Good morning folks ( or perhaps it’s afternoon or evening, depending on where you are ) ! It’s been some time since our last update ( back in April this year ) when we crossed back into Canada from the US, thus completing our 61,000km Pan American odyssey. Seems like just yesterday, but much has happened since – where to begin ?
Our favourite shot, and new web site header……Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
The first thing readers may notice is a much overdue update to our website – many thanks to Samantha for helping out with the revamp ! One of the things that needed changing was the front page – our truck camper barrelling down the Dempster highway trailing a cloud of dust just seemed a bit “old hat” . In its lieu we opted for what was ( and still is ) out favorite still image of the Pan American highway – Lois and I, sitting on our camp chairs with a bottle of Chilean red, contemplating life in the pristine whiteness of the Salar de Uyuni ( high in the Bolivian Altiplano). Simply heaven ! Indeed, folks have commented that it looks like we are in heaven ( a good omen perhaps – let’s hope we get there one day !! ).
Regular readers will recall that during our “Covid hiatus” (April 2020-October 2021), with the truck camper “parked” in Chile, we returned to Canada. During that time we purchased a Sprinter 4×4 and began the massive task of camperizing it. Quite honestly, had I known what an undertaking it would become I’d likely not have tackled it ( what is it they say about “fools rushing in…..” ? ). Suffice it to say a full year after purchasing the rig the conversion was still only half done and we left it in that state when we returned to Chile in November last year. Coming back to Canada this year then, we had a truck/camper to sell and an incomplete Sprinter 4×4 to finish- with a goal to do both by November so we could take a pass on the coming Canadian winter and be “travel ready” again.
Sue and Darrell with their new rig !Gone, but not forgotten……Our new van, purchased as an empty cargo van from Mercedes in Calgary, September 2020.
Very good friends had expressed serious interest in the truck camper ( while we were still travelling with it in South America ) and shortly after our return to Kelowna a deal was struck – Sue and Darrell are now the happy new owners of our old rig ! A treat for them to get a combined truck and camper all set up ( and a vehicle they knew well ) while also a convenience to us since we did not have to split the unit up and find buyers for the component parts. We were pleased that the rig, which had served us so very well, had found a nice home – and it really was more a “home” than just a vehicle ( certainly to us ) since we had lived in full time it for 15 months.
Our old rig now sold, from May onwards we have worked more or less full time finishing the Sprinter build. Full time that is, with the exception of three major events this summer ( two unexpected and very sad, the other long planned and, fortunately, very happy ). While our daughter’s wedding on September 4 ( the “happy” event), was the highlight of our summer, my family was devastated to lose our 94 year old mother to a sudden stroke in late June. Lois and I were fortunate to get to Australia and to be able to see her before she passed but her death has left a gaping hole in our families lives. We miss her greatly and think of her every day. Our sadness, though intense, is tempered by the knowledge she lived a very long, healthy and happy life – we should all be so lucky.
Jackie and Barrett My mother
Our return to Australia gave us a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with many of our family and friends, but also reminded us what a huge place it was, how rather superficially we had explored it and what a great place it would be to travel in a 4×4 Sprinter van. The plan then, was hatched – assuming we could get the van complete by early November, we’d ship the van to Australia in December and spend 2023 ( or most of it anyway ) travelling “Downunder”. We’d push Africa a little further out in the future ( for reasons I will explain later ).
Towards the end of October, as I was wrapping up the Sprinter conversion, Lois’s mum also took ill. Like my mum, she too had just turned 94 ( an amazing coincidence in itself ) and sadly, on November 10 she also passed. We were devastated to lose our last two parents in the same year but thankful they both had such long, rich ( and largely healthy ) lives.
Lois’s mum at Jackie’s wedding. Sadly, she would pass just 2 months later.
I’ll close with the good news that, despite a rather eventful last 7 months as you can see, we did finish our van and on November 30 ( yes, we made the November deadline – just !! ) we set off for Australia with it. Not, I might add, on the most direct route, exactly, but one which ( hopefully ) will deliver our van to the “Land Downunder” by January 2023. Details to follow !
