salar access point was, as all roads in Bolivia - terrible!

One has to use the access and exit areas or you will break through the crust (more on this later)

It is an amazing unique place - I can only compare it to driving across a frozen lake - to be surrounded by white with islands scattered around - is truly an exceptional experience

In the very center of the salt flat is Island Incahausi - covered with Cacti - did you know that cactus grows one cm a year and some of the cacti on the island are over 12 meters tall!

Most days the Island is overrun by tourists and has a restaurant (which usually is out of supplies) and has toilets (which you have to pay for)

As I wanted to find a good spot to pitch my tent while the day was still young - I headed off to find one

And that’s when my day came to an abrupt and messy end

About 35 km from Island Incahausi I saw a island that looked promising - knowing that the fringes of the Salar are soft and treacherous - my approach was cautious - then I saw old tire treads approaching the island - so I assumed that it was a safe approach - well assumption is the mother of all fuck ups!

As I felt the surface giving under the Pathfinder I switched to 4x4 on the fly - but no luck as I broke through the surface and bogged down just 8 feet from firm ground

And that is when my drive through the Salar became an exercise of escape from the Salar

I was sunk axle and differential deep in clay - which was BAD news - first because axle and differential were bogged down and second because it was clay which has the same clingy sticky sucking qualities as quick sand

I knew I was in big trouble - just how big I was to find out later

Well, pointless standing around feeling sorry for myself so I unloaded the Pathfinder and pitched my tent

and started digging the wheels out and then I shored up the tires with bush and rocks from the island - gave it a go - the wheels spun in place - as the clay gave no purchase and actually acts like grease - at the same time clinging on to the wheels

We were not getting out without help

So I started exploring the Island as I knew getting out and to the island was just part of the problem the bigger problem was how to get off the island!

And that’s when I realized I was in very very big trouble as there was no way of the island - it was soft boggy terrain everywhere I looked

Even if I had help in getting out and to the island there was no way (I could see) off getting off - I could not be towed or winched as the distance to firm ground was too great and no vehicle could get to the island as it would bog down 

I had shelter (tent) plenty of water and food so I was not too worried - I was close to a spot visited by hundreds of tourists a day - I was sure I would be spotted by a passing vehicle and the tour guides would know the terrain better - a solution would come along

Wrong again - I did not see a vehicle the whole day and the island had no cell phone coverage

By this time I had pitched my tent and had something to eat - early evening the wind started to rise and was storm force in no time - shades of New Mexico - in spite of my efforts a tent pole snapped and the tent from that time on could only serve as a tarp weighed down with rocks - tent was gone but I could still use the Pathfinder as shelter - maybe the gods have an issue with me camping!

I had a relatively comfortable night in the Pathfinder as I had plenty of fuel and could turn on the heat when it got too cold- the nights are very cold in the Salar along with blazing hot days - great sunsets!

Woke up early and started my vehicle watch - I was already in survival mode - took stock of my water (had plenty of food) as I was surprised how much water I was consuming working in the heat at an altitude of close to 4000 meters in a dry environment - I had just enough water to last me max 2 more days

In the evening around 5 pm a tour vehicle showed up - there is a cave on the island that just this company visits - the island is avoided by tour operators as the ground around it is so treacherous - no wonder I had not seen a vehicle

Well, he checked out the extent of the problem and said (what I knew) that I need a professional recovery team as no half assed effort involving shovels, stones and bushes is going to work

He knew someone who had all the equipment and would contact him the minute he got back - all good!

Three guys showed up at around 8:30 pm checked out the issue and told me that the cost is 150 US dollars and that only included getting the Pathfinder to firm ground on the island as they had no idea of a safe route off the island

Keep in mind that Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in the world so 150 dollars is a lot of money! But desperate situations are usually expensive

They were a real professional crew - in about an hour (working at night) they had me out and on to firm ground! But, still trapped on the island!

As I said professional but less than honest - I gave them my flashlight to help them load their equipment and they just drove away with it!?

Well, I was out of one mess will tackle getting off the island in the morning

In the morning I realized I was running very low on water (one liter left)  - so I had to try getting off the island. Cutting a long story short I tried and failed - result - bogged down again!!

