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Welcome to Bolivia, host of some of the highest spots in the Americas such as the Nevado Sajama, with an altitude of 6,542 meters. The western part, which we travelled, is located at an altitude of about 4000m above sea level. We are fortunate that we do not feel the effects of altitude sickness, at least at this level. We entered Bolivia from the side of Lake Titicaca. Heading towards La Paz, we had to cross the lake on an unusual barge. It looked shaky and not trustworthy, but took us safely to the other shore.

Without any mishaps, we reach El Alto, the second-largest city in Bolivia, located adjacent to La Paz on the Altiplano highlands. The city, the highest major metropolis in the world, is connected to La Paz by a Gondola Lift. It is the best means of transport in the city, referred to as a hanging metro. Eleven lines, thirty stations and a total length of about 34 km, was considered to be the longest aerial cable car system in the world. We spent the whole day traveling up and down admiring the city from above. A very nice experience. Back with our feet on the ground we spent a lovely evening with our friends from Lima – Justyna and Johan. Thanks for the meeting, see you back in Europe!

Now a straight road through the Altiplano, to an amazing place, Salar de Uyuni.

Located at an altitude of 3653 m, the largest salt flat, or salt pan, in the world. Salt stretching till the horizon. One of the most fantastic places we’ve been to. We set camp in the bay of the Isla Incahuasi. All alone! No one as far as the eye can see. The sunset was magical, the temperature dropped drastically and stars appeared by the thousands. Then, unfortunately, appeared the moon, almost full, ruining the plans for night pictures. It was so bright, almost like in the daytime.

The next day we went exploring the area. It was the end of the rainy season, but we hoped that we would still find some areas with water. Why? The water with the salt underneath acts like a large mirror and creates magical illusions. UMM is not as it was in the beginning of our trip and we should have limited ourselves to less challenging routes. A small puddle became pond. Although being Portuguese, therefore master in the art of sailing, doing it in on car, without reference point is not an easy task. To make things worse the crystal clear waters combined with a salt bottom prevents you to determine the true depth. We managed to spot the shore and set sail directly towards it. Everything was ok, but the salt in the pond banks was too soft and … we sunk!
Pity that the sky was pure blue, without any clouds. We were hoping to take some pictures looking like this.

After freeing ourselves from the salt claws, we drove south towards Chile, at an incredible pace. A snail would have been faster than us! We drove the Lagunas Route, crossing the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa. So bumpy that the milk in the fridge turned into butter. And dust? Dust every were. All three of us resembled sand creatures. Throughout our journey, the car has never been so dusty, inside and outside. Perhaps that is why the usually very meticulous sanitary control on the border with Chile, gave us no problems. They did not want to get dirty.

One more border to cross. On the map a fancy line divides the two countries. On the ground it’s a muddy road crossed by a river that separates Ecuador and Peru. In the Ecuador side there was no one at the customs office. Had to shout “buenos dias” and after some minutes the officer appeared with a towel around his waist and told us to wait for a few minutes till he finished his morning shower! After getting the exit stamp on our passports, we pose for a souvenir photo with the local authority, holding our passports in his hand. 200% guarantee that we are us.
We are still well in to the mountain region, but heading east to the Amazon. From the distance we admired the grand Gocta waterfall. It is one of the highest waterfall in the world, about 770 m, but the most impressive is the fact that it was discovered only in the 21st century. Of course, the local people have known it for centuries and still believe its guarded by a fair-haired mermaid. We were in the end of the rainy season and could see the damages created by the heavy rains. But for UMM and its intrepid occupants, there are no obstacles that can’t be overcome! This time only the rear bumper suffered a minor damage.

Peru and Bolivia are known for their mountainous, dangerous, winding paths over the abyss (sometimes it’s hard to call it a road). Not taking such a route was out of the question (contrary to the obvious veto of the co-pilot). It turned out that our road was closed until 17:00 (and at 18:30 it is dark) so I had to increase the pace. Now, in fast mode, all the sensations were intensified. The height of the cliffs seemed higher, the curbs tighter and the squeaking, from suspension and breaks, louder. The driver, confident on his superior driving skills, made this road seem like a three lane highway. He WAS having a ball! Can’t say the same for the terrified co-pilot. Most of the recorded movies are too shaken to be showed. Fortunately, there are some pictures.

After almost two months of wandering in the mountainous, we arrived at the shores of the Pacific. We liked it so much that one planed night easily turned into five. And good that it was like that because we met other travellers, Angelika and Andre on their amazing vehicle, a Swiss postmen MOWAG from the 60s. The proximity of the water positively influenced the diversity on the menu – fresh vegetables, grilled fish, sun and pisco sur, a local drink. Holidays. But the road called us and we moved on, again towards the mountains, more precisely to the region of Cordillera Blanca were the highest peaks of Peru are.

First, we visited the Lagoon Paron, the largest lake in the region, with a turquoise colour, surrounded by snow-covered six thousand meter’s peaks. We tried some local drinks and dishes, like coca tea and cuy, although this one Marzena refused to try, claiming that her cousin Marcin, would never talk with her again. If you are curious to know what cuy stands for just search the net. It’s an animal, cute and tasty.

Cordillera Blanca is a mountain chain in the Andes, about 180 km long and only 50 km wide. We decided to pass it twice, of course by car. We had neither equipment nor strength for such high climbs. The first pass was the tunnel of Punta Olimpica at an altitude of about 4,600 m above sea level. The road first ran through the middle of the canyon and then serpentine up to the tunnel. Amazing views, around snow-covered peaks, including the highest one, Huascarán 6768 m. On the other side of the tunnel we were surprised by winter. Very nice.

On the return journey, we choose a road near the Pastoruri glacier, at the very south of this mountain range. And this is the best choice. For half a day we did not meet a living soul. Breath taking views. The calmness and majesty of the mountains. Just like everywhere else, this glacier is shrinking year by year at an alarming rate. Sad. Departure from this valley led us through slopes of overgrown Puya raimondii, also known as queen of the Andes. It is a tall plant, the largest species of bromeliad, reaching up to 15 meters in height and living around 100 years. Unfortunately, it is threatened with extinction.

It was time to head to warmer regions, that meant east towards Amazonia. Getting there was not without mishap. The road system and the entire infrastructure connected with it, especially in the higher part of the country (and the higher is the majority), is not well developed. No need to mention the asphalt, or the lack of it, because without it you can keep on moving, but without fuel? Not even an UMM can do that. Above 2500m you can observe changes in the UMM behaviour. We were constantly driving between 4000m and 5000m. At this height the demand for fuel is bigger. The village we were passing, although with a gas station, had no diesel! I did find one place that claimed having diesel but it did not look like diesel nor smelled to it. We still had over 70 km to the next a gas station. We decided to take a chance. After 2 hours of economical driving, only 28 km remained. Good news. The bad news was that we had to go uphill, at the beginning not very steep, but at one point it got steeper and the car refused to cooperate. Treason! Felt like mutiny! How dare UMM refuse to work, even if it had no diesel? It was Sunday, as it turned out the road was not frequented either. We waited, and waited and waited and asked for salvation. After five hours, two cars appeared, one after the other. Couldn’t one of them arrive a couple of hours earlier? We bought fuel, made a sensation and probably became part of a story that would be circulating around. It turned out that we just had more 4 km uphill, after that 22 km sharply down. Missed it by that much. Now only 500 km separated us from the sun. I do have to mention the three children who came to us somewhere along the way as I found that we had some problems in the rear drive shaft. Two of the four screws connecting it to the rear differential disappeared. For now, it didn’t look like nothing else was damaged, just had to screw two new screws, but a bigger problem was already unleashed. Me working and my faithful co-pilot chatting with the children! The oldest girl was about 10 years old and, with her broken Spanish, Marzena talked with her about life. The questions “are all people as tall as you in your country?” Marzena will not forget.