The new van, covered in snow, about to set off for Australia
Montana’s always been one of our favourite states, particularly the Rocky Mountains side bordering Idaho. Pretty anytime, especially in April with a late season dusting of snow, we made a couple of stops, first in Bozeman then again in Missoula. Missoula has some great outdoors/camping stores giving us the opportunity to do a little “replacement” shopping after the theft during our vehicle shipment.
Camped in Bozeman, Montana – warmer than Wyoming, but it was still snowy.Montana, in the west at least, with so many trees, was a welcome respite from the barren hills of Wyoming.We even started to see blue sky in Montana – Colorado and Wyoming had mostly been overcast.Lois managed to find a couple of bottles of J. Lohr, one of her favourite reds. I settled on a case of Mexican beer. The American’s are spoilt with selection and price – we were envious ! Took our full quota back to Canada.
We’ve stayed at some weird and wonderful camping spots over the course of this journey and Missoula provided one more to add to the mix – an actual RV store ! A first for us and a more comfortable nights sleep we have not had in a while – iOverlander mentioned Bretz RV & Marine as very highly rated – a place that welcomed campers for a night, provided electricity, water and a dump station, all at no cost. Too good to be true we thought, but since it was near the shopping centre we ambled over to take a peek. Indeed, we were warmly welcomed to stay ( we had asked of course ) so over we went and set up for the night, along with 3 other like-minded travellers. We always like to support such generous businesses but having no real need of anything just two days prior to the end of our trip we were only able to take advantage of their propane top-up service – which was fast and friendly.
Bretz RV & Marine, Missoula who allow travellers to overnight in the security and comfort of their parking lot – with power provided. I’d say the best boon-docking experience of the trip !
Not long after passing the Continental Divide we crossed from Montana into Idaho’s ”panhandle” ( briefly ) before reaching Washington state at which point ( in Spokane ) we turned north on Route 395 for Canada. A bit late to make it all the way home from Missoula so decided to spend our last night in the US ( our last night of this amazing journey ) in beautiful Kettle Falls National Campground on the Colombia River. On a cool, but fortunately not freezing, night we sat enjoying the beautiful view of Lake Roosevelt and toasting to the many memories this incredible journey has given us – we reflected on the wonderful people we’d met, places we’d visited and things we had done. Quite simply just a ton of fun and excitement – there’s not much we’d change ( well, actually yes there is – we could have done without Covid 19 ! ).
After 10 days on rainy and snowy Interstate’s the truck was in desperate need of a clean – but it could wait till we got home !Kettle Falls National Campground, on the Colombia River ( which forms Lake Roosevelt in this area ).
Colombia River.
It was a short run to the border the next day and after a little delay there ( we’d forgotten to complete our “ArriveCan” apps ) with an unusually surly border officer we were welcomed home. Two hours later and we were pulling into our driveway. Hard to believe that it was just a month shy of 3 years ago that we set off from the very same driveway – much has changed in the world since. I’m sure that within a few days we’ll be pining for the open road again but for now it’s certainly great to be with family, and see familiar faces and places. After so long in a camper it’s astounding how big our house suddenly feels..!
Highway 33 to Kelowna – it even snowed here in places. Snow, right till the very end !
What’s Next: We plan to enjoy a beautiful Kelowna summer with family and friends and prepare for our daughter’s wedding in September. I also have a ( rather large ) project I am working on ( details later in the year ) that will likely take 5-6 months. In a “perfect world” and all going well ( a proviso that Covid had taught us to make ! ) we hope to be ready to blast off again by November. Stealing a line from Anthony Bourdain, at this point it is somewhat of a “Destination Unknown” but the seasons would certainly favour international overland travel in our vehicle somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere 😊. More details later in 2022.
On behalf of Lois and myself, if you have been reading along, thanks for joining us for the experience – we hope it has been at least occasionally entertaining, periodically informative, and might even have served as an inspiration for some to pack your van/truck/camper/ motorcycle and venture forth on your own overland adventure. We love the comments and respond to all so please, keep them coming ! We will re-start the weekly blog as soon as we get going again later this year.
