Tree Houses and Toucans

Today we said a reluctant goodby to Michael and Marianne, Jennifer’s parents. They arrived a week ago and together we explored more of Costa Rica. By this time we’re starting to get familiar with with the roads and the innumerable fantastic tourist destinations on offer here. I started the week working while Jen and Quinn […]

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“Do you have Ebola?”

“You cannot enter South-Africa with your dog.” Even with a formal exit permit from the Namibian state vet, I dreaded the border with South Africa. They don’t allow the importation of pets accross land borders, only at Cape Town or Jo’Burg airport, where they have the appropriate quarantine facilities. The lady behind the “Agriculture” desk […]

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Northeastern Ecuador and Crossing the Equator

On the first day in Ecuador we ride south on Highway 35 toward Cayambe. It’s a gorgeous day and the blue skies over Ecuador provide a beautiful contrast to the enormous valleys and mountains, great plains, and volcanoes. Late in… Read More ›

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BELIZE

Hey, Mon! 16th August: Undoubtedly, Belize is a curios outpost: one of the greatest culture shocks we’ve encountered on this journey. Latin America has all of a sudden vanished. Entering immigration you can surely be forgiven for thinking you’ve arrived at some US backwater, what with the American accents and dark, officious-looking uniforms. Prince Harry […]

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Curiouser and curiouser

I got round to looking at the Norton today after it misbehaving on the way back from Germany, strange thing was I never found any disasters, funnily enough no seizures, no lumps out of valves so Alex and I were running through the possibilities and fai…

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Stress, the ugly beast

Im slowly coming to grips with something I’ve really always known.  I apparently am a stress case.  I guess everyone else already knew this but i’m just realizing it now (again).  Don’t get me wrong, i knew i used to be one.  I had started young.  I had ulcers in …

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Out of Africa ……..

Day 114 – L: Brrrrr, I was really cold this morning. We got up fairly early and came to have breakfast. There was no power in camp so no toast, only bread and everything that could be done on the gas. The water in camp is also still a problem so now there are great […]

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Punta Gallinas- The most northern tip of South America

The most northern point of South America is Punta Gallinas on the Guajira Peninsula. We thought that if we were going to drive all the way to the most southern tip of Argentina, we might as well start from the top of the continent. To me, highlight of the the Guajira was our final days […]
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Happy Birthday Porter!

Two years ago today, while still reeling from the loss of Maddy, and completely unsure we were ready for another dog, I nonetheless sent Jim to the Humane Society to look at a black dog named Jones. I then received … Continue reading →
Happy Birthday Porter! is a post from: The Next Big Adventure

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Soaking up The Sudan

We left for The Sudan after a restless night , I was worried about the time it would take to firstly get to the border , secondly how long the crossing would take and lastly would I make it up to Gedaref before sunset . Had breakfast and rode out of town trying to find […]

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08/16/2014 – 408 days/33204 miles

With the bike loaded to the gills, we headed towards Karijini National Park, riding on roads that remind me a bit of the SW US After putting on a decent bit of mileage through Australia, I’ve gotten used to seeing … Continue reading →

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Summer 2014 in Vancouver

There is nothing better than a summer in Vancouver. The views are stunning. We stayed at Mark and Barbara’s for a few days before our apartment was available July 1 st. So of course we had to go out for … Continue reading →

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This road of life

A few days after we got the van back from Buenos Aires, our family was hit with some very bad news. A cancer that my mother fought ten years ago had metastasized, and she would have to undergo intensive treatment…
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The countdown ……

Day 111 – Happy Birthday, Garron :-)) S: We had breakfast and sat up on the deck waiting for the sun to shine. Our mattresses in the dome tent are a bit damp after so much rain so we will have to take them out to dry. I phoned to speak to Simon re the […]

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Land of contours and contrast

That night the rains came with such force that I was woken three or four times , luckily by eight all had passed , the sun was out and after the hotel had broken  my  door down I was on my way . The key had broken off in the lock when I had tried to unlock […]

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Riding into Ecuador

We leave our hotel in Ipiales early enough to run back out to Las Lajas and walk down to the church in the canyon….it’s just one of those places you can go back to again and again. And if I… Read More ›

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Picking a Truck for our XPCamper

Once you’ve decided on a truck camper, rooftop tent, or just a normal tent, the next step is to go out and pick a vehicle.  This was a pretty daunting task for us as we knew nothing about trucks.  I remember being at Overland Expo and having one of the truck manufacturers explain to me […]
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Utopia or just Ethiopia .