This time I just locked the Pathfinder and packed my rucksack with items I could not afford to lose and started walking towards Island Incahuasi - as I had just one liter of water left - it was time to get proactive

As for the hike - unless you have done an endurance march you will have no idea - so let’s just say I will never forget it and will certainly never ever want to do it again

Took me around 8 hours to get to the island the Manager was kind enough to find a room with a cot for me to spend the night - next morning he introduced me to a old man who knew the Salar like no one else and would help me - cheers to that!

So the old man and his son loaded up there truck and away we went - they were not as professional as the last team so it took a few hours to get the pathfinder to firm ground again. Here is how the recovery goes:

-          - First dig out the wheels

-         -  Then jack up each wheel individually (cannot use the jack points) using the hub of the wheel

-         -  Jam rocks under the wheel to give purchase

-         -  Then jack up the wheel higher and place a long plank between the wheel and rocks

-          - Repeat as often as it takes to get to firm ground

We were on the island - we just had to find a way off - this is where the old man’s knowledge paid off - he suggested we go over the island to the other side - so we scouted out a route as there were no tracks etc this would be bushwhacking in every sense of the word!

After a couple of hours we were all set - the Pathfinder was up to the challenge and we made it without a hitch!

And right there in front of us was a good firm way out - Allah be praised! 

Day 4 & 5 - Bolivia Gasoline

On the gasoline controversy in Bolivia - gas is heavily subsidized for Bolivians and for various mindless reasons there is a different price for ‘Internationals’ (everyone with a foreign number plate) which is way above the local price

I have had no luck getting gas at the local price - at every gas station they have a look at my number plate and quote me the ‘international’ rate and I don’t see how I can get it at the local price as it does not benefit the gas attendant - actually it has a large financial benefit if he or she sells it at the inflated rate - as most gas stations do not have the form (or pretend they don’t) they are supposed to fill in every time they go ‘international’

So, as far as the system is concerned the gasoline was sold to a local and as no form was filled the attendant pockets the difference!

From La Paz I headed further south to Tupiza, apparently has the same red canyons as New Mexico and Arizona - well whoever said that has not been to New Mexico or Arizona. By the way - Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid were killed in this area 

The road connecting Tupiza to Uyuni can best be described as horrible no wonder it was chosen for the Dakar rally - there is actually a barrier across the road where you have to stop and pay 25 Bolivian to have the pleasure of driving the famed Dakar Rally leg! You can imagine the 'checkered flag' effect on the locals and Dakar Rally enthusiasts

The opening ceremony for the rally was held in the Salar for Bolivia

Flags of all the participating countries

As I don’t have a full team of stand by mechanics - it was the worst road I have ever driven

Day 1, 2 & 3 – Bolivia

Finally, I cross the border to one of my prime destinations (the other being Patagonia) – the pathfinder was the only vehicle at the border crossing of Yunguyu but then a busload of Germans showed up – apparently central and south America are popular destinations with Germans have been running into them frequently

Immigration was a breeze – and then I got to Aduana/customs for my temporary vehicle permit and there is this guy working on his resume! No kidding – there he is printing out his resume, etc and he just ignores me! This BS goes on for about 30 mins then this guy’s colleague shows up – and the resume wanker scrambles to hide the evidence! Bloody hilarious

Lake Titicaca is apparently the highest navigable lake in the world – part of it is in Peru but the better part is in Bolivia – great drive along the shore to La Paz – even the sea to sky highway would take a bow!

Then came the surprise – I knew I had to cross a body of water but presumed (presumption - the mother of all screw-up’s) that there would be some sort of bridge I would drive across? I actually took a snap of the crossing without realizing it was 'the' crossing!?

I turn a corner and literally the road runs out and there is this guy on a raft waving me on board!

I had momentum on my side so I rolled on to what can best be described as a wooden raft with a barge pole!

Being a nautical man - I got out of the Pathfinder and went looking for an engine - the good news - it had one the bad news it was 25 hp outboard - Transport Canada would be jumping around biting each other!

But, TISA (This is South America) as long as it floats and moves - it’s all good!

Day 2 was a long drive to my jump off point of Potosi - from there I head to the Salar De Uyuni!

Since Peru, I have been seeing these black dogs at regular intervals along the highway - they are not sheep dogs as there are no sheep around - they just sit on the side of the highway watching you drive past and they certainly do not look friendly - the pit stop will have to wait!

