Article taken from the Carajás Gazette - December 2005
Grace Downey and Rob Ager tell us of their round-the-world-adventure.
Americas
It still seems only yesterday, that we were anxiously putting everything we had into the over-loaded Land Rover to set off to drive our way around the world. Five continents, 51 countries and over 160 000 km later, we are now back in Sao Paulo again. We literally had the time of our lives and cannot wait to share our many wonderful memories with family and friends.
It all started over three and half years ago, when we left home and headed south as far as Santiago in Chile, where we turned north to follow the Andes all the way up to the very top of South America. From there we entered the jigsaw puzzle of Central America, before arriving with a culture shock in the United States. Our only deadline was to get to Alaska before the snow! On route, we encountered plenty of obstacles and challenges, as we negotiated our way past the driest desert in the world, the highest mountain outside of Asia, 200kms of salt water lake and the impenetrable jungle of the Darien Forest. Our dreams came to life; one minute hiking through rainforest and mountains to “Lost Cities”, then scuba diving in the Caribbean and eventually chasing “grizzlies” around Alaska.
Time just flew and before we knew it a whole year had passed and we were in Florida looking at ways to ship the car to Europe. With a limited budget our plan was always to stop travelling in London (Rob is English) and go to work again to earn more money in order to carry on. This is exactly what we did, staying with friends and family and saving as many pounds as we could. England might be one of the most expensive places on earth, but if you can save them, pounds are great to travel with. Seven months later and we were once again ready for the road, this time for a “whistle stop” tour of Europe.
Europe
Here we found travelling so much easier. Border crossings were almost bureaucracy free and at times it was hard to tell where one country ended and the next began. The Euro was great and it was such a relief not to have the usual swarm of money changers and “helpers” every time we crossed a frontier. As well as enjoying the delights of some of the world’s most fascinating cities, we also found time to get off the beaten track to “rough it” a little, exploring the stunning Fjords of Norway and the more remote Scandinavian Arctic. This time we were lucky enough to see the magical display of the “northern lights” which we had missed in Alaska. Next we moved down to Poland for a taste of “Eastern Europe”, before racing our way through the rest of the continent, experimenting with as much food as we could and attempting to talk the many languages. Finally we stopped for a short rest and a traditional Christmas and New Year in southern Spain.
Africa
Next to come was our biggest challenge so far, Africa. The difference was felt immediately as we crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and we definitely knew we had left the comfortable “Old World” behind. With its rich Arabic influence and stunning scenery, Morocco was completely different to anything we had seen and a gentle introduction to the desert that was soon to follow. The actual crossing of the Sahara was the greatest adventure so far and for three thrilling days we left all traces of roads behind, as we struggled our way across various dunes, beaches and “pistes”, relying solely on the GPS. Hot sticky days at the wheel were rewarded with the solitude and calm of the cool desert nights, as we camped out all alone in the middle of nowhere. Of course we got lost and stuck more than a few times, but it was all exciting stuff. Needless to say, we were both very relieved when we eventually found a road on the other side!
Due to the war situation in the Sudan, we sadly had to change our plans to drive all the way south. Instead we had to ship from Ghana to Durban in South Africa and continue our adventure from there. We really loved Africa, an incredible place, where even today you can find true wilderness in genuine un-spoilt areas. Here, we lived a simple, but rewarding life. The wildlife was superb and it passed all our expectations, with plenty of “close up and personal encounters” with various animals in the many National Parks and Reserves. We squeezed as much in as we could, zigzagging our way from the deserts of Namibia through the wetlands of the Okavango, to the stunning Victoria Falls, where we could not resist the added excitement of “white water rafting” the “Mighty Zambezi”. Later, we fell under the magic charm of the huge Kruger Park and were amazed by the sheer quantity of “game” in the Ngorongoro Crater and Masai Mara. All this and chilling out on the gorgeous beaches of Mozambique, made for a dream safari and a taste of Africa that we will never forget.
India
Once again we had to change our route and decided to send the car off to India by ship and follow afterwards. This amazing country, with over a billion people, was nothing like anything we had seen so far. We spent three months negotiating the tricky and overcrowded roads, trying to work out some of the many mysteries of this fascinating and challenging place. We travelled through the intense culture of Rajasthan all the way up to the Himalaya, before returning to appreciate the beauty of the Taj Mahal. In the south we explored the maze of Kerala Backwaters and relaxed on the beaches of the Indian Ocean. The famous spicy Indian food was delicious and we tried to taste as many of the varied regional dishes as possible. On our way south, in the Kanha National park, we had one of the most exciting experiences of the trip as we finally got to see a tiger in the wild, from the back of an elephant!
Down Under
As it was impossible to drive through Myanmar to Singapore we had to head straight for Australia, which could not have been more different than India. To be honest after three months of very tough driving we were ready for a little more organization and development. This huge country was also set up for camping and we were glad to be able to get back to an “outdoor” life. We explored many of the remote areas and stunning beaches of the West Coast, before heading into the huge “Outback” to visit the famous “Ayers Rock” (Uluru). Finally, we had to have a quick dive on the Great Barrier Reef, before heading to Sydney and Melbourne to organize our return to South America and Brazil.
In retrospect
Our time on the road has been a fantastic experience and given us a great opportunity to really appreciate and enjoy life. For the main part we camped in our roof top tent, or stayed in cheap hostels, getting a real taste for the places we have visited. On the way we also met so many wonderful people and made some really good friends, who we hope to stay in touch with for many years to come.
The most difficult and worrying moments were probably crossing the desert with only a GPS to follow and the concern felt about political events that were beyond our control, such as the war in Darfur. Obviously, we had our fair share of mechanical problems, ranging from hobbling into town with only first gear working in Ecuador to a broken prop shaft in Alaska (not the best place to work under a car!) Overall though, we have been really happy with “Baloo”, the nick-name for our car, and would not swap him for anything. Border crossings have also been a little tense at times, but normally we found that if we had the right paperwork and stuck to our principles, things turned out alright.
For us, without any doubt, the trip was the best decision of our lives and more than we had ever hoped for. What we will do next? Well, right now we are just enjoying being home, staying in one place and catching up with family and friends.