Life Remotely - From our home in Seattle to Tierra del Fuego in a 1997 4Runner

LifeRemotely

Observer
The Art of Buying Gas in Bolivia

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Buying gas in Bolivia is not only a joke, it's a pain in the butt. Recently Bolivia introduced a gas price for foreign vehicles at about 3 times the local subsidized price to keep neighboring countries from buying cheap gas and going home.

Selling gas to a foreigner involves a lot of paperwork for the attendants which in turn leads to some ridiculous excuses to from lazy attendants.

Here are some common excuses we heard over the 3 weeks spent looking for gas in Bolivia.

  • Sorry we do not have international receipts. (Disculpe, pero no hay facturas internacional)
  • Sorry we do not have a license to sell gas to a foreign vehicle. (Disculpe, no se vende gasohol por placas extraños)
  • Sorry we are out of Gas – this might have been a legitimate excuse (Disculpe, no hay gasohol)
  • You can only get a small amount. (Solo, diez litros. Nada mas.)
  • The receipts are locked in the office and the person with the keys is off for the day. (Disculpe, no lo tengo facturas. La oficina esta cerrado y no tengo los claves. EL jefe tiene los claves y no esta aqui hoy.)

Our Best Advice

  • Always smile and try not to get frustrated, this could prove difficult when you're on empty.
  • Say hello and ask how are you before asking for the price of gas without a receipt.
  • Negotiate a price before you start filling up.
  • If the excuse for not selling is that the manager is there, ask when he leaves.
  • Don't ever be desperate for gas. Start looking to fill up when you are a half a tank.
  • Don't wait until you are leaving town to fill up. Gas stations frequently run out of gas. If you wait, the chances of being stranded increase.
  • When you are desperate:
  • Take a jerry can or empty coke bottle and put on your best "I'm desperate" face. Usually you can get a few liters.
  • Park your car in front of the pump and tell them you have no gas left so you can't move. They'll "find" the receipts quickly, but be prepare to pay full international price.
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LifeRemotely

Observer
Chile's Lakes District

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Start: December 12, Pucon
Finish: December 23, Puerto Montt
Grills Used For One Dinner: 5
Four-Legged Road Blocks Overcome: 2
Days With Rain: 9 of 12
Fish Caught: 0

The weather has finally caught up to us. I can count the number of times we've had more than two consecutive days of rain on one hand. Our time in the Lakes District brought us six consecutive days of rain and a lot of soggy gear. But we're from Seattle, meaning we don't believe in umbrellas, and we know how to shop for good rain jackets.

We did our best to make the most of our time in Chile's Lakes District. We started with a few days spent hanging out with friends old and new that culminated in a barbeque nearly rivaling our Thanksgiving pig roast. From Pucon we drove through the back roads to visit a handful of other lakes and rivers en route to Puerto Montt with the hopes of catching a couple world famous Patagonian trout.

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Our campsite in Pucon with our friends Mark and Sarah at FromAtoB.org and their gigantic rig that's aptly named the beast. I've pitched my tent in its shadow a couple times now and can definitely say it makes for a good wind break and gives plenty of shade from that pesky morning sun.

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Also in our campsite are the Pickerings at ChaseTheRace.net, a couple from England with their three children. As you can see, this 6x6 monstrocity dwarfs even The Beast and plans to follow the Dakar this year. I can't blame them for the size though. As kids Jessica and I went on an RVing trip across the US and can say from experience that you need a heck of a lot of space when there are youngin's on board.

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After battling a day of rain, the weather breaks and we wake to sunny blue skies. Perfect weather for a barbeque. Above we have five grills in action, by far the most fire juggling I've ever attempted. Cornbread, potatoes, carrots, corn, peppers, onions, four racks of baby back ribs, one gigantic chunk of pork spare ribs and two whole chickens are on the menu.

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To give the adults a bit of peace and quite from the kiddies' shenanigans (often involving a water gun, decided not cheeky or fun in cold weather) Kobus sets off on a mission to teach them how to fish. Small trout are seen, but nothing is brought to shore.

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Joining us for our epic dinner along with the Pickerings and Mark and Sarah are two ex-overlanding friends we met in Pucon from South Africa and Australia. They started their trip driving a van but nearly ended with disaster after it caught fire and nearly burned to the ground as a result of brake failure. Luckily no one was injured and they managed to salvage most of their gear and continue the trip as backpackers.

