Jon Krakauer Message
The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa
The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa
The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa
AUSTRALIA EXPEDITION:
Starting soon!!
Starting soon!!
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2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Willys 4x4 :: Featured Classified - Expedition Portal says:
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Dan is an outdoor adventure kind of guy who believes dreams are meant to be lived.
I've set out to drive my Jeep Wrangler 80,000 miles in a circumnavigation of the African continent.
Read the announcement
Here on The Road Chose Me you can read all about my ongoing adventure, see my photos and watch my videos.
You can also read back through my 40,000 mile, 22 month adventure in a Jeep Wrangler through 17 countries from Alaska to Argentina.
How do I afford all this?
What about Travel Insurance?
Dan is an outdoor adventure kind of guy who believes dreams are meant to be lived.
I've set out to drive my Jeep Wrangler 80,000 miles in a circumnavigation of the African continent.
Read the announcement
Here on The Road Chose Me you can read all about my ongoing adventure, see my photos and watch my videos.
You can also read back through my 40,000 mile, 22 month adventure in a Jeep Wrangler through 17 countries from Alaska to Argentina.
How do I afford all this?
What about Travel Insurance?
How ya doin’ Dan? In 2000, with my (then) wife and my 6 month old son, while living in West Palm Beach, FL., I sold our BMW 750IL and our Honda Accord and a Rolex watch, bought a 1992 Ford Explorer, outfitted it with fog lights and rooftop lights, an alarm, new tires and a tune-up and packed the back full of our clothing and other necessary items, (including a Ruger 9mm, which I wrapped in rubber and duct tape in hopes that customs in the US and the other 6 countries I’d be passing through wouldn’t find, and stuffed up under and behind the radio and which I was licensed to carry in the state of FL. only) and took off for Costa Rica (where I had previously lived and FLOWN to twice before, I am afraid of flying). Now, it’s important to note that both my wife and I were in agreement of this trip with our then 6 month old son and had done research and map plotting on this drive. Also, Mexico was not in as much turmoil then as it is now. When we got to the US border, no problem, when we got to the Mexican border, there was a sign, and it read “Anyone caught with a handgun in Mexico WILL do 5 years in prison”, we quickly turned around and re-entered the US and told the customs officer that we had forgotten some of our childs stuff at the hotel and needed to get it for our long trip to Costa Rica. We then drove to an airport and I unloaded the pistol, broke it down and sent it to a buddy of mine in FL.. We then began our trip to CR. The Duana’s (the border stops between countries) are a money trap, I feel it’s important here to let you know that my ex-wife is half Puerto Rican and part German and Irish and speaks fairly good Spanish. I, having lived in CR for extended periods of times (3 months the 1st time and 6 months the 2nd), speak more natural and conversational Spanish, so we got by very well. At the Duana’s, do not let anyone ‘watch’ your vehicle, they will demand a payment for such ‘services’, DO NOT buy anything, no matter how tempting the offer or item, for if you do, you will be swamped by EVERY person selling something and will slow down your crossing. Keep your passport ON YOU AT ALL TIMES, prefferably in your front pocket. It’s not all doom and gloom, we stayed in Tampico and Veracruz in Mexico and the people were genuine and extemely pleasant. In El Salvador, we got to the Duana (out of El Salvador, into Honduras) too late. We had to turn around and try to find a hotel. We had remembered passing a pipasa (like a small convienence store) some 20 miles back. That was the closest thing to us and it was past 11pm, a time a previous P.A. Highway traveler (whom I had conferred with on the internet before the trip, told us NOT to travel after). We drove back to the store and it was loaded with local cops in small blue toyota pickup trucks with small blue lights on top. I asked if they knew of a place to stay and they said they did and to follow them. We were nervous at 1st, but after they saw our baby boy in the backseat and asked his name and said that they would get HIM somewhere safe to sleep, we decided to follow them. They took us another 20 miles or so into a small village, of which I never learned the name and pulled onto a