I had posted a pic under Side Roads a few months back - here it is again - weird!!

Machu Pichu - Peru

Did you know that Incas never actually lived in Machu Pichu – that it was built as a retreat (and other theories abound) – but no one really knows why it was built (at great cost even with expendable labor) and why it was abandoned!?

I like to think that, knowing of their eventual demise – they built a monument - a reminder of our mortality

As I gaze at the ruins – these words come to mind –

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

Monuments, more often than not, have their foundation in epic tragedy– so painful that the only way to reflect the pain is to carve it into the very bedrock that created it – Machu Pichu foretells it – the end of a great civilization

I am glad I saw it, but I was not going to desecrate this splendid memorial by walking over it

Day 5,6 & 7 - Peru

On the way to Cusco (gateway to Machu Pichu) the road takes a turn for the better - from the sand dunes to the mountains! It's a steep climb from 200 meters to 4600 meters/13800 feet where it levels off at a plateau -best day of the trip so far!

The road is narrow but is very well maintained - be very careful sharing the road with trucks and buses!

As you get to the plateau you are surrounded by herds of Llama - elsewhere you see sheep here you see Llamas!

In Cusco now - crowded dirty city - but the center and historic part are reasonably well maintained - lets see what the hype of Machu Pichu is all about!

Day 2, 3 & 4 – Peru

Either I am getting tired or the days are getting shorter!?

Let’s go with getting tired – impressions so far – it’s a big big desert full of garbage – no kidding!

The favored garbage disposal method here is to carry it out of town and then dump it alongside the highway - need to amend the saying ‘to see how civilized a county is – see how they treat their animals’. Lets amend that to – ‘to see how civilized a country is – see how they dispose of their garbage’

Once you get away from the cities/shanty towns – and not look too closely – there is a raw beauty to the endless miles of desert – dune after dune after dune! And just as you are marvelling at it – a plastic bag hits you in the face! Another day in northern Peru

The roads are great though – following the Pan-American Highway and it has been the best highway so far

On the second day – I had a 250 plus km stretch with no gas stations – 60 km to go and I hit reserve – could I have made it – maybe!?

But, on this stretch of road you don’t want to run out of fuel. 

Not too worried yet as I knew that when distances between gas stations is huge there are always shacks along the way selling gas – the first place I hit had run out of gas but assured me that her friend 5 km away will have a pint or two!

And he did- cost me 20 dollars a gallon – certainly the most expensive gas I have ever purchased but compared to the alternative - the cheapest!

Day 1 – Peru

The day did not start well – spent the night at an auto hotel (they are everywhere there are more ‘love’ hotels then ‘sleep’ hotels) at Huaquillas, Ecuador (the northern most crossing) and headed for the border early morning – the only problem was there was no border!?

No, ‘thank you for visiting’ or ‘thank you for leaving’, no security guards, no barriers, no nothing! So after driving for 20 odd minutes I realized that I was surrounded by Peru number plates, the gas prices had gone way up and I was being harassed by spindly assed auto rickshaws - that’s when the proverbial bulb lit up!

WTF – I am in Peru!!??

I am now in Peru illegally!!!

A rapid u-turn and back to Ecuador and luckily this time around I saw the border sign posting (damn OSM maps) – first I hit the Peru post as I was trying to come up with a convincing story as to how/why I was approaching the border from the wrong direction!?

No worries says the guard - happens all the time!

Apparently they have a semi open border and I happened to drive through the ‘opening’ so to speak!

30 minutes later I was back in Peru - all legal and curly tailed! 

Day 1 & 2 – Ecuador

I did not plan to visit Ecuador – but apparently I cannot get to Peru without driving through Ecuador.

The border crossing was seamless – took all of 10 mins checking out of Colombia and about an hour checking into Ecuador and the only reason it took that long was because they wanted color copies of my passport, driver’s license and visa and the copia shop was closed!

The roads in Ecuador are excellent and fuel is the cheapest so far – fewer than 2 dollars for a gallon and the views are great! This is Ecuador’s own Mount Fuji!