Post Script: If a selection of curious stats and facts, random trivia and a summary of shipping details doesn’t float your boat then by all means sign off this final blog now. This final ’addendum’ is provided mostly for the benefit of a number of our followers who have reached out to us during our journey in search of more specific information to assist them in their own plans for a Pan American overland adventure. Enough have asked, and the questions were mostly similar in nature, that I felt a brief summary here might help. If you are in that category, I hope the following is of some value – enjoy 😊 !
Wrapping up a significant overland venture there’s a bit of a tradition to provide a selection of journey facts and stats and a little trivia – to ”pay it forward” as it were. Hoping the following will sate some of the curiosity out there !
Trip Trivia:
Days on the road – 410 Kilometres/miles travelled – 61,348 / 38,120 Average kms/miles per day – 149.6 / 92.9 Average fuel economy – 16.9 L/100km ( 13.9 miles per US gallon ) Amount spent on fuel ( biggest expense item, by far ) – $11,562 CDN / $9,192 USD Average price of gasoline – $0.89 USD per litre or $3.37 USD per US gallon Countries visited – 17 Shortest stay – 2 days ( Honduras : we only transited ) Longest stay – 3 months ( Argentina ) Top 3 countries – Argentina, Colombia, Chile/Mexico (tie for third!) Best coffee – Colombia (hands down! ) Best wine – Argentina ( Chile close second !) Best food – Mexico Favourite city – Buenos Aires Least favourite city – Colon ( Panama )
Top 5 Attractions ( not in any particular order ):
Merino Glacier, Argentina
Carretera Austral, Chile
Torres del Paine NP, Chile
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
( Note: Machu Picchu, Peru would have been included but we had actually visited on a previous trip )
TripHigh: Actually, just completing the full PanAmerican highway, top to bottom ( which was always our primary goal ) – all the other sights along the way were a bonus. The PanAm had been a lifetime dream.
TripLow: Missing the Falkland Islands ( closed due to Covid ) and missing Brazil’s Pantanal ( we were simply there in the wrong season )
Shipping:
Some have asked us about shipping which, along with fuel, is the only other significant budget item on a trip like this ( everything else is inexpensive ). We spent $1,150 USD on ( our portion of ) a shared 40ft container crossing from Panama to Colombia. We spent a total of $6,286 USD shipping the vehicle (via RoRo) from Buenos Aires back to Georgia in the US, broken down to $1,350 USD port fees in Buenos Aires, $3,950 shipping freight to Georgia, $330 USD freight insurance, and $656 USD port related fees in Georgia. We could have saved about $300 shipping to Houston, Texas but Brunswick, Georgia was recommended as a safer/easier port to deal with ( ironically it did not matter as the theft likely occurred before the ship got that far – that said, Brunswick was very fast and easy to deal with ). So, our total shipping cost to cross the Darien Gap ( Panama to Colombia ) and to get the vehicle back to North America was $7,436 USD.
A few additional comments on shipping ( something we get asked about a lot ). Covid has dramatically increased shipping costs and limited shipping choices but these costs should go back down when the world ( hopefully ) returns to a semblance of normality ( 🙏). We got off VERY light crossing from Panama to Colombia ( most overlanders we met paid considerably more ) but we paid dearly for the trip home. Normally that return trip would have been about $1,500 less. We also crossed the Sea of Cortez in Mexico ( approx $450 USD ) but I did not include it since it’s an optional route, not an essential one – still, many folks do take that ferry and one gets to enjoy Mexico’s stunning Baja without having to backtrack all the way to the top of Baja ( we strongly recommend the ferry option – La Paz to either Los Mochis or Mazatlan ).
Back in our driveway where it all began almost 3 years and 60,000 kms ago. The truck and camper served us fabulously and remains in impeccable condition. Seen here after a thorough wash !
A quick perusal of Google maps as we drove away from Brunswick, Georgia indicated a couple of possible routes across the United States to our home in British Columbia, Canada. While our goal was not necessarily the shortest and hence fastest route home, nor ( at this point ) did we wish to make a lot of lengthy detours. With home now tantalizingly close ( just one international border away), our hearts and minds began to focus on just getting there and then beyond that to the myriad things we have to do in the coming months.