very narrow sidestreet. As we got out, I noticed that the police station was on the opposite side of the street and that they were knocking on a very large metal door (it was the size of a castle entrance!) on the opposite side from the police station. In a moment or two a womans voice said, ‘Hola?’ and the police responded that they had some people with a baby boy who needed shelter for a night. She opened the big metal door and inside was a couryard with a fire-pit burning in the center of it. She was a lovely older (maybe 42-45, I was 29 at the time) woman and she invited us into the home. She and we, thanked the police for their kindness. Once inside I looked up and saw 3 or 4 floors above me. I then asked her how much a room was, and to my utter disbelief (even to this day!), she said that she did not run a hotel, that this was her and her husbands home. The husband got up from a seat by the fire and introduced himself (To my chagrin, I’ve long forgotten their names) and said we should sleep. They took us up 2 flights of steps and gave us a cozy room and bed to sleep in. We had gone to sleep around 1am or so. At 5:30am we were awakened by our son screaming and crying. My wife and I got up and found him to be very hot. We took his temp and it was 104 degrees! We packed up our belongings and ran down to the courtyard, I couldn’t figure out how to get the big metal door to open. In all of the rackett I was making I woke the proprietors and told them the situation (they were Spanish, but spoke perfect English) and they said to alert the police across the street. In leaving I handed the woman a $50 travelers check and thanked her for their kindness. We alerted the police to our sons fever and they escorted us to the ‘hospital’ with blue lights flashing and speeds in excess of 90-100MPH. The ‘hospital’ was about 10 miles away in the middle of NOWHERE, no houses, no stores, no ANYTHING, save a big old tree that shaded half of the one story, tiny, concrete building. When we entered, it was a one room building except for a tiny office with a wooden door to our left, that was the physicians office. There was a Latina girl on a folding metal chair against the wall to our right and in front of us who appeared to be giving birth or getting mighty close to. She was obviously pregnant and was panting and breathing heavily. When we walked in, escorted by the police and our crying boy, they all came to us immediately. The Dr. and 3 nurses conversed with the police and then turned to our boy and took him to the Dr.’s office. The Dr. took his temperature and ordered an ice bath right away. He then looked into our son’s mouth and instantly diagnosed him. He was getting his 1st tooth! They put him in the ice bath (which my son apparently HATED!), gave him some children’s tylenol and told us just to wait. We waited for 20 minutes or so and out came our son, wrapped in a clean white towel and smiling! The Dr. gave us some children’s tylenol and quinine and bid us farewell and ‘mucho suerte’ (much luck). As we were about to leave, I realized that they had gotten NO information from us nor had they billed us. I asked the Dr. how much we owed them and he said ‘nada’, NOTHING! I was in disbelief, AGAIN! I asked him how that was and he replied that it was covered by the government! Even for foreigners! I was, at that moment, ashamed to be a Norte Americano, where WE, would have charged THEM. I gave the hospital a $100 travelers check and profusely thanked them. The rest of the trip was beautiful and fairly uneventful except for the site of Lago Nicaragua (i believe this to be the name?) and the volcano that rises from the center of it. The Pan American Highway is mainly dirt and mud, except for on the outskirts of the bigger cities or capitols. My (ex)wife and myself and our child arrived safely in CR and rented an apartment for 2 months in circa de teatro, San Jose, CR, S.A.. Dan, have you been on the P.A. Highway yet? If not, and you have questions, you can email me. Have fun and be safe!
-Jeremy-
Flat Rock, NC, USA
Hey Jeremy – wow what an adventure! it’s stories like your that make me more excited than I’ve ever been. That’s exactly the kinds of things I’m thinking will happen to me. Completely random and unexpected – sometimes good and sometimes bad.
I’ve heard those same warnings about the border crossings – they sound pretty crazy.
I wonder how much danger my Jeep with soft top will be in if I don’t pay someone to guard it? I’ll have to learn as I go.
As yet, I don’t speak Spanish and I’ve only been in Tijuana for day trips so I have A LOT of learning to do in a short amount of time.