The ride to Addis would take two days , a whole lot of traffic mixed with roads and rain to the city that is wrapped in mountains .  As I came into Addis the GPS decided to develop a route calculation error , so I had to rely on the old fashion way of doing things , stop […]

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Why I like Ethiopia

I love the intensity with which Ethiopians greet , the handshake , the  way they lean in  and shoulders touch . The coffee , the best in the world by all measures  no matter where you have it. The fresh juice , plump with pulp , flavour and freshness . The way the attendant  always shows me the  pump has been zeroed before […]

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08/13/2014 – 405 days/32536 miles

By the time I reached the end of the Gibb River Road, I’d arrived in Derby…and lucky for me, the annual Derby Rodeo was going on over the weekend that I arrived!     I had a free day in … Continue reading →

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Machu Picchu repost

Thank you to my mom Dorothy who pointed out that my Machu Picchu post only had 1 photo and no report. I had checked it of course before I posted and it was fine. I just copied and pasted the … Continue reading →

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ARB Moscow

Like most who love their 4×4, I have always personalised my vehicles to suit my needs and I’m not at all shy in pushing ARB products.  I’ve been using their gear long enough to appreciate that it’s well designed, user friendly and high quality. By the way, it should be stated that I’m not affiliated […]
The post ARB Moscow appeared first on Globatrol.

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La Guajira- A Humpty Dumpty tail

So, you might remember in our last blog post we had just found our back window smashed in pieces on the ground, a victim of La Guajira wind. Coming back from a spectacular hike to find your back window in pieces on the rocks just sucks. The funny thing is, we were both in such good […]
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Southern Colombia and Las Lajas

After we leave Salento, we head back to the highway and south toward Buga for the night. We stay in a hostel located in a microbrewery that had a lovely terrace on the roof. We wandered over to see the… Read More ›

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A Weekend Away

“We’re sorry, but we’re not going to make it this weekend”. The words rang hollow as we prepared to head to the beach for a weekend of camping with friends. Barview Jetty was the destination to join our dear friends … Continue reading →
A Weekend Away is a post from: The Next Big Adventure

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Home to Vancouver…first a stop in Salvador

With the bikes safely stored away and the front suspensions carefully packed we got up at 3 am to head to the airport for our 6 am flight. The first leg to Lima was 4 hours and we saw the … Continue reading →

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Costa Rica with the Sparks

This is the second time that I’ve joined the Sparks on an adventure in a far off land. The first was June, 2004, when we met in Tanzania, Africa, for a hike up Kilimanjaro followed by some safaris. For this go around, we wanted something exotic, but accessible. So, Costa Rica naturally came to the […]

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A mixed week with a poor finish

We fixed the bike on Tuesday afternoon after super service from the guys at RGM, Norton parts delivered by lunchtime on the Tuesday and bike fixed (in the rain) by 5PM. Funny story is that there was shelter at the rear of the hotel which the owner enco…

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Getting Sick up the Mountain – Livingstonia, Malawi

Facebook has all the photos for this part of the trip – click here to have a look. Livingstonia, Malawi 30th November – 2nd December 2013 Livingstonia is a town set high up on the Nyika Plateau, towering 900m above Lake Malawi and is just a few kilometres west of Chitimba – straight up. Not to be […]

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Please permit ….

Day 108 – L: So, now I realise that I am clearly not as young as I thought. The thin mattress that we were supplied with (Steve’s was thicker, though he offered to swop with me), was too flat on the hard floor. I tossed and turned all night and it was a bit chilly […]

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Valle do Cocora

Just east of Salento on the edge of the Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados is the small village of Cocora. It sits in a green valley and there is a popular nature trail that leads from here up into the… Read More ›

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Van Malawi via Zambia naar Botswana

Het laatste stuk Malawi We waren gewaarschuwd dat de camping op Cape Maclear lawaaierig zou zijn, maar we vinden het  juist wel gezellig en blijven daarom nog maar een dag. We zien hier meer overlanders dan op enige andere camping tot nu toe: Iker en Teresa uit Baskenland die naar Ghana gereden zijn en vandaar verscheept hebben naar Zuid Afrika, Patrick en Verena uit Duitsland die sinds 2010 op weg zijn in een 46 jaar oude vrachtauto en drie Australische families die een half [...]