Lima. I had to fly back to Portugal for a week or so, and Marzena was left alone. Well not quite, she had UMM. We stopped in Lima, in a nice hostel parking lot. It was a bit of a rest from the expedition and somehow Marzena got slightly ill, at least this was the excuse. That’s why there are no photos from Lima, but got to meet other travellers. Norwegians bickers (Norwegian that spoke Polish so well that at some point I asked how a Pole could speak Norwegian) that we hope to one-day visit in Norway; a Polish-Swedish couple that we would be with again further in our journey (but about that in another post). The rest proved to be very useful for the next adventures. We drove south to the desert, to the dunes of Paracas. We didn’t had such calm, such an immensity of sand for a long time. Here we passed almost vertical dunes. Very scary moments, with my co-pilot almost having a nervous breakdown. Pictures, or films, cannot give the right dimension of it. The bigger problem in UMM that I mentioned above was finally revealed. The nut that secures the differential pinon got some slack and… major problems!

We had to change the original plan, so we went straight from Arequipa to Puno. Again alone on the road, sleeping at an altitude of 4400m (cold, very cold). Views like from postcards and peace, tranquillity everywhere.

In Puno a longer stop would take place. We were on the Titikaka lake, pronounced Tikichacha. We decide on a very touristic trip to the lake and visited the floating islands. Islands made of skilfully prepared and arranged calamus. We visit one of them, we talk with residents, one family. Life is not easy here, I do not know if it’s pleasant. How much of it was authentic? It’s hard to know. Now it seems to be a living museum. Not the best place to visit, in our opinion.

Peru is one of the most diverse countries we have visited. This can be easily seen on the example of climate; out of 32 climates and microclimates of the world, 28 are found in Peru, and plus the richness of flora and fauna. We’ve spent six weeks here, but it’s definitely not enough. You have to return.

Excitement rose as we were approaching the equator line. Nothing would stop us now! For the second time we would stand at latitude 0°. The first time was at Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé e Príncipe. Now it’s time for the equator in America. However, before we reached the 0 ° latitude, we had some fun in a moto-train. Railways are not popular in this part of the world. Most often it is the remains of all kinds of mines.

We visited the equator line in a less touristic place than, for instance, Mitad del Mundo (the center of the world), but with an original theory. What would you say to turn the world map 90 ° anticlockwise? Would the asymmetries between North and South disappear? Don’t think so! Marzena, also, was not convinced by this theory, but was eager to listen to their explanations. You can read all about it, the Quitsato Project, here.

March is still a rain season in Ecuador. It’s grey, almost English, so do not expect calendar photos! Never the less we will explore all that we can. We saw, for a very brief moment, the tip of the glacier on top of the Antisana volcano. For that, for one night, we rented a hut in a lodge. Nothing fancy, as the description might suggest. The place was nice and the owners amazing.  We could admire the hummingbirds directly from the couch in the restaurant, and through the binoculars condors patrolling the canyon.  It was so nice to sit by the fireplace and drink good worm coffee. The owners had to go to town so gave us the keys to the restaurant and the entire property.  They completely trusted us! Amazing. Ok, I agree, one look at me and you will be surrendered to my magnetism but what about Marzena? Would you trust her??

We hopped for better weather on the Cotopaxi volcano. The pictures we saw looked amazing, a perfect cone. Unfortunately, for us it was all clouds. We camped beneath the volcano at an altitude of 3800 m above sea level. It was cold, foggy but we had it all just for us. Peace and quiet. Marzena slept like a child, a very noisy one but still a child. Me, in the other hand, had many problems falling asleep. First Marzena then wild horses. At night, they hid, just like us, at the entrance of the tiny canyon and, not like us, chewed all the grass around, as if it was their last night living. You just wont believe how loud this horses chewed! Morning coffee was a challenge. At this altitude, the water does not boil at 100C. But the landscape compensated all. UMM reached the height of about 4500 m above sea level with no problems. We had hopes for better visibility, but clouds have similar properties regardless of height they are – they covered the whole area. Cotopaxi without clouds looks like this.

I do not know who influences the fact that we end up always wandering in the mountains :), It’s the price I have to pay for having a top quality navigator. Andes, volcanoes, craters. The magic of the mountains. To Marzena they seem to possess, just as I do, pure magnetism.
We parked at the very edge of the Quilotoa crater. That view was something to admire.

Regardless of weather conditions, we decide on another mountain, or rather another volcano. Chimbarazo, the highest peak of Ecuador, also considered the point most distant from the centre of the Earth (more than Mt. Everest). This due to the fact that the areas located on the equator are farthest from the centre of the Earth. It does not scare us, in fact, it motivates us. And  there we were, 5000 m hight! And that’s what Chimbarazo looks like without clouds.

We like Ecuador very much. Not without significance is the price of diesel. One gallon costs 1,037 dollars, and the price is the same in all gas station. More or less 0.25 euro. Eating out is also beneficial for our figure and our wallet. One “almuerzo ejecutivo”, (consisting in a soup as a first course, chicken or other meat sided with corn, rice and a small salad, as second course and a drink) costs about 2.5 dollars. We like it very much!

Another attraction on our way was Cajas National Park. It proved to be the most humid place so far. Water from the sky’s, water under the shoes, everything here seems to be floating on water! Wonderful. Never been to Scotland, but it seemed similar to us. See for yourself.

The Ecuadorian-Peruvian border is almost visible on the horizon. We stop for an overnight stay in the Podocarpus National Park. A walk in the rainforest was pure pleasure. So many shades of green cannot be absorbed at once, and all plants are beautiful. They impressed us with their shape, texture and creativity. Imagine how it looks like in blooming season. During our stay, only one species of orchid was flowered.

At the very end of our stay in Ecuador, on the road, about 3 km from the border, we were blessed with a show seen only in National Geographic documentary’s. Only does with strong nerves should continue reading this post.
We had already encountered tarantulas on the road in the United States, nothing new. But here was something new. A fight to the death. And we were the only spectators. A battle between a hawk wasp and a tarantula. The following photographs show only the end of the combat, where the tarantula, already paralysed by the wasp, is dragged to the wasp’s nest, a hole in the ground. In this nest the wasp lays one egg into the tarantula abdomen and flies away, not before closing the nest entrance. A nasty fate for the tarantula. Remember that the poor spider is not dead and will, eventually, be eaten alive by the wasp larvae. The larvae will keep the spider alive for as long as it can by avoiding eating vital organs!

Be advised:
The following post may lead to unplanned expenses in the form of a trip to Colombia. UMMaventura is not responsible of it. Everyone reads at their own risk 🙂

With UMM reborn and pumped up we took on the next Colombian roads. Nothing scare us anymore!
From Bogota we went east, in the direction of, what else, a volcano! Nevado del Ruiz, protagonist of one of the most tragic disasters in the 20th century. We made our way up almost alone. No one on the road. Of course, the ride took us more time than we thought and we had to set camp at 4,000 m above sea level. We have to mention that it was one of the coldest nights of our trip. The blankets, from Diane, were not enough to warm us up, but at least we did not freeze. In the morning, at sunrise, we could admire Nevado del Ruiz in all its glory, including the glacier at the very top. It was even possible to photograph steam being released before the clouds cover it for the rest of the day. While braking camp we had a trip of students from nearby Manizales.

