quote:he's now somewhere where it's humid.
Funny enough now that it's stinking hot and humid here in West Africa I'm pretty much dreaming of snow-capped mountains
quote:quote:Trust me, you really do. I had no idea what I was doing when I set out - I didn't speak Spanish, I'd never driven across a border with a car, etc. etc. Just go for it!
Youre living the life that I dont have the courage to livequote:Well, I like to think I'm an adult these days.. haha, but it's just about choices. If you want to do something like this, you just wind up putting it above other things like TVs and car payments. Get those out of your life, then you can do this stuff.
Once you become an adult you get attached to ridiculous things that "dictate" your life.
And for anyone wondering about kids - I met plenty of families on the road, homeschooling their kids along the way, having a great time!
quote:just go man
You know, I'm really happy I went when I did with what I had - I could have spent more money on a winch, lift, tires, roof top tent, etc. etc. But to do that, I would have had to go to work for more years... and who knows if I still would have been motivated to even go at that point.
The trip was amazing in so many ways.
Maybe the only thing I'd add would be a GPS - navigation was by far the most stressful part of my day, and in the big cities in South America it was not fun - I was lost in Quito for over 4 hours - trying to get OUT.
Other than that, my biggest piece of advice is TO GO. Don't worry about gear, don't worry about building up your 4x4 and don't worry about the ten million things you could worry about if you are the kind of person that worries. The most important thing is that you go!
quote:quote:So I spent 2 years driving from AK->Argentina... 16 countries, 40 k miles. I created http://wikivoverland.org to help other people get out there and live their dreams. I administer a few overland forums and facebook groups.
I think people basically believed you hadn't put much thought into it and were acting like a dilettante.
I've been interviewed and on the front page of expeditionportal.com a few different times.
I saved and planned for this for 5 years.
It's funny, but of all the things I'm doing "wrong", being inexperienced or going without planning is not one of them.
quote:
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it.
My trip is going great so far, tons and tons of friendly people, in fact more welcoming and I feel safer than if I landed in a random city in the USA or Europe.
I'm at a bit of an Overlander hangout now, and I've met 4 or 5 in the last week, which is really nice. A few heading north, a few heading south like me.
Onwards!
quote:statements like this are why this ****er is so hard to support. no one believes this except for the hippy dippy, liberal REI employees jerking off to his bull*****
My trip is going great so far, tons and tons of friendly people, in fact more welcoming and I feel safer than if I landed in a random city in the USA or Europe.
quote:So poor...so black.
http://theroadchoseme.com/across-mauritaniaquote:
After a lot of back and forward, I decide I will not explore Mauritania. The distances are vast, and I'm not certain I will be able to buy gas in the remote areas of the desert I'm interested in exploring.quote:
To be perfectly honest, I'm also kind of done with the endless sand and intense sun beating down day after day.
I'm done with the desert. I'm ready for something else.quote:
I venture downtown to the market, and am a little shocked by the poverty and desperation I see. It's by far the worst I have ever seen in my life.
reality starting to set in?
quote:That's the kind of thing you and your buddies say when going to South Padre on a whim, in the middle of the night, to go fishing...not to traverse the continent of Africa.
Don't worry about gear, don't worry about building up your 4x4 and don't worry about the ten million things you could worry about if you are the kind of person that worries. The most important thing is that you go!
quote:that's not a tough spot....THIS is a tough spot:
I wish the couple that was driving this trip had a better blog/website or least had more narratives. Looks like they have done a bit of the map Dan is doing.
http://mowgli-adventures.com/no-one-said-it-would-be-easy/
Found their site from an Interesting piece about them having to get out a tough spot in Morocco on the blog of the manufacturer of the winch they use.
(far tougher than out intrepid explorer has gotten into)
quote:Glad they are all ok. Once they got the kinks worked out with the belly pan the M-ATV's were some impressive vehicles.
Ha, that actually was a lieutenant's vehicle, one of my best friends. Those guys are ok more, but they all got ****ed up in that blast
quote:maybe so, but you'll never catch my ass in one outside the wire. they are capable off road for sure, but they just cant take a blast.quote:Glad they are all ok. Once they got the kinks worked out with the belly pan the M-ATV's were some impressive vehicles.
Ha, that actually was a lieutenant's vehicle, one of my best friends. Those guys are ok more, but they all got ****ed up in that blast
quote:Seconded. And I prefer the Buffalo.
anyways, didn't mean to derail.
Dan sucks.
quote:What makes this thread interesting is everyone busting Dan for being a fraud and making fun of him. At least that is why I keep checking. Plus to find out if he is dead yet..... but I think Dan is too scared to venture very far off the beaten path or into the more dangerous areas, it'll be interesting what kind of excuses he keeps coming up with.
Since Dan is such a dud, the derailing, diversions, observations, and other bunny trails are what make this thread great (and, of course occasionally wondering if he is dead yet).
quote:
Gentlemen, let's get back on point though I appreciate the detour, we are talking about a guy whose trip to Africa likely popped into his mind when he hopped the curb in his mom's suv wjile navigating an REI parking lot - possibly Scottsdale Arizona.