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Beach time in Costa Rica

Thanks very much to Nick, Jamie, and Taylor for coming to visit us and sharing the amazing house they rented near the beach. “Casa Wow” as it is known had a swimming pool and even a dishwasher, both of which were put to good use. The world’s fastest plant and the world’s slowest animal, all […]

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La Guajira- Welcome to the land of dreams and death

The Guajira Peninsula hugs the border of Venezuela and has the most northern point of South America. It is a wasteland desert hugging the Caribbean known for the recluse Wayuu indians that live there and it is often referred to as a no-mans land for outlaws and smugglers in guide books. Guajira (Wajirra in the Wayuu language) […]
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Sights & Sounds of Ethiopia

Before we left camp this morning Paul secured the water reservoir with cable ties but decided not to remove he broken turret on the promise of ‘good tar all the way to Addis’. The crossing into Ethiopia this morning took a bit longer than we hoped. On the Kenyan side they checked we had Ethiopian […]

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Our last day in Kenya

Today was truly the first of a serious of marathon driving days as we head north apace. According to our map leaving Isiolo this morning we should have said goodbye to good tarmac and been travelling entirely on rough dirt road. We were pretty pleased then to find that the first 135km, to Merille, was […]

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More from JJs

After our emotive visit to the Kibera on Thursday life in JJs returned to ‘normal’. Paul divided his time between his work for SAS, in particular working with web designers and setting up events for the coming months, and giving Landy the loving attention he needed – including repairs to the radiator mounting, diesel filter […]

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An equatorial milestone

Leaving JJs today held the prospect of a special excitement – the fourth key point in our circumnavigation was achieved: the second crossing of the equator. We stopped by the equator marker and took some photos before succumbing to buying some tourist souvenirs, including a Maasai spear for Paul, sample of cloth worn by the […]

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TRIP 3 – Guludo Lodge

16, 17, 18 Aug 2014 Guludo lodge is one of those places where you want to be with your partner. It is a lodge managed by locals, with the support of one European, in a pristine place. There are not other turist but and the one at other nearby lodges are not visible, so I …

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TRIP 3 – Guludo to Tanzania (Masasi) via Mueda, Negomane Masuguru

19/08/2014 Today I managed to leave at 5:15 am. a rapid look at the sunrise and here I am on the bike riding through sand again… The road in front of me is long and difficult. I am not sure if go take the short route to tanzania crossing the Ruvuna river by boat (fisherman …

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TRIP 3 – Masasi to Dar es Salaam

20/08/2014 Today I woke up at 4:30 and at 5:30 I was on the bike ready to ride. The village was already full of life. the fire was burning in each hut or house, the smoke was quietly laying on the road mixing with the morning fog creating a strange but delightful atmosfere. it is …

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The Ultimate Travel Company

So our trip is now fully funded and ready and raring to go! This is largely thanks to a few very special people and companies who have agreed to sponsor us. This means we really can go and see all the exciting projects you are donating money to and bring you photos and stories from […]

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TRIP 3- Pemba to Pangane (Guludo)

15/08/2014  Today I have to leave Il Pirata to keep going north. I am a bit sad to leave but I really need to move on. At 8:00 I am on the bike and after a long stop at pemba to make fuel and get some cash,  I finally leave.  I was not sure whether …

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Tayrona National Park- Where long hikes in 100 degree heat is actually worth it

So picture this. You arrive at a National Park along the Caribbean coast that reportedly has the most beautiful beaches in Colombia. After you pay the hefty entrance fee and find a place to camp, you then find out that the closest swimming beach is a two hour hike in 100 degree heat. One way. […]
The post Tayrona National Park- Where long hikes in 100 degree heat is actually worth it appeared first on Song of the Road.

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The car contained …….

Day 105 – L: And everything worked, what a pleasure. We slept well with the air-con working, the fan on and the mozzie net around the bed as there are a lot of mosquitos here at the moment as it is so humid. The Insta-hot shower was ok, but not very hot, but the sun […]

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Salento, Colombia and the game of Tejo

Salento is a town that keeps popping up in blogs I’ve been reading and in suggested places to visit in Colombia. It’s located on a dead-end road off the Pan Am Highway and up a gorgeous valley in the Zona… Read More ›

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Full Circle

It turns out that our southerly orientation was to be short lived and although full of adventure as always, within 5 days it managed to bring us full circle and back to Lilongwe almost a month to the day since we first arrived. Having left the ease of hammock life up north we crossed the […]

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08/09/2014 – 401 days/32372 miles

I got back into Darwin a few days ago, and was thrilled to see that my new sprocket had arrived. I picked up the parts, and ended up getting a new front tire as well, (which I’ll change in the … Continue reading →

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How to look like a granny in less than half an hour (Angola)

Driving the few kilometres to the Angolan border felt like hours. We were stuck in heavy truck traffic which crept up and down the hills on a muddy piste. Once in a while we were rewarded by views over the vast River Congo. The batteries of both of our vehicles had suffered from the tough … Continue reading »
The post How to look like a granny in less than half an hour (Angola) appeared first on Norberts Adventures.

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Smuggling and Hovering -- Peru and Chile

by ScottOne of the bigger hassles for overlanders is the inevitable vehicle repair. Finding parts is hard. Finding good mechanics is even harder. I recently lucked out on both fronts.While back in the states, my shopping list included an air box, coola…

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