Still sticking to the decision to use free roads, we passed one of the most beautiful roads so far. We made camp in the spruce grove. We lighted a fire, the first one in months, grilled some sausages and a couple of paprika. But it was not easy. Around, plenty of wood but all damp so you can imagine the clouds of smoke that we generated! But apart from us, nobody seemed to be around.

We decide to take a break from the cold weather and made our way to Tatacoa desert. Phew how hot! However, it did not please us 🙂 We stayed one day and one night. Besides the heat tiny flies were attempting to eat us alive. Black flies from Canada came to our memory. How do cows endure it all is beyond our comprehension. We are full of compassion for the grazing cows in this area. Seriously.

What is Colombia famous for, besides Pablo Escobar? Who knows? Coffee of course! It is the third exporter in the world (after Brazil and Vietnam). We cannot leave without visiting the coffee region. We went to San Agustin to learn something about coffee. We met Olivia in Coffee Mujer for a tour. We’re up at 8 am and went to the plantation. We got acquainted with the coffee tree, picking up ripe berries and listen to Hector’s and Jose Edwardo lesson about growing coffee. It turned out that the coffee tree is a tree and not a bush, but for the convenience of harvesting it’s not allowed to grow. This family produces organic coffee, using the traditional method. On the patio the hostess presents us with the methods of peeling the fruit grain – once on a stone, then in something like a meat grinder. I will add that the fruit pulp is sweet. Then, the grains, are submerged in water to get rid of the remains of the fruit pulp and to separate does that are to be discarded. Only the grains that do not float are good enough to produce high quality coffee. Grains will stay in water for a period of twelve to forty eight hours. The floating grains are not without value. Coffee companies will buy it, very cheap, blending it with other grains. After dried comes the husking. Sérgio took the job very seriously, after all we would buy the end product. Once we have obtained the pure seeds, we can start to roast, stirring constantly. And then, after cooling, you just have to pack them. We took part in the whole process and packed it ourselves. After returning back home, we invite you all for coffee! A small one, just to get the taste of it.

Everything that is good ends quickly. Before we cross the border with Ecuador, we visited the Las Lajas Sanctuary, which is one of the most visited places in South America. It’s something worthwhile seeing especially after dark.

After more than a month, we said goodbye to Colombia. This country is one of our favourites. We felt at home here, and Colombians are one of the most welcoming people we have met so far. Not to mention the country’s natural beauty! And we did not saw everything. See you Colombia!!!

All the scenic road routes came with additional costs. In one of them we lost the brakes. Like in the movies, just it wasn’t a movie. I went completely white, (Luís, maybe I’ve just found out the solution for your condition; no need to say thanks), when the brake pedal went straight to the floor, Marzena put on a nervous smile, wondering how we would jump out like Adam Malysz, the famous polish ski jumper. In the last moment, on our right, an uphill lane appeared and we managed to slow down! The break master cylinder had to be replaced. Getting back to civilization, eleven kilometres away, took us an hour. With a recalibrated handbrake and low gears activated, we got to the workshop of a wonderful family in Bucaramanga. We spent two days there, we were even allowed to stay the night in the garage. And even more, they spoiled us with coffee, fruits from their own farm and even offered lunch! Colombian hospitality and generosity, as well as professionalism! Due to age and origin, spare parts for UMM, sometimes, require creativity. Thank you very much. We will never forget Frenar!

Another planned stop was Barichara, a tiny, detached little town located just above the canyon of the river Somagoso / Suarez. The road was nice, non-touristy, and the picturesque villages where an invitation to stop and have a cup of coffee and watch the unhurried everyday life. Even the dogs demanded some attention from visitors. A red-headed vulture also cooperated on this sunny, lazy day.

For our surprise, when in Villa de Leyva, we found signs left behind by our friends of Taxi Latino. Located far from the main routes, the city has undergone a small development. As a result, it is one of the few places in Colombia that has preserved much of its original colonial style and architecture: the streets and the large central square are still paved with cobblestones, and many buildings date back to the 16th century. The square is really impressive and is one of the largest in Colombia.

Bogota was not included in our plan, but it turned out to be indispensable. UMM needed a doctor’s appointment, this time with rear springs and shock absorbers. The price for off-road is high. With the car safely parked, we could visit Bogota without fear.

A visit to the Gold Museum was a must. It is the largest and richest collection of gold art in the world and not only from pre-Columbian cultures. After we spent a few hours hiking La Candelaria, the historical centre of the city.

Welcome to last continent of our adventure, in the Americas, of course.

We gave our first steps in South America in Cartagena. We flew from Panama City, and our beloved UMM sailed from Colon, arriving to Cartagena after a one-day cruise. It took us three days to finish all customs procedures and get back our faithful partner. Three days in the blazing sun, running from building to building, department to department, every day from eight AM till five PM. Well, to be fair, we can’t complain much. Each day we had two and an half hour lunch break! We thought we were facing one of The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, when enduring the “Cave of the Beast”, Asterix and Obelix, attempted the eighth task of getting a permit document from a multistorey bureaucratic building. One fact worthy of mention is that this shipping costs as much as shipping from Europe to Canada!
Finally, we were reunited and spend the first night on the beach, north of Cartagena. Peace and quiet, near a couple of fishermen’s houses. The next day we headed towards Barranquilla, the home city of the well-known singer Shakira. It’s a busy, hot, dirty city. We decided to go to Medellin, but not through the coast. On the way we managed to visit the family home of the well-known Colombian writer, Gabriel García Márquez. A tiny village, a tiny museum and links to his work everywhere.

Pleasantly surprised by the accidental discovery we continued heading south. Before reaching Medellin, we had a ferry crossing. The bridge is still under construction, so the ferry is the only solution. The journey took around one hour. The ferry consists of two parts – the barge and the towboat. A typical set up, but the age and appearance did not inspire confidence. Relax came only after spotting the name of the welder in charge of maintaining the barge. Please click here and you will see what I mean. Before reaching Medellin, in the parking lot of a gas station, we met another overlander, and what a overlander it was! Goes by the name of Taxi Latino. The owner, Ruben Ramirez, grandson of the first owner of this original Argentinian taxi from 1931, is traveling from Argentina to Alaska. Ruben is living in Portugal for over a dozen years. After our return to Portugal, we have an appointment for coffee!

And we arrived to Medellin. What has Medellin been known in the world for? Crime, through the drug lord Pablo Escobar. But this is the past. Today’s Medellin impressed us. As a rule, we do not venture into larger cities (and this one has about two million inhabitants); in Latin America, all large agglomerations were similar, but Medellin stands out among them. While hiking the city with a guide, we learn more details. For instance the subway is not just a public transport. All Paisas see it as an enormous victory of the people in the constant fight against crime. The subway stations and the carriages are kept in spotless conditions. Everyone has a top civic behaviour whenever using the subway. Most impressive. The cable car is one other public transport that exceeded its main purpose. The inhabitants of districts located on the slopes, usually the poorer ones, felt excluded from their city. Without this means of transport it was very difficult to, for example, get a job in the city. Now they continue poor but no longer feel excluded. The city has undergone a huge metamorphosis and is one of the most-praised and the most inspiring in the world. An example may be the market that didn’t encourage walks and was rather a dark side of the city. Now it is the Park of Lights with three hundred light columns twenty four-meter high. Another example is the former Justice Palace, which was to be demolished, but it was transformed into an original shopping centre. These gave the places a new history, free from the ghosts of the past. In Medellin we met with brother of our friend Sebastian from Elbląg, Robert. Robert started his bike trip two years ago in Ushuaia, Argentina, and fell into Medellin’s trap. His living there for one year now.