First night, I found this gem of a hotel – right off the Pan-American Highway – this is my second hotel with great charm, the other was the hacienda in Guatemala

In case you did not know – Galapagos is part of Ecuador

Day 3, 4, 5 & 6 – Colombia

Where have the days gone?

Mountain driving is tiring and takes time – finally made it to the Ecuador border and have barely seen any military presence – even in the south – which is FARC held territory. Did you know that FARC is the richest paramilitary force in the world – with an income of around 500 million a year! I wonder if they need a BI Manager!?

When you do see soldiers that signal a thumbs up – I take it means all well/all clear ahead!? Colombia is a big country comprising mostly of mountains – no wonder they have a hard time rooting FARC and ELN out - Mountains are a tough terrain to fight insurgents – take Afghanistan for example

Day 1 & 2 - Colombia

To start – you need Colombia Pesos before you enter (pick some on the ferry) everyone wants Pesos – hotels will accept dollars but you will get a crap exchange rate. Everywhere else including gas stations you need Pesos

There are toll roads in Colombia (not as expensive as Mexico though) and they only accept Pesos – I showed up at a couple without enough Pesos as ATMS/Cajeros are hard to find  - they took pity at the dumb-ass foreigner and waved me through!

The roads are good and people friendly – lots of waves and thumbs up once they noticed my number plate

Surprisingly not much of a police presence – only when driving in the mountains (there are a lot of mountains in Colombia) you see the army in all villages as its near FARC controlled territory (East and South of Colombia)

Had one stop at a check point – asked for my documents and waved me through once I produced them

Now for the dumb-ass move (once again) – Day 2 was not stop mountain driving – no place to pullover, one lane and no hotels worth the name

So I decided (as always) to keep going and then my GPS freaked out and started showing roads where no roads exist and roads between towns that again do not exist - As a result I got last lighted and LOST!!

No hotels and no place to safely pull over – as I was considering hara-kiri – saw a sign for a hotel – the approach was a little dodgy – but the end result was great!

It’s a small jungle resort run by the owners – wonderful people – named “Los Arrayanes” close to a small town called Andes – they called their son in the US to translate as a mix of their English and my pathetic Spanish was not getting the job done! They were full but rather then turn me away at that time of the night -

First, they wanted to call/ask their neighbors if they could put me up for the night - but when I suggested that sleeping in my car is a better option - they were very kind and generous to rig up a hammock in a covered area - good people!!!

Will be doing a more complete write up on the resort in another post

Colombia has been a very pleasant surprise (so far) - very different from what we perceive it to be - or have we been (once again) given a tarnished version by the worlds biggest propaganda machine - Hollywood and the US media

Panama Colombia Crossing - Ferry Express

The Ferry Express is located at (N08 58.491’W79 31.0830) http://www.ferryxpress.com/

I was wondering that if the ferry leaves at 7 pm – why ask me to get to Colon at 8 am? Well, I got to Colon at 8 am and found out

First it was a relief to see the ferry – even after I had been to their office and got my tickets I did not really believe there would be a ferry?

Big one at that capacity is 1000 plus passengers and 500 vehicles/100 ship containers – this time around they had a nice small number of 13 Cars/trucks and 4 motorcycles and it took the incompetent wankers 12 plus hours to process them!

Talk about multiple layers of redundancy – different people from different offices all doing the same thing – over and over again – copies after copies (at 50 cents a copy) – the mother of all border crossing a red tape nightmare!

A mind numbing exhausting process

Don't go with the list of required documents that the Ferry Express office/website gives you – it’s meant for locals

The only document you need to start the Aduana process is a clearance from  PTJ that largely clears you and your vehicle of any wrong doing in Panama and everywhere else (apparently they also ping Interpol)

First, go to the PTJ (Policia Tecnica Judicial - N 08°57.951' W 079°32.674) office to get your vehicle inspected - the whole process will take a day – give or take a couple of hours – get the inspection done in the morning and the clearance document in the afternoon and wear trousers! I was not allowed to enter as I had shorts on

Once you have the clearance – pre Aduana (customs) work is done – you will also need the clearance to get your ferry tickets

Get to Colon Cruise terminal (N09 21.597”W079 53.610) around 10 am as that’s when the officials show up – first someone from Ferry Express will log in all your/vehicle information to send to the Colombian authorities and also for the Bill of Lading (which will cost you 25 US to pick up once you get to Colombia) you need the Bill of Lading for the Colombian authorities but you only get it right at the end of the process and no one asked me for it!?

