365 Days On The Road!

Remember when we used to write a blog? 

Oh you forgot about our blog. That's cool, so did we...

Well much has happened since Guatemala and our last blog post. As a matter of fact, we've officially been on the road for over 365 days now. Yep, that's right.  We recently celebrated the 1 year anniversary of our nomadic lifestyle by visiting the ruins of Machu Picchu. An entire continent away from where we last wrote about. You know what the kicker is? WE DROVE HERE. I know, that's still a silly concept. Over 16,000 miles on the clock and we're still on the road to freedom.

Sure there was that stretch of the Darien Gap, where we had to pack our vehicle into a shipping container to sail to avoid FARC guerillas and narcotraffickers, but really that only saved us a few hundred miles. After dealing with port officials for several days, I couldn't help but wonder if we'd be better off driving across thru the gap. Sure it would have taken us over a year, but that almost sounds better than spending a day in Colon.

Volcanoes blowin' up!

After our last wedding guests left town we still had some time to kill while the 4Runner was getting some surgery.  We met a couple of fun German backpackers, Fabian and Puck, while hostel-hopping and they had convinced us to tag-along on a day-trip to climb Volcan Pacaya.  It was less than $9 usd per person, and we were tired of worrying about our vehicle, so we were game.

We didn't realize we would be part of a large tour, but we still enjoyed  the short 1.5 hour hike up this active volcano.  The tour guide was in his sixties, but he was built like a 25 year old.  He said he makes the steep hike twice a day, 6 days a week. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Another month has passed along with another long period of silence on our end. We've since crossed several borders and it's hard to believe how much has happened since we left our little bubble of peace in Lake Atitlan.  For the sake of consistency, our story will pick up where our last broadcast left off, but in regards to our 4Runner. 

Apparently when folks head south, once they get to Guatemala, the miles really begin to add up and it's typically time to replace a few things.  Toothbrushes, book lists, maybe a timing chain.  The 4Runner was starting to misfire terribly since we left for El Salvador and our wedding was quickly coming.

Fellow Travelers

Once we started searching, it was amazing how many similar stories we discovered online.  We're obviously not the only folks who decided it would be fun to drive the Americas...

We have found so much inspiration through their stories. Facing their fears and leaving it all behind, they've found the courage to explore the darkest corners of the earth and find out what is waiting over the horizon. Against inconceivable odds, these individuals have designed the life of their dreams...and for that we salute them.

There are hundreds more out there.  If you don't see your adventure listed below, please add it in a comment.  Don't be sad if we left you out, it's obviously a HUGE list...We hope to see you on the road!

Here's an ongoing list of Pan-Am travelers currently on the road in 2012

Our Wedding Day

We're married! 

Even though we had been engaged for a year, we didn't actually decide where our wedding was going to be until about three months before the actual event.  After seeing photographs of Lake Atitlan and getting confirmation from several others about how amazing the lake is, the decision was made to have our wedding there.  

Overland Advice: To Drive, Or Not To Drive

This post is the first in a series of advice, geared towards those of you who are preparing to embark on your first big trip.  There's obviously more than one way to see the world and I won't pretend we know much regarding each option but we'll do our best to touch bases.  We invite our friends in the overland community to please contribute to the discussion.  First of all, a big consideration is whether you want to travel among many countries that are connected on a string, for example exploring the African continent versus spending a year jumping among highlight destinations across the world like India, France, or Thailand.  If you chose Door #2 then your obvious choice would be an airplane...

Fast Forward: bribes, counterfeits, and dysentary

Our current view in Antigua

First of all I'd like to formally apologize to our readers, all five of you, for the serious lack of updates we've had over the past few months.  I hadn't realized how far behind we were until we won the award for "Most Slackerest-Ass Blog" (new word courtesy of James at Home On The Highway).  Between fighting Shannon over the keyboard and actually putting the computer away to actually enjoy our trip, it's been a little tough to update our experiences.  I'll do my best to sum it all up to date, and get things back on track.

We've had a few highs and lows over the past few months...

Guanajuato Fred

Chances are, if you've spent any amount of time in Guanajuato, Mexico you've probably met our dear friend Fred.  You may not have realized it, and you probably don't even remember it, but I'm willing to bet you've bumped into him…it's possible he's even saved your life without your knowledge.  Fred is the rare breed that you hear about in legends…his tales are so impressive that the only reasonable explanation is that they've been embellished more and more over the years, but I guarantee you, it's all true.  There's a reason that Guanajuato has such a great reputation as a safe place to visit, and the credit all goes to Fred.  

First Taste of the Mainland

We arrived in Mazatlan early the next morning and spent about half a day exploring the city before heading south to San Blas, Nayarit.  It was nice to finally make it to mainland Mexico and see the transition from desert to lush green coastline.

San Blas was one of Brenton's favorite places from when he and his sister backpacked Mexico in 2004 and he really wanted to bring me there to share in some of his nostalgia.

Heading to the Mainland

Maybe it'll be my job (Shannon) to bring the audience up to speed when we've had a lack of blog writing.  It's been a while so I'll have to thumb through some pictures and journal entries to remember it all.  

Fellow travelers mentioned that when you're on a trip like this, time really slows down.  Sure, I thought, I can see that.  You're moving at a slower pace, not paying attention to that almighty clock that everyone is chasing.  Well, I had no idea just how much time would slow down.