Not far from Medellin, we found a great attraction for UMM. Drive on the former railway road with tunnels and one railway bridge. We think that the photos and the movie would show the spirit of this adventure much better.

Another attraction on our route is Guatapé. A picturesque town known for its zócalos, beautifully sculpted and painted depictions of village life that adorn the lower half of most buildings in the town centre. It is something to watch while wandering the streets. While Marzena could appreciate Guatapé in all its glamour, I had to stay in a hostel due to a health problem that I will not describe in detail. Will just say that it was a real pain in the ass, literally speaking! Just remembering it brings back all the pain.

The Colombian road toll system was a surprise to us. Although we knew they existed we did not expect them to be in every road. And in the end of the day it was a considerable sum to be taken in account. Due to this, as well as to better landscape scenery’s, we decide to avoid as many tolls as we could. Colombia is definitely a mountainous country and it slowed us down a bit, because the average speed was about 25 km / h, and after a day we were like James Bond’s martini – shaken, but not stirred. Just we. UMM was shaken, stirred and beaten, but took it all as man.

Leaving Guatapé didn’t go according to plan. In fact, it appeared that there was no plan at all! We planned about 150 km, that is, a whole day driving. GPS gave us three routes. We choose the forest road. The weather was good with clear sky’s allowing nice views of a mountain chain and valley. After two hours the road gets to a dead end. Only horses could continue! Even armed with a UMM we could not continue. Turning back meant going almost all the way back to Guatapé, but had no other choice.  We decide on the first GPS proposal. After a few kilometres we faced road works forcing us to stand for an extended period of time. Finally, we were in the move just to be stopped once again. More road works! And this time we were forced to go back. Again!!! Dam, half a day had passed and we were still at the starting point. We were now riding the third and last GPS route. After a few kilometres, wanting to know if this route was clear and would take us all the way to our destination, we turned to the locals for advice. Yes, you will get there, but it’s still far away! One of the rules for safe travels is avoiding traveling after dark. It was already 18:00, and on the dirt road, stony and bumpy, we continued into the darkness. Traveling is not always a sea of roses.

Welcome to Costa Rica. For the night we set camp in front of the Reserva Biologica Lomas Bardudal rangers house and in the next day, early morning, we hiked through the jungle. During the hike we meet a family of Capuchin monkeys. At first they looked distrustful and did threaten us by grinning, but over time they lost interest on us and got back to their most important task, looking for food.

Costa Rica is rich in nature, in national parks and reserves. Most are paid for, so we skip them, but one can find gems for free. Like the big reptiles under the bridge. Crocodiles were lying on the river bank. There were about a dozen of them. Through binoculars you could see them accurately, even the small movements of their nostrils. The great reptiles are impressive. We were unable to reach our friend Joanie in time for Christmas dinner so, for the night, we set camp at the parking lot of the restaurant Mar y Sol, just in front of the beach with the same name. It’s Christmas Eve. There is also internet, so we could talk to our loved ones, although the time difference is not favourable. Next morning, we drove to Joanie’s. She was at the Rafiki camp ground, just a little North of Quepos. We took the opportunity to enjoy breakfast on the lodge with a stunning view of the area.

Costa Rica, together with Belize, are the most expensive countries of Central America through which we have traveled so far. In order not to ruin our budget (already in ruin), we headed towards Panama quite fast. In Costa Rica we stay only 3 days, also because we agreed with Joanie, with whom we would share a container, the 9th of January, to ship our cars.
Panama. The last country in North America on our way South. Although connected to Colombia, and therefore to South America, there is no road that you can drive on. Separating the two continents is the Darian Gap. There is really no road there and it seems there will never be one. This is mainly related to environment reasons and drug traffic. The only way for our car to get to South America was by ship. For safety reasons, we choose to do it by using a 40’ sea container, sharing it with another car. The crossing price is similar, and perhaps higher than the seven-day transport from Liverpool to Halifax in Canada. Here it is only 1 day. We could fly or cross in sail boats. We decided to fly. Our friends, Asia and Michał, whom we met in Mexico, went by boat. Magical views, 5 days on the sea, an unforgettable experience. However, 5 days were to much and the cost too high. But before it comes to shipping, we had almost two weeks, and one New Year Eve, to get acquainted with Panama.
We start with … a volcano, of course. The chosen one was Barú. This time we went up the mountain with our beloved UMM, hiking the rain forest only from the point where cars are no allowed.

Here we had our first failure, that would immobilize us for a couple of days. Problems in the front leaf springs. The ones on the right broke completely, all four of them! On the left side things were a little bit better, only two broke. We had to drive 50 km down to David, to a workshop capable of making leaf springs. Two days later and with a severe blow to our budget, we got back to the road. And that it was already December 30, we had to find a place for New Year’s Eve. Ended up bumping into Johnny Fiestas bar, in Las Lajas. Stayed here 4 days. Beach bar, hammocks, board games, internet, bear. And two lovely dogs. We’ve settled in for good. Sergio was in heaven, splashing like a little seal in the sea water witch temperature was close to be that of warm soup. Marzena went out to the beach only at sunset, vampire style. We met a Canadian family, living in Vancouver Island and, who knows, we just might visit BC again.

Everything good ends quickly. We had to leave paradise beach and drive towards Colon, where the car would be load into a container. On the way, we probably had the biggest attraction of Panama – Panama Canal.

The first time we crossed the canal was through the Bridge Of The Americas, as we were entering Panama City. Then we went to the Miraflores lock, were you can almost touch the passing mammoth ships. We crossed the canal two more times – with the ferry at Colon and through the locks of Gatun and Agua Clara to get to Fort Lorenzo.

Fort Lorenzo was the one protecting the entering of Chagres river. Attacked repeatedly and destroyed almost completely. The ruins are well preserved and described in detail on the boards during the visit. Unfortunately, we got there at noon, and the heat was unbearable.

And the day arrived when we had to be separated from our UMM. Loaded into a container and left at the port of Colon, he waited for a ship to take him to Cartagena, Colombia. At least he was not alone. He had for company Joanie’s rig, the Beast! We returned to Panama City and waited for our flight.

On Friday, January 11, we flew to our next continent. See you in South America.

We entered Honduras from the north, from the Caribbean Sea. The weather was unfortunately not the best. Was raining and the wind was blowing strong. The sea was brown, not blue as it should, due to rivers flowing from nearby hills. We headed towards San Pedro Sula to meet a friend from work. Already during our journey, we learned that he was working in Honduras. San Pedro Sula, the second largest city, after the capital Tegucigalpa, is mainly known for its dark side. This is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, but we were under the care of Mr. Aleixo and couldn’t be safer. We spent the evening remembering funny situations from previous contracts. It was a really great time. The next day we visited the local market and drove to the largest lake in Honduras. Thank you once again for your hospitality.