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From Pucon we take the back roads towards Lago Ranco following dirt roads through rural Chilean towns. More than once we encounter a Latin American road block, this time in the form of a couple dozen sheep.

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Along the way we also stop to take a picture of this ancient steam engine sitting in a field in the middle of nowhere. Steampunk fans eat your heart out.

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We camped next to another set of waterfalls called Salto del Nilahue near Lago Ranco. It was a short five minute walk down to he falls from our campsite, but it proved impossible to get any closer than we stand above due to the rain-filled river.

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The river bank was coated with pummice rocks which provided a half hour of entertainment for a few bored campers. Floating rocks are fun!

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Back on the road to Lago Ranco we hit yet another road block. Kobus wisely pulls over to let the gauchos steer their steers clear of our path.

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At Lago Ranco we have two of the worst days of weather we've had since leaving Oregon. Above is a shot of Lago Ranco and the two-foot wind-driven waves crashing along the shore. Luckily the campground had shelters with wind breaks and we were able to hole up under cover and spend a day getting work done on our laptops.

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For dinner Kobus experimented with a recipe we learned from the Pickerings during our stay in Pucon. They learned it from an Argentinian cookbook and gave us a sample of their first attempt at the recipe. Certainly not the cleanest way to cook a chicken, but the results were good enough that we knew we'd have to give it a shot.

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After seasoning and safely wrapping in foil, the chicken is covered with mud and cooked for a couple hours on charcoal. The results were spectacular, as expected, although doing the dishes was decidedly less fun.

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After two wet and windy days on Lago Ranco we head to Puerto Montt where we spend a day and half running errands including filling up our propane tank, checking out the ferry schedule for Chiloe and doing a bit of Christmas shopping. The weather in Puerto Montt proved to be no better than farther north, so we hunkered down under our newly purchased tarp and hoped the sun would make an appearance in time for the holidays.

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Before heading to Chiloe for Christmas we drove east of Puerto Montt along the start of the Carretera Austral to a campsite on a river. We had hoped to finally catch a couple Patagonian trout. Unfortunately, the rain followed us.

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The river was too blown-out to be very good fishing. It rose at least a foot and a half in the day since we arrived, and was moving way too fast for wading or fly fishing. Oh well. At least we got to thoroughly test out our rain gear.

Our last day on the river the campsite host drove by several times to check on us and make sure we were ok. He told us that the rising river was often a problem given where we had camped, and that we should move to higher ground. Eyeballing the water level, I gave us 2-3 feet more until the river was at our doorstep.

It wasn't raining hard, it was just raining frequently, so we decided to wait it out and watch the water level over the next couple hours before deciding to move. Fortunately, after our host returned for the third time and pleaded with us to move, the rain stopped. By the time we woke up in the morning the river was back to its original level.

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Up next: We load Blue up on a ferry to the island of Chiloe where we spent Christmas in the rain with old and new overlanding friends.
 

Tjaank

New member
Hi, I can see it being difficult to catch anything with the raising waters as shown on the photo. I am back in Edmonds for a few days and would like to bring back some more fishing gear? I wonder if you can let me in on your secret catching those big trouts.... are there any spoons or rigging that has worked particularly well in Patagonia? I hope to leave Santiago around the 10th of February and will get in touch with you on the Facebook as soon as I hit the road. cheers, ed
 

daveyd

Observer
Really enjoyed the silly photos from the salt flats and the info on how to obtain gas, vehicle shipping/border crossing, etc.

Have fun along the way! Cheers! :smiley_drive:
 

Bert007

New member
Well you trips is looking awesome. I guess you have enojyed this great adventure and passed from a long journy. I like the location which you choose for photos. Thanks for sharig these beautiful photos. you buddy is so nice and you too. Good Sharing.
 

LifeRemotely

Observer
For Sale

Hi all. We've finally decided after driving from Seattle to Ushuaia to sell our beloved 4Runner. Our vehicle will be available approximately April 15th in Buenos Aires. It is a US registered vehicle (to Washington State). We are working on writing on the logistics of the transfer of ownership. At this time we know for certain that because of the cost of import taxes the vehicle is NOT available to Argentinians. It will be very easy to re-register if you plan to drive it back to the USA. (Either in Washington or another state).