I plan on a couple of home stays in Mexico and Guatemala to learn Spanish as fast as possible. I think if I really study hard like I’m back at university I should pick it up quickly, but we’ll see.
Thanks so much for your kind words and offer of information. If I think of anything, I’ll email you for sure.
Thanks again Jeremy!
Dan, YES! Stay with families if you can. Mexicans are friendly and very helpful. Try as hard as you can to absorb the language and NOT speak English. The more you force yourself to THINK in Spanish, the easier it will become to speak in Spanish.
When I lived in CR for 6 months back in ’95, I had a Suzuki Samurai 4X4 soft top. Sometimes it will be neccessary to pay someone to watch it for you. Usually (in my experiences) the (trustworthy) person watching your vehicle will be carrying a wooden baton or possibly a machete and wearing a (local, usually green or tan) military jacket. Hand him a few (from a dollar or two of the local currency) pesos or whatever and promise him that if your vehicle is unharmed when you return, you’ll give him the rest.
My Samurai was NEVER messed with. I had $1800 worth of boomin’ stereo equipment in my 4X4 AND an ALARM.
Somewhere deep into Mexico, along the P.A. Highway, there is a part of the Highway that wraps around a volcano (I forget where), my ex-wife and I were lucky to hit it at night and were stunned at the lava and small fires bubbling and burning alongside the road. The site was awesome in the greatest sense of the word.
If you are stopped by La Poilicia or El Federales, remain calm and have a pocket or stash to pay them with, seperate from your REAL money. They just want a payment to let you go. It happened to my ex and I as we were leaving southern Mexico. 2 very young (19-23?) men stopped us and said that we were speeding. We weren’t, but don’t argue just ask if they (or you) can settle the ticket on the spot. That’s what I did and it worked. I think it cost me $25-40 bucks, better than spending a few days in a Mexican jail!
The Duana’s are VERY expensive to get through with all of the paperwork. $100’s of dollars sometimes, $10’s of dollars other times. Also there is a scam at one of the borders (it’s from Honduras into Nicaragua, I believe?) where they will charge you to spray your car with bug and pesticide spray, I think it cost about $30-50 bucks. Because we had a child, we were able to refuse on grounds that he may have ingested some of the spray. YOU, however, will have to submit (unless you can come up with and communicate a breathing problem that would be exacerbated by the spray??? (which is rumored to be only water!).
I am so jealous of your coming trip, I had a blast and so will you! Just remember, don’t travel past 10 or 11pm and LOOK OUT FOR THE “TOPES”!!!!
http://www.yucatanliving.com/culture/topes.htm
Good luck dude and KEEP ME UP TO DATE, PLEASE!!
-Jeremy-
Flat Rock, NC, USA
Jeremy – thanks again for all the info, it really helps a lot.
I’m starting to gear up mentally to hit Mexico late in October, Baja Cali will be a nice soft intro until I ferry over to the mainland.
I’ll always post all my stories and photos here.
Dan,
Can’t wait! Stay safe and alert and TRUST YOUR GUT FEELINGS! Most importantly, be in the moment and experience all that you can as it happens!! Please be sure to post here that you are leaving so that I can follow your adventure. PEACE
-Jeremy B-
Jeremy – Thanks for the great advice, and rest assured I’ll be posting here as often as possible as I continue on my journey.
Yio Man how you getting by? Still alive man?
Doing great Craig, loving Mexico and excited for things further south!
Hey Dan, where you at now? I’m assuming you made it through all of the drug war territories? Did you have any problems related to those incidents? Let me know how and where you are? PEACE!
-Jeremy-
Hey Jeremy, I am throughly into Colombia now and loving it. Fantastic people and amazing countryside. Updates coming shortly…
Hey! I love the fact that you travel & go visit so many places. I would love to see the world one day like you are. Especially Columbia.
I love the countryside & would love to just travel!
Hey Alex, if you really want to get out there and go for it – do it! You are the only person stopping you right now.
thats realy sad. i hope he realy changes you. chris have a great time in the afterworld, new person, whatever. may your choise be good