Lake Yojoa is known for its amazing nature. Unfortunately, the rain did not leave us and after two days spent talking to other travellers, watching hummingbirds, tasting beer from the local microbrewery, we headed towards Nicaragua. On the way we stopped in the capital, Tegucigalpa, because Dominika, a friend back in Poland, wanted a postcard from her favourite capital. Dominika – unfortunately it wasn’t possible. Neither postcards nor post office.
Riots in Nicaragua have been going on since April. This unstable situation lead to an enormous crisis in the tourism industry; lots of hotels and restaurants are closed. Despite all the reports and advises not to go to Nicaragua, we had no problem and never felt unsafe. What’s more, Marzena believes that this is one of her favourite countries so far. At first we visited Leon to collect supplies for our hike in the Telica volcano.

A beautiful, colonial town with the largest cathedral in Central America. It has five naves supported by 24 pillars, about 100 m long and 45 m wide. The view from the cathedral was impressive; no matter which way you look, you can see volcanoes on the horizon. Volcanoes the new passion of Marzena. Why the hell can’t she pick a passion at sea level? Nooo, we have always to clime at least two thousand meters!  So there we went to spend the night on one of them.

The good thing about this volcano is that you can drive almost to the top. And being a proud owner of a UMM, we could get near the crater. We had about 40 minutes to climb. This is nothing compared to Acatenango in Guatemala, where it was 5 hours. We started in the afternoon to see the sunset. Telica, being an active volcano, is always expelling sulphur vapours. The crater is quite deep, but sometimes it was possible to see lava, especially as it was already dark. After leaving, it turned out that we would spend the night in the company of a couple of travellers from Australia. They have been crossing the the world for the last 20 years and are now in their 5th car. A long way ahead of us.

The next stop was Granada, another colonial town. Granada and Leon competed for the position of capital of the country, but eventually Managua was chosen as a compromise solution. Granada impresses with its colours. During the day, the heat is unbearable, around 10 o’clock it’s getting too warm to walk the streets, so you have to hide in the shade and drink cold drinks. We also managed to visit the cigar factory. Unfortunately, due to the lack of tourists, production was suspended.

In the area of ​​Granada there is one of the few volcanoes in the world with a lava lake. Masaya is one of seven volcanos where you can see a lava lake. We cannot miss the opportunity to admire it. We choose the evening sightseeing, although it is more expensive (10USD per person), but it was worth it. Especially because the are so few tourists so you can spend a lot of time at the crater (previously only about 15 min). The access to the crater was very good. We camped in the parking of a very nice hostel in the Apoyo Lake, and waited for the evening tour. Here you can go canoeing on the lake, and because we were camping in the hostel it was for free, but the winds did not allow us to have this experience. Everywhere you look there is a volcano! We refreshed ourselves with cold beer, enjoy the views of Paradise, and exchange experiences with the newcomers Anna and Mikey from the UK.

Christmas was knocking on the door and we had an invitation from our friend Joanie to spend it together in Costa Rica. We left Nicaragua on December 23. Marzena feels that we spent to less time in this country and pledges to return for a much bigger visit.

Welcome to Guatemala, the Maya world with the most famous ruins in Tikal, but we did not visit them, because it is a tourist trap – it will dry your pockets out! We saw other ruins and decided to look for some new experience. On almost empty roads, from North to South, we saw people living in huts with roofs made of palm or bananas leaves. Poverty at first glance. Guatemala is in the top ten exporting coffee countries and we were admiring some big coffee plantation when, suddenly, the road finished! A river to be crossed but no bridge. Crossing was made possible by a barge that saw its preview in the 60’s! The water level was low, so the vehicles entering the barge had to go right to the front edge, forcing the rear end to rise and, by doing so, allowing the barge to leave shore. Immediately after departure, all cars had to back up, otherwise we would be stuck before reaching the exit shore! New experience. Our goal was Semuc Champey, meaning where the river hides under the stones.

El Retiro Lodge in Lanquin, was the chosen base camp. There we opened our tent in the parking lot but had access to all the facilities. River bar, hammocks and even meals. While Marzena was trying to get her part of the blog up to date, Sergio was enjoying all the good things of life. Hard work, in the end, does pay off!

We went to the lakes by “colectivo”, the most popular means of transport in this parts of the world. First activity was a cave tour, flooded with water. We were given a candle to light our ways. Not an easy task when, in some points, the water level was higher than you! After the cave we climbed to a lookout point and watched the whole river gorge from the top. In the end we bathe in its cool waters.

Guatemala is a mountainous country with the highest number of volcanoes in the region, 37 in total (some are still active) and we wanted to climb one. What better place to do it than the town of Antigua? Antigua was the capital of Guatemala until 1776. Why did it ceased to be? Two earthquakes, caused by volcanic activity, destroyed it completely. We saw the effects of that in the innumerable religious ruins in the city.

Antigua is surrounded by three volcanoes – Agua, Fuego and Acatenango.
The volcano of Fuego is active and clouds of smoke are visible from the town. To have a closer view you just need to climb its twin brother, the Acatenango (inactive). That’s what we did. Five long hours took us to get to the summit, but the effort was well worth it.

At a height of almost 4000 m, 3796 to be precise, the feeling was amazing. Sun set was impossible to be appreciated because of the clouds, but, later in the night, the clouds dispersed and we could see the lights from villages and towns. Just in front of us Fuego, smoked, murmured, and from time to time displayed a show of fireworks, spiting red hot stones. Sitting around the fire pit, our guide gifted us with a treat, marshmallows! Funny was to see that only the non-Europeans of the group where particularly happy with it! For instance, for one of the Danish, was the first and, I believe, the last time he ever tried barbecued marshmallows. At the top, where only the wind was whistling, the fire sizzling and no human sounds could be heard, you can feel both almighty and overpowered by nature. Magical.

The day after descending from Acatenango, the sour muscles quickly brought us back to reality. We decided to rest by Lake Atitlan, which is surrounded by three more volcanoes. In Guatemala, it’s hard not to run in to them. Although the views from the top of the volcanoes would be amazing (the lake is considered one of the most beautiful in the world), we enjoyed the views from the shore.

In Guatemala, we observed that the locals often wear traditional costumes, sometimes specific to a given region and to a given tribe. One of the places where you can see folklore is at the market in Chichicastenango. The market days are every Thursday and Sunday. It is an important centre of Mayan culture, and more precisely of Kiche people. We arrived on Saturday. In the evening, the streets were packed with people, some dancing others just enjoying the music. We could see different concerts throughout the city. A stage was set right in front of the church and a band played for a parade of traditional costumes. In the next street another band was preforming, this time the stage was set on top of a truck. This is probably the main characteristic of Latin America – they always something to commemorate. The next morning stalls took over the space of the stages. No trace of the party from the night before. Just a normal market day.

Guatemala cemeteries are known for their colours and the one in Chicicastenango is one of the most colourful. Located on a hill overlooking the grey concrete city, creating a contrast that can be seen immediately. We walked along the paths in the silence of that place, away from the hustle and bustle of the marketplace.
Our visit to Guatemala was now in its final day and we set off to Honduras, hoping to reach a new continent by  new year.