Full details are below. We are asking $10,000 USD. If interested email us at info@liferemotely.com.

For more information and photos see our full post on our website here.

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1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Specifications

-V6 3.4 L engine
-4 speed automatic transmission
-4x4 on demand drive with over drive
-Currently 173,000 miles (Approximately 176,000 on sell date)
-Unleaded Fuel- We have averaged 18 miles to the gallon on this trip between Seattle and Ushuaia (Ask me for the spreadsheet!)

Modifications

(Click links to see our full articles on these installations)

-Dual battery system, including fridge and inverter.
-Custom built Lock box
-Storage platform
-Viper 2-way alarm system

Note on the fridge system: We removed half of the back seat in order to mount our fridge. Just behind the fridge we installed a lock box big enough to hold three 15" laptops. Both the fridge and lock box are removable. There are three comfortable seats in the vehicle. See the articles above for more photos of the platform and the lock box and fridge configuration.

Service History

We have a full service history of the work completed after October 2011 available with the car. All previous work including the full service history of the previous owner is at our home in Seattle. Electronic documents can be provided upon request.

- Full synthetic oil change (with filters) – December 2012
- Rear coil spring upgraded – October 2012
- Front brakes replaced – July 2012
- Axle seals and rear breaks replaced – February 2012
- New tires (Firestone Destination A/T) with wheel alignment – October 2011
- Upgraded to Bilstein shock absorbers – October 2011
- 120,000 mile service completed at Toyota Serivce Center in Seattle – October 2011
- Timing belt, water pump replaced by previous owner (around 100,000 miles)

Included Extras

- Edge Star 43 quart compressor driven fridge
- Cobra 800 watt power inverter powered from the secondary battery
- Hi-lift jack
- Lift-Mate
- Snatch / tow strap
- Roof rack
- 4 ratchet tie downs
- Locking cable (secures hi-lift on roof rack)
- Air compressor
- Jumper cables
- Tire repair kit
- Volt meter
- Fire extinguisher
- 2 warning triangles

Spare Parts

- Fan belt
- AC belt
- Water pump belt
- Fuses
- Gas cap

Overlander Extras

- Collapsible camp table
- 2x GSI folding camp chairs
- 3 kg propane tank
- Colman dual burner propane stove
- Gerber fold up shovel
- 2.5 gallon water jug
- Others TBD (ask for details)

For more information and photos see our full post on our website here.
 

LifeRemotely

Observer
Dan-
Thanks so much. Wikioverland and the roadchoseme are the best two resources of information we have. So again, thank you!
I have two quick questions for you:
- Was it straightforward to find a public notary in Buenos Aires that knew how to do the power of attorney paperwork?
- Did the person you sell to travel all over South America? Did they have any issues not having title in their name?

Cheers!
Jessica
 

coax

Adventurer
Any plans for another ebook for the points-south part of your trip! The first one was great! I'd love to see one for South America in hopes I can get my own trip together sometime soon!
 

LifeRemotely

Observer
Yes, we are planning to release a v2. Although there has been much debate what to add, update, edit, etc. Every time we discuss we get overwhelmed, then drink too much, then have bad hangovers, and of course, get absolutely nothing done on the book. You know, typical writer's block.

So, it is coming, it just might be a little while. We are always looking for feedback. If there is anything we should add, improve or remove, please let us know. It helps immensely in our preparations.

Best!
Jessica
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Dan-
Thanks so much. Wikioverland and the roadchoseme are the best two resources of information we have. So again, thank you!
I have two quick questions for you:
- Was it straightforward to find a public notary in Buenos Aires that knew how to do the power of attorney paperwork?
- Did the person you sell to travel all over South America? Did they have any issues not having title in their name?

Cheers!
Jessica

You're very welcome. I'm happy to hear it was so useful. Please remember to spread the word about WikiOverland. It won't continue to be a success unless more people hear about it, use it, and contribute to it.

1. No problem at all. As soon as you say a poder for the vehicle, they understand. Just make sure it's for all countries, and doesn't have a time limit. (which is no problem, as long as you tell them to put that on there.)

2. The French guy I sold to lives in BA, though I know he's been to at least Uruguay and Chile with it no problems at all. The power of attorney (poder) is all they need, not the title in their name. Tons of overlanders have driven south to north with a vehcile not in their name and had no problems.

Good luck!

-Dan
 

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