unURBAN Adventures - Alaska to Argentina to AFRICA!

[SChandler]

Thanks for comments everybody!



You don't need the Carnet de Passage for any countries in Central or South America, and we have never been asked. A temporary vehicle import permit is issued at the borders.

The only "vehicle document" we have arranged before starting the trip (Central and South that is, USA is a different story for a European vehicle....) is insurance. We use a Dutch company called Alessi, and they provide liability and comprehensive for Central and South America. However, 5 countries (Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Colombia) does not recognice forreign insurances, and it is mandatory to purchase this locallly at the border when you drive in. The comprehensive part is valid though.

Regarding acclimatization to higher altitude, this is normally not a problem as you climb gradually higher and higher. Most people will be fine driving from sealevel and up to about 3000 meter (9000 ft) without getting altitude sickness. You'll probably feel it, but only as being out of breath when moving around. Driving up into the Andes from Colombia, you climb and camp gradually higher and higher (with some days driving back down). Going from Colombia and into Ecuador, you will be fairly welll aclimatized before finding the really high mountain passes.

As a rule of thumb, you normally try to not increase the sleeping height more than 300 meters (900 ft) every day above 3000 meters (9000 ft), and every fourth day should be a "rest" day (not climbing higher). When aclimatized, going back down to sealevel for a couple of days, maybe as much as a week, would normally not be a problem. However, how a human body responds to altitude can be very different, and you should always be careful. It is also much less critical to drive over a high pass and being exposed to high altitude for a relatively short periode of time, compared to actually spend the night there. So if you can sleep at 3500 meters (11500 ft), it would not be a problem driving over a pass at 4500-5000 meters (14-15000 ft) for a couple of hours as long as you go back down before setting up camp.

So, yes! We do feel the altitude when going over the high passes, or when we camp high up inthe mountains, but it has never been a problem.

E

Thanks for the info, it is much appreciated. I really appreciate the level of documentation you guys put into the trip report and the border crossings.

I look forward to more trip reports. I'd be interested in some Norway postings, too.

[unURBAN]

Are you comming home permanently, or just a trip?

It is a three weeks holiday from the holiday (and some administrative details..), so we'll be back on the road in mid August!

(and if your in Skien/Porsgrunn in about a week, we're in for a coffee :-) )

E&M

[Bergum]

No, i'm not, an thats just bad :-)
Just needed to have a heads up if you where to come home permanently.
Still planning and hoping for a presentation of your trip for our members in KNA/KOK... :-)

[Bergum]

Did see something funny on this site:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ess-Adventures

And it seems to me, that this tread, unUrban, has the most views off them all....

Now, get back to the wan and keep posting :-) (Have a nice "vacation" first....)

[unURBAN]

Did see something funny on this site:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ess-Adventures
And it seems to me, that this tread, unUrban, has the most views off them all....
Now, get back to the wan and keep posting :-) (Have a nice "vacation" first....)

It is amazing that so many read about our travels!!! We'll keep posting as long as we are on the road. Thanks for reading!

It will still take a while, though, before we catch up with The Thread.... :-) http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...hi-to-Kinshasa

E&M

[Dgurley2000]

So you guys are back at home during the tragedy?

[unURBAN]

So you guys are back at home during the tragedy?

Yes. Unfortunately, for the first time in almost 16 months of traveling, and traveling through some potentionally quite dangerous countries, I had to call my family and tell them we were OK. This was in Oslo, one of the safest capitals in the world. We had left Oslo a couple of hours before the bomb went of, and we saw the whole thing unfold live on the television. About an hour after the first pictures came out from the bomb site, we heard on the news about a man shooting youths at a summer camp. It was quite surreal.

What happend:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14260297

It has now been three days since the killings, and these days have been very different from anything I've ever experienced in Norway. Oslo is covered in flowers. Thousands and thousands of people are in the city center showing their respect to the people we lost. In all the sadness, it is also beautiful...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14284377

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And in the middle of the crowd are even some of the government politicians. This is what we mean when we talk about a society based on openness and trust.

Minnesmarkering__83454316x9.jpg

It has been three days since the bomb and the massacre. In this time, nobody has mentioned the word "revenge". Nobody has blamed anyone for not doing this or that. And even if it was a political party that was on this sick guy's hit list, there has been no political agenda in comments or speaches. The only focus has been to take care of the victims, their friends and family, and the people somehow involved in this nightmare.

a2ab07fb92db0413901da86706fba206.jpg

We read in international newspapers that this will change Norway forever. I'm not so sure. If anything, it will only make Norway even more Norwegian. Hate and racism will always be fought with openness, democracy, and humanity. Because that is what we believe in! In this terrible terrible tragedy an overlanding-couple are proud to call Norway home.

E&M

[Frank]

What an amazing thread, E&M. I have been slowly reading all 39 pages every day when I get home from work. You must be very grateful to be able to make such a journey.
I didn't read anything that mentioned a book. After reading this, I think it would be very easy to publish your journey. Your photography is awesome too!

[unURBAN]

What an amazing thread, E&M. I have been slowly reading all 39 pages every day when I get home from work. You must be very grateful to be able to make such a journey.
I didn't read anything that mentioned a book. After reading this, I think it would be very easy to publish your journey. Your photography is awesome too!

Thanks for the kind words, Frank! This jurney has been an adventure even better than what we dreamed about before leaving home. We feel very priveleged and are happy we prioritized right! ;-)

We won't make any promises about a book, but you never know.... (and it is Malin that is chief photographer, I only take pics of the Patrol....)

E

[unURBAN]

If there is one thing that will blow you away in South America it is the mountain ranges. Yes, the Alps and the Rockies are impressive too, but the Andes make them look small. From the Pacific coast we headed back up into the mountains to camp at 4000 meters / 12000 ft + altitude. The shortcut up into the valley of Callejon de Huaylas take us through Canyon del Pato, and this is a spectacular drive.



The road is rough and at places carved out of the side of the canyon. They have also made 32 tunnels to get the road through the canyon.



After a long day's drive from Trujillo we arrived in the town of Caraz in the evening. This is one of the towns at the base of the mountain range of Cordillera Blanca and is a starting point for mountaineers wanting to hike and climb in the area. As we didn’t have up-to-date info about camping in the national park, we spent the night in Caraz in the backyard of a hotel in the city center. The next morning we took off and drove up and up and up a narrow valley to Lago Peròn at 4200 meters where we popped the roof tent.



Above us were several 6000 meter / 18000 ft snow capped mountains.



We also wanted to drive across this mountain range, and a few kilometers south of Huaraz there are a couple of roads going up into and over the mountains. This is just south of the snow capped peaks, but if the weather is good you will have stunning views along these roads. Unfortunately, the weather turned on us just at the critical place, and we had no views of these peaks at all… But the road is still VERY scenic.



And it is amazing that you can see signs of farming even at this elevation. All fences built of stone.



In this area is also a tree, Puya Raymondi, (which is actually in the pinapple family) found only a couple of places in the world.



At the highest pass on this road we were at 4878 meters above sea level. Engine and people still running, but at a slightly slower pace than normal…



Leaving the Cordillera Blanca we drove east to find an alternative route south towards Cuzco and Machu Picchu. More soon!

E&M