I must admit that I did not know much about Belize before we came here, therefore I had to rely on the outstanding geographic and historical knowledge of Sergio. The man never ceases to amaze me! This tiny country, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, has beautiful beaches, blue waters, and white sand. But not only. Just a few meters from the sea the rainforest, with all its richness, rules. Belize is, above all, a mixture of people. Living here are mainly the Mestizos and Creoles. They are about 3/4 of the population. The rest are Mayans, Garinagu, Mennonites, Asians (owners of all supermarkets), Americans and Canadians. Mennonites, often mistaken for the Amish, represent 3.6% of all population. It was a little strange to drive our very sophisticated car in between their chariots.
Belize was British Honduras till 1981, colony of Britanie and the last colony in the Americas gaining independence.
Somewhere, I read that since so many different people have found a home here, it must be a paradise. We invite you to visit this paradise.
We enter Belize from the north and head towards the ruins of Lamanai. And here are the views.

Lamanai was inhabited since the 16th century BC and continuing through the Spanish and British Colonial periods, into the 20th century. Built on the shores of a lake (you cannot take a bath because of the crocodiles :)). From the High Temple, surrounded by the jungle, you have an amazing view. In the distance you can see how the jungle gives way to Mennonite pastures. Although no human inhabits Lamanai it is not without life and sound. From up in the trees howler monkeys make their thing. Most impressive!

We also visited the ZOO in Belize. Belize Zoo is a kind of asylum for native animals that either cannot return to their natural environment or are undergoing treatment. A very well organized place that puts animals first. We could see there 30 native species like the tiny Angouti, toucans, crocodiles, tapirs, monkeys, pumas, jaguars, etc. A nice surprise was The Great harpy eagle – a large bird of prey, whose claws reach a length up to 12 cm. The bird is already completely healthy and could leave the centre. Despite the huge efforts of the employees, literally expelling it from the centre into the wild, it stubbornly kept returning, becoming a permanent resident.

After spending a few days in the jungle, it was time for a change. We headed to the coast. Belize has the second largest coral reef. We would not dive but we wanted to snorkel.

We snorkelled three times – twice on the reef, and the third time in a place where there were sharks, turtles, rays. A wonderful experience. This was our second time, first was in Mozambique. And for the second time, Marzena, made the same mistake. She under-estimated the power of the sun. Painful for her, funny for me. Still laughing when thinking about it. Hihihihi.

The coast, and especially the south of Belize is inhabited by Garifuna people, i.e. Black Caribs. Historically, they are descendants of the Caribbean and African slaves imported into plantations. Their cuisine is full of references to coco and coconut milk. They are also known for playing drums, especially in Dangriga. We unfortunately did not hear the drums, but did taste two delicious local meals, fish Hudut and Pig Tail Sere. Although very tasty, the pig tail sere, can be very dangerous if you don’t possess the proper technique to eat it. Sergio masters the technique. If you don’t know it please do not try it. The end result can be seen in the second movie.

It was time to say goodbye to Belize because Guatemala is just on the horizon. Until next post.

We were now in Maya realm, well only at its gates because it stretches to the whole of the Yucatán peninsula, the Mexican states of Chiapas, Belize, Guatemala and even Honduras. But time will come for everything. For the first contact with this civilization, we choose the archaeological site in Palenque. Before we got there we met, in a road blockade made by teachers in protest, a nice couple from Yucatan with his family. Within a short time, we were given cocoa fruit, which we never tasted before, local orchids and even an owl made of jade, a green mineral that is of great importance to Maya people. We were very pleased.

The city, discovered in 1746, flourished in the period from the mid-seventh to the end of the eighth century during the reign of King Pakal the Great (you can see the large carved stone sarcophagus lid from his tomb in a few photos above) and his son. You can read more about the history of this place, for example here. We started sightseeing after visiting the museum just after its opening (we were the first), then we walked among the pyramids, climbed on it and tried to learn as much as we could by keeping close to groups with tour guides:). It turned out that one of them even knew a few phrases in Polish; also his ID card was hanging on a leash with the word Polska. On the stairs of one of the buildings we met – Asia and Michał, polish backpackers (I used to think that it was the Portuguese who were everywhere but seems that I was wrong!) who started their adventure from South America. In the evening we also visited the less historic part of Palenque together.

Then we went to Campeche. Sergio had enough of the jungle and longed for the sea.

Campeche is a charming town, whose old buildings are surrounded by a wall. The facades of pastel coloured houses give a picturesque look to the streets during the day (uff how hot). During the day, we tried to be in the shade by, for example, visiting a restored hacienda at the market, and in the evening we went to a multimedia show.

At night, the streets are full of tourists, and the locals, oblivious to the flashes of all their cameras, show what the term Latino stands for.

For our surprise we met again with … Asia and Michał. We decided to spend some lazy days together in Celestun. Just enjoying the beach and the shade of the coconut trees.

The lazy days under the coconut trees were abruptly terminated due to heavy winds and rain. The rain was not that bad, but wind, violently wagging the tent in all directions, was becoming a serious threat. After a sleepless night (how do babies fall asleep in a swinging trolley is for me a complete mystery!) we thoroughly checked the tent for any damage. No damage whatsoever. The only casualty was one of ours foam mattresses – Sergio’s :), that flew away never to be seen again! It was time to change the Gulf of Mexico to a much friendlier Caribbean Sea. On the way to Valladolid, where this time we had an appointment with Asia and Michał, we stopped to visit Chichén Itzá.

It’s considered one of the largest Maya cities. The step-pyramid El Castillo, also known as Temple of Kukulcan, dominates the centre of the city. But Marzena was fascinated by another place – a Ballcourt for ritual ball games – Ullamaliztli. The outcome of the game sometimes determined the life or death of players.

The Maya still live in Yucatan. They mainly live from agriculture, cattle breeding and crafts.
In Valladolid we stayed at Xkopek campground. Here we saw how honey is produced in a traditional Mayan way. The name of the place refers directly to the dry cenote where the camp is located. Cenote is a natural pit resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. They are an important part of the Maya culture. Not only as a source of water but also as a sacred place, the entering to another world.
Together with Asia and Michał, we visited several cenotes within Valladolid’s surroundings.

And this is where we ended our forty-day journey through Mexico. Next post will be from Belize.

We continue our journey east, towards the Gulf of Mexico. The first goal was Tuxpan, where we would meet Ze Paulo, our friend from work in Poland. Arrived to Tuxpan and driving along the promenade towards the campground, we were stopped by municipal police. We were about to be accused of driving a heavy truck where only light vehicles were allowed! We did explain that our vehicle was not a heavy truck but with no effect on the police officer, fully committed to redraw cash from, what he thought to be, a foreigner ATM on wheels! 5000 pesos, about 200 euro, was the amount that we had to pay. Of course we said that we did not carried that amount of money. The officer immediately proposed to be of assistance in that mater. Sergio just had to speak with his superior officer, waiting in the police car, and he would surly let us go with a payment of 2500 pesos. Not possible said Sergio, we just have 100 pesos. I can’t go and offer 100 pesos to your superior officer! It’s insulting. The man will probably shoot me. Take us to police station and we will see how the payment can be done. Jonathan, the name the police officer baptized himself when Sergio asked his name, warned us that there the fine would be of 12,000 pesos and probably they would keep our driving licence. Then he proposed us a bank transfer for his superior officer bank account. We kept this conversation with “Jonathan” for about one hour, sweating but kipping a cool head, till he finally gave up and let us go.

