CO 1 – 2 Days 12 Kilometers

We had really been looking forward to Colombia. Right now, we just want to get the hell out of here. We were behind schedule when we crossed the border from Venezuela into Colombia. It was Saturday and we had an early start in order to get through Maracaibo in a timely fashion. The Kombi had […]

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VZ 11 – Bittersweet Goodbye

Leaving Venezuela is bittersweet. We never planned on sticking around, we even thought long and hard about a way to get around the country, but we have come to really appreciate Venezuelas affordability and the freedom that provides. The affordability does come at a price. There is a heavy military presence throughout the country and […]

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VZ 9 – The Cost of Living

The simple answer to how is it possible to spend three years living and traveling in Mexico and South America without a job or any real source of income is : Very carefully. We cook our own food and we camp out. We almost never eat at restaurants. If we do, we bring our own […]

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VZ 8 – Love Motels

Our first experience with “Love Motels” was in Mexico when we were on the road and could not find a place to stay for the night. As a last resort, we pulled up to the gate of an “hourly” motel to inquire about the price for the whole night. The next few minutes were totally […]

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VZ 7 – Ve “no hay” zuela

It’s hard not to notice that there are a few things missing in Venezuela. We Stopped in at a Makro store (like Costco) to see about some supplies and couldn’t help but notice a lot of bare shelves. Its easy to miss the reality of the crisis here until you need something. After having overheated […]

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Polyfunctional

combi |ˈkɒmbi| noun a machine or appliance with two or more functions The morning ritual -  breakfast, coffee, valve adjustment, shower. You don’t so much drive a kombi as live with one. Its a relationship that requires something from both parties. Despite our best efforts and spent money, our car comes out of tune on a […]

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VZ 6 – Chaos in Caracas

At least we hd a good nights sleep and a nice breakfast before attempting to drive through Caracas. The Kombi overheated and dumped oil on the way in at 850 meters elevation and again on the way out at 1100. A little time and a half quart of oil solved the problem both times. On […]

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VZ 4 – El Gigante

We are starting to get a feel for Venezuela and we like it. There’s good food to be found and the people seem to be pretty cool. We spent a fair amount of time today driving in circles through the outskirts of Ciudad Guayana since our GPS is totally useless here other than for indicating […]

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VZ 5 – Lost in La Cruz

We’ve paid more for camping in the past so we didn’t feel too bad about sleeping in the car outside the room last night. The hotel was just a bit too dubious. At least we had a place to plug in our fan, our own bathroom and access to some cartoons in the morning. We […]

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Confession Time

We first drove our Kombi into Brazil in june of 2011 with permission for 6 months. As the six months came to a close, we tried everything possible to legalize the car in Brazil but without luck. So in mid December of that year, our Kombi became illegal. Living in a small town without much […]

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A Lift at Last

After a few weeks without access to any weights, we finally found a functional gym in Boa Vista. This place was overcrowded with machines but we made some room and got our lift on. Just about time we got going they told us that we had to leave. They were closing for lunch. If you […]

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VZ 2 – The Grand Savannah

I honestly expected a little different from Santa Elena del Uairen. After all, it’s the jumping off point for trips to Salto Angel (Angel Falls, for you gringos) and expeditions into Venezuelas savannah. Its a relatively clean place and has some charm but I really expected it to be a bit more polished and geared […]

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VZ 1 – Scoring Some Currency

Venezuela Other than having to drive 15 km into Santa Elena to get insurance and then head back to the border with proof, entering Venezuela was pretty painless. The biggest challenge is negotiating the VZ currency. After extensive searching, we could find almost no up to date information on exchange. The official rate in the […]

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Boa Vista

If you want to learn a new language there’s no better way to do it than by taking a Kombi to a foreign country. You’ll find yourself in lots of long descriptive conversations and interactions with mechanics, auto part suppliers, tow truck drivers and other Kombi owners. Brazilian Portuguese is ridiculously hard for a non […]

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CRAAAACK!

When I went to bed at 11:00 or so there were lightning flashes everywhere. No thunder just lightning all around. At 2 am we were pulling into port at Juruti, the rain was coming down hard, I saw a flash and instantly there was a sound I had never heard before. I have heard thunder […]

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Another Beautiful Day on the Amazon

Slow?
No way.
This trip is just our speed.
 
 
 
 
 

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Fever Dreams

The last thing I expected while traveling up the Amazon was to be cold, but there I was laying in my hammock wrapped in a sheet with my teeth chattering. It was becoming painfully cold and nobody else seemed to notice. The mild discomfort in my stomach that I had experienced for the last two […]

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