Get a lot of copies of your passport, vehicle registration, PTJ clearance and Panama vehicle insurance – LOTS OF COPIES!

Once the ferry person is done with you – the Aduana process starts or tries to start! There is a lot of spinning of wheels – the actual process takes 20 odd minutes but getting there takes forever! Once Aduana is done then vehicle inspections start and never end!

Humans (or a version anyway) sniffer dogs, humans again, sniffer dogs, humans again, sniffer dogs again!

In the end the sniffer dog gave up and refused to move! Told his handler (in dog speak) to bugger off - I am done with sniffing BS!

But the port authorities guys refused to give up – they now wanted us to offload all our luggage and get it x-rayed!!!??

This was the last straw we refused to unload anything – the only thing we were willing to do at this point was to board the ferry and we did at 8:30 pm

Good things to say about the ferry – clean, good food, cold beer but expensive. No one had any complaints about the ferry

Insurance scam!!! A so called insurance agent will try and sell you vehicle insurance on board and tell you that you have to buy it or cannot enter Colombia – bullshit!

The insurance on board costs 75 US – you can get the same insurance on the Colombian side for 25 odd dollars

The process on the Colombian side is long drawn but not as painful as Panama – first immigration followed by Aduana – then you get your insurance decal and Bill of lading and you are done – all that paper work and no even checked it as I was leaving!?

Great shot of the....

Cartagena skyline while I wait!

Day 4 & 5 - Panama

Took me a couple of hours to find the bloody office - even with map coordinates I had a hard time!?

Then my luck turned - the guy managing the ferry office is from Montreal - 15 mins later I had my tickets and away I went to the Panama Yacht Club!

When I was here last it was a small shack with about 6 tables clustered together and one bartender/waitress. Now, its a full fledged restaurant and bar with a adjacent Comfort Inn

of course the mooring has not changed - the same place minus my boat!

on the right of the above pic you can see the Miraflores bridge (part of it) which is the gateway to the Miraflores locks - entrance to the canal from the Pacific

When the canal was built and run by the Americans they had towns set up for the engineers, families and army on either side of the canal (Balboa and Colon) - the Balboa buildings, etc are still being maintained and used as offices or lived in, but the Colon side the town has totally fallen apart

Day 2 & 3 - Panama

Day 2 was used up – getting to Balboa (where all the permits, etc need to be completed)

Spent the night in a sad and evil looking place –reminded me of the movie Hostel – couldn't get out fast enough next morning!

OK, so I go looking for the RORO (Ferry Express) office (new RORO ferry that now connects Colon to Cartagena) – the official address leads me to a slum!?

Not looking good – it’s evident I may need help! Finally, call the ferry people – and the address has changed and of course addresses in Panama never really work – no kidding!

He also gave me a long list of requirements/documents – that should take a week to finish! Today being Friday – I need to get everything done today to make the Monday sailing – OK I desperately need help!

Checked into a nice small hotel and asked the manager for a ‘Fixer’ – no, he or she is not a hit man/woman – 'Fixer' is a person who gets things done – found them very useful when I crossed the Panama Canal

And he did – clarified what was required and what was not and 3 hours later it was all done! A process that would have had me running around in circles for days – money well spent!

Official paperwork is done tomorrow I book passage (Saturday morning) for Monday sailing ;-)

I will be writing a detailed write up – on what documents are required, where to get them, where the ferry office is – in a day or two

Day 1 - Panama

As I approached the border crossing - I was faced with the old bridge (death trap) it's closed for vehicles but foot traffic still use it - actually foot traffic have to use it! In Central America MOH (meat on hoof) is expendable!

This is the new one (on the left) - vehicles only

I was the first in line as the Costa Rica office opened - they now have a $8 departure tax - $7 if you pay by credit card

The crossing was fast and easy

On the Panama side the car insurance took the longest and now you have to pay a municipal tax of $10 (pay someone a couple of dollars to show you where it is as it's hard to find

Hour and a half later - I was ready to head south - this the road that faced me - Welcome to Panama!

Tomorrow I head for Balboa (Pacific side) and start the transportation to Colombia process