Dia dos Muertos we decided to spend in Vera Cruz. It is a very important holiday with 3000 years of tradition. It may seem ghostly, because it is full of skulls, skeletons and general references to death, but it’s nothing like that. It is a feast that commemorates family ties and the memory of your ancestors. The graves are cleaned, decorated with flowers (mainly velvets), and on top, like tables set for a meal, food and drink are laid.

In Vera Cruz, we spent a few days learning a little about the city and Mexico’s history. We visited the city museum and the incredibly modern Maritime Museum.

It turns out that in Vera Cruz you can hear polish, thanks to two charming sailors – Kacper and Oscar, on which we accidentally met in the main square. In the absence of a common photo, Marzena asked them to send their own. Ahoj guys!

And now straight on to the Yucatan peninsula, the Maya world.

For several months, Sergio, threatened that his time to rest was approaching and he would finally rest! The true expedition would start in Mexico and end in Argentina. In contrast to Canada and United States, which were largely planned by Marzena, a Polish woman, this meant that we had to see EVERYTHING that we could within the visa time we had! No time to rest. No time to sleep. Setting camp at 21 hundred, lifting camp at 7 hundred and have breakfast on the way. Mexico, all of it, is organized by Sergio. The new pace was set to lento mode (slowly), the proper mode.
And what is the best scenario to lick the wounds from the hardships of our intense visit to Canada and the United States? Water falls, beaches with coconut trees and hammocks. So Sergio set course for the Tolantongo Caves, not knowing exactly what it was. We planned to arrive on a Sunday evening to begin, slowly, exploring on Monday morning. The last 5 km of the road was a descent to the bottom of the canyon. On the way, we passed the parking lot, all packed with big buses. They can’t go all the way down. People are then transported by smaller buses. Just by looking at them we could imagine the crowds down below. Going down we crossed with many of this smaller buses taking people back up. So we had no problem with crowds. With the weather was another story. Cloudy, drizzling, cold but we risked entering getting in and payed the 300 pesos for it. The road down looked like this.

Down the road a sign appeared informing that the paved road was about to finish, but it was not true – the all road disappeared, giving place to a brown gunge, a perfect mud mask for the car but not with the same benefits as those for people! The drizzling did not stop, heavy clouds hung from the sky, covering the banks of the canyon, but it wasn’t cold. It was even warm. We parked in one of the parking lots, and as there was no living soul around, opened the tent and slept for free.

In the morning, after drying the tent, we stood at the gates of paradise. See for yourselves.

We spent a full day splashing around. We visited the whole available area. Marzena knew what to look for because of a friend who tosses pictures of places that are a must to visit, and this was one of them. Thanks Iwonka !!!!! Around noon the clouds disappeared and the sun appeared. We had only 50 km to go to the next place. Navigation strangely showed 2.5 hours. After leaving the canyon and turning into the road through the mountains, we understood why.

We passed a herd of goats along the way, not for the first time anyway. But this time it was not without an incident. Letting the goats and Mr. shepherd pass, Sergio moved forward – and in the back we heard a great meeeeeeh! Neither we nor Mr. shepherd (his name is Perez) noticed that the goat was under UMM. We had run over one goat!  And didn’t even felt it!  We took the goat to its home, the goat on Marzena’s lap (Marzena says it was of no effort for the goat was light as a feather), and waited for Perez arrival. Upon his arrival the negotiation began. Perez told Marzena, not knowing that making such a claim to her, he was putting his own life at risk, announced that now the goat was ours and we had to buy it for 3,000 pesos. Marzena, fluent in the Spanish language, shouted no way Jose, not even think about it! Somehow Perez understood her. Amazing! Fearing for Perez life, I had to step in to the negotiation. We ended up agreeing on 700 pesos for goat medicines. We do not know if the goat recovered or not. The injuries did not look that bad and appeared to have nothing broken. In fact, I’m convinced that the goat is a very well trained animal and an excellent actress. A concealed gesture from its shepherd and down she goes, bleating like there was no tomorrow. Deceitful goat!

We decided to go to the nearest town for the night, 20 km away on a road that didn’t look like a road. The initial plan was to set camp about one km from the accident, but we didn’t want to risk meeting with Perez in the next day claiming that the goat had died. It got dark, very dark, and the road condition did not improve. We arrived to Metztitlán around 9:00 pm, we found accommodation in a guesthouse on the plaza mayor, under the arcades.
In the morning the town turned out to be very friendly and safe. We found a SPA for UMM and local street food for us. We decided to stay for another night and enjoyed the good vibes of this place.

We’re going to Tuxpan Vera Cruz, on the east coast. On the way, we drove through Barranca del Cobre, Copper Canyon. It is bigger and deeper than the Grand Canyon.

We stopped in Durango for the night. The rain did not leave us, but at least it wasn’t cold. In the evening we visited the city and tried Mezcal. We spent the evening in a very nice pub and met Janek Józek (Juan José), the name of our polyglot waiter in Polish.

Travelling through Mexico we tend to use less our own accommodations. Lack of places (and a sense of security) for camping in the wild, drive us to choose cheap motels, hotels and guest houses. Prices vary, but you can find accommodation for as little as $ 12. They are much more expensive in the cities, but still below the European average. Sometimes they are very modest rooms, almost empty, but they are always very clean, with fresh linen and towels. Sometimes we can get hot water and, if we are really lucky, showers with the right pressure.
Do you associate Mexico with mountains? We did not, but reality shows that it is. We are still driving uphill since we entered the country! The roads are not as bad as we thought they would be. Some are in a pretty good condition, others in need of a new asphalt layer and some can’t be really called roads! But in all of them, and we mean ALL of them, there are speed bumps, in Poland the so-called sleepy policemen. But here in Mexico, each bump appears to have, at least, five policeman sleeping in top of each other! 5 km /h is already too much speed to cross over them. What if you don’t see one? – well, you will know how Małysz, the flying moustache, felt when jumping in the Winter Olympic Games! The car, however, just feels pain and expresses that by emitting very loud screeches. Of course, with UMM, you feel absolutely nothing. That’s how good the suspension is :))
Driving through such a large country (six times larger than Poland) we passed some Pueblos Mágicos – Magic Places (cities, towns, villages). It turns out that it is a government program to promote places worth visiting due to culture, tradition and gastronomy. So far we visited Zacatecas and San Miguel de Allende.

And when it comes to food, Sergio, almost quit cooking after crossing the border into Mexico! Our fridge is now full of fruits and juices! We mainly eat street food, sitting on stalls, tables set in front of houses, where the housewife cooks and sells her cooking to all who wants it. Prices are very affordable, traditional Mexican food, from tacos to Gorditas and other dishes that you cannot find in a restaurant. And no tourists. It’s us and the locals. Sergio, a fluent speaker of many, many languages (polish not being one of them), ends up having long nice conversations with the locals. Portugal is no stranger for the Mexicans, as for their close relation to Spain and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. Poland, in the other hand, is something very exotic. Polaca? Ah. Sounds like Marzena is from another planet!

And since Mexico is somehow luxurious for us, it’s high time for a SPA in beautiful natural scenario. Details soon, in the next post.

Greetings from Mexico.

The border crossing between the States and Mexico went smoothly. Marzena didn’t even need to leave the car to get her visa done. The car had its inspection done in just a few minutes. The food in the fridge was of no interest to the nice police lady. She was more interested with Sergio, wanting to know what an intelligent and good looking man from Portugal, was doing so far from home! If Sergio had not asked about visas and passport entering stamp, and he wouldn’t if Marzena didn’t remind him, we could have entered Mexico without it!!! Welcome to the country of  “mañana”.

We had the idea that roads were far from good but we were pleasantly surprised. They are fairly good. Of course there are road works but apart from it we could drive at a pretty good speed. We drove south from Nogales to kilometer 21, in order to get the temporary importation permit for the UMM. After that we turned west. We planned to get to the shore line and go south along it, avoiding larger city’s such as Hermosillo.

All was going according to plan, the more west we drove the less traffic we found, fewer buildings and more secondary roads and shortcuts, like this chosen by Sergio.

According to our navigation, we had to cover 90 km in 3 hours. We made it in two and a half. What a scenery! All the way surrounded by cactuses of all shapes and sizes, seeing small lizards running across the track, vultures flying alongside us and deer running to safety! Marzena did manage to get one in camera!

We arrived to the place where we planned to overnight, the small village of Puerto Lobos. It’s a very small and poor fishing village. Sergio didn’t feel safe enough to stay there and so we continued south, this time on a fast road, stretching as far as eyes can see and on which we were completely alone.

The next spot, also a village but a little bit larger, we didn’t find a place to stay. The wind rose and it started to rain. Sergio, Hurricane Sergio, had finally caught up with us. We continued to drive south, though it was getting late. Everyone had warned us not to drive after dark, and there we were on our second day in Mexico, braking up the first and most sacred  rule of all! Well, it was due to a force majeure. The rain did not stop and even grew stronger. We arrived at Bahia do Kino after 18:00. We found rooms to rent in a private house (very nice place), for dinner we had tacos at a local bar (the tripitas are a must, well for Sergio they are but for Marzena its to avoid by all means possible), all in pouring rain. The morning brought nothing new. Still raining. The unpaved streets turned into a swamp, the paved ones into a lake! Electric power lines thought it was the fourth of July and started to display a magnificent firework show! The wind was also growing in strength. Nothing we could do but run west, to the state capital of Sonora, Hermosillo, where we did not want to go. And there we found that things were no better.

We will be staying here for the night, in a motel, and tomorrow we will move on. Sleeping in a tent is not an option for now.

Welcome and greetings from Mexico.

Going west, after parting with Andrea and Thomas, such shapes loomed on the horizon, letting us know what awaited us. Monument Valley. The place is known for the western movies, which were shot there; about 100 of them (westerns and not only). The entire area belongs to the Navajo Indian Tribal Park. However, before we venture further, for the night we stop in the shadow of a Mexican Hat.

The valley can be visited on horseback and by a car but always with a local guide. The prices are out of this world, however.  We decided to visit ourselves (couldn’t visit whole valley but almost), especially since our car is the best for such paths! Strong sun, making all visitor sweat like sinners in church and because of all the dust, red dust everything and everyone was red, hence explaining the origin of the term Redskins!

For those who want to deepen the knowledge about this monument, I always refer to the beautiful blog America for the Traveler here.
However, before we leave the United States for good, we must visit the area which is one of the most recognisable natural landmarks of this massive country – the Grand Canyon.

Driving along the plateau nothing prepares you for the fantastic views of the Canyon. We pass a beautiful autumn forest and a lazy family of bison. Let this idyllic sight fool you not! Buffalos have temperament, and we are better off keeping our distance. This is how the Grand Canyon presented itself from the north.

Colorado River was difficult to spot. The water level was low, due to a dam in nearby Page and a very hot summer. However, in the famous Horseshoe Bend, we saw it perfectly well.

We changed the  direction and headed straight south to Nogales, Arizona. On the way, a little hurricane Rosa scared us, well not us all. Sergio, was very calm with the situation, as expected from a team leader. We were at the edge of spending two days in pouring rain, unable to leave the tent. With survival skills known only, well almost only, to Native Americans, Sergio guided us to safety. The fear of drowning made such beauties look for safer places. You could see them crossing roads all over!

The more south, the more the landscape changes. For the first time we saw a saguaro cactus – yes, they do exist and not only in movies. We stopped at a bar in a small settlement where only locals and met Brad and his companion Rex. Marzena was VERY interested in Rex, I wonder why. Storm clouds kept following us. They look nice in the pictures, but they promise a rough night. The past couple nights we found some nice spots to overnight, roughly 50 km from the border. Unfortunately, on the last one, a secluded valley between the mountains, we had to flee due to heavy rain. We left the mountains and headed for a open area. The views were marvellous. Contrary to expectations, the night was relatively calm. Thunders and lighting for a long time, but not too much rain and weak wind. Next morning all was calm.

Tomorrow, on October 10, we will cross the border with Mexico in Nogales. We do have to hurry up. A great wall is said to be erected on the Mexico and USA broader at any moment, to keep America safe!!! No dangerous animal shall pass.

We run away from the heat of Nevada and headed up to the next state, Utah. The name of the state probably comes from the names of indigenous Americans – Ute Indians. There are two theories for the origin of the word: the first says that it comes from the dialect Ute, meaning “people of the mountains”, the second says that it has its origin in word yuttahih from the Apache language, meaning “the one / those who are higher”. This tiny state has as many as 5 national parks and a lot of Mountains, and Mountains Marzena just adores. There will be a lot of hiking! We warn you that this will be mainly a photographic post.
In Utah, we also arranged for Andrea and Thomas to go sightseeing together. Thomas just couldn’t wait for our arrival and start hiking as many trails as possible! They were already camped in Bryce Canyon waiting for us. We drove to the meeting point. Through the way we passed the beautiful valley of Zion Park. Just wonderful.

We found them, which was not easy at night and in the woods. They lighted a fire (for the last month there was a ban on fires) and conversations ran into the night. Andrea, as our paparazzi, immortalized beautifully our night with some photos. And the next day we went to visit Bryce Canyon.

Marzena, if she could, would post even more pictures. So far, this is her favourite spot for photography. It is magical.
After two days of camping, our caravan moved close to the next attraction, Capitol Reef. It turns out that the entire state of Utah is one big area for shooting pictures. There is so much to see and do in this remarkable area. Here you get a real feel for what the earth might have been like millions of years before.

In Capitol Reef we went to Hickman Natural Bridge. We had lots of fun hiking this trail.

Another destination of our expedition was the Arches National Park. We found another nice, free place for a camp. Thomas lighted a fire and we had a wonderful dinner. Full moon so Andrea, of course, took thousands pictures – the woman is volcano of energy. On the following day, we visited almost the entire park. The temperatures were high but the moods were good. With so much hiking around, the appetites grew bigger and bigger. In our minds we started preparing the next night feast.

Almost without moving from the area we visited other interesting place. Magical views from canyons made by the Colorado river.

From the beginning, we knew that our paths would had to part way someday. It was supposed to be our last night together. But we managed to get a few more days. Together, we went to one last place. We even crossed the state border, because Mesa Verde National Park is already in Colorado. We were very lucky because we found ourselves visiting Cliff Palace (Mesa Verde’s Largest Cliff Dwelling), on the last day of the last guided tour. The next day, calmly, we visited the area again.

And it was the last day together, at least for now. We drove west and Andrea and Thomas east. We hope that we will meet again somewhere on the road, in this continent or in a different one.
Andrea and Thomas, it was an amazing week full of excitement. Thank you for camping, joking, talking around the campfire, for advice from more experienced travellers. See you on the next trail!!!
And here is a post from Andrei and Thomas (in German and English).