Map of our proposed route ( “C” was the detour through Denver ). We basically switched out Nebraska for Colorado.
Three potential stops on the 4,000km ( 2,400 mile ) journey were quickly agreed upon: a visit to Nashville to see the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame; a slight detour to Denver to visit the good folks at Outfitter Mfg ( the company that made our camper ) and a re-visit to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Fortunately these all fell (broadly speaking anyway) in a more or less straight line northwest towards British Columbia.
The drive through Georgia was scenic, especially since we had detoured through a slightly more rural area. So many quaint churches and picture perfect Georgian homes ! Beyond that it was uneventful apart from traffic on the interstate highway that we found much heavier than we had ever noticed before – particularly the number of semi trailers; we often noticed there were more semi trailers on the road that they were cars. Pretty much all the way through Georgia and on through Tennessee it was more congested than we had expected – we also noticed that it very quickly became much colder than it was back in Florida. That, despite the fact we had not yet gone very far north.
Traffic in Atlanta, the first big city we passed.
Our first night back on the road was spent at the small town of Cochran, Georgia where we survived one of the wildest storms we can remember. Power out across the town and the rain and wind were just wild.
Appalling weather as we approached Nashville.
The cold and overcast weather was unfortunately an omen for what was to come and as we closed in on Nashville visibility was almost zero. Cold and miserably wet was not what we had expected this time of year while we were still this far south . Fortunately the rain and wind cleared for our day in Nashville but we were to be confounded yet again with another surprise – unexpectedly huge crowds. Early April is certainly not high season down here yet the downtown was very busy and any hopes we had of simply walking in and buying a ticket to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry were quickly dashed; the former had an extremely long lineup and the latter was no longer taking reservations for tours that day. As travellers we like to just turn up and not make plans too far in advance and normally (unless one is in high season), that works well for us. But, sometimes you get caught out and this was one such time. Not being country music diehards, we contented ourselves with some exploring of the city, a few of its other landmarks and a nice lunch in a downtown bar listening to what must have been one of hundreds of aspiring young wannabe’s strumming the guitar in hopes of finding that elusive breakthrough hit. Seems there’s one ( or more ) in every bar in Nashville.
Downtown Nashville.Country Music Hall of Fame, NashvilleSome interesting characters in Nashville – hey, tell us how you really feel !Macy Tabor, a young ( 19 ) singer who performed at the bar we visited.In one place a very cool display of tickets to past Nashville performances – some pretty old, and not all ”country” !
Tennessee quickly passed into our rearview, Kentucky came and went, the southern part of Illinois, and then on to Missouri – at this point the scenery was still interesting and varied as we crossed the great Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers in succession. Beyond the famous arch of St. Louis and on through Kansas and eastern Colorado, it was simply acres and acres of farmland, grain silos, and the occasional oil pumps ( pump jacks ). At least there was now less highway traffic !
Crossing the Ohio RiverCrossing the Mississippi River at St. Louis.So often we were tempted to detour ! Great cities tantalizingly close- but you can’t get to them all.The sometimes stormy weather made for great photo ops.Quite a few ”endless road” shots as we crossed the country 😊.In South America we occasionally lamented having a gasoline vehicle since diesel was almost always cheaper, often considerably so. We got a little ”payback” in the US – one of the few countries where diesel costs more. Everyone in the US was complaining about high gas/ diesel prices.We saw quite a few oil pumps all the way across Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and into Wyoming.Once upon a time it was all oil pumps in Kansas and Missouri, now there are more wind farms. You’d see them all the way across to Wyoming in fact.
We’d purchased our Outfitter Caribou Lite truck camper from the folks at Outfitter Mfg. in Denver, back in May, 2015 and the rig has served us very, very well. A very robust, yet lightweight camper there had only been the most minor of wear items this whole time but, since we’re not likely to get this close to Denver again for a while, we thought it prudent to stop in and have a quick service call. Scott, Ethan and the team were incredibly helpful, very interested to hear feedback from a couple who’d really “lived” in their product, and quickly repaired and/or replaced the few minor items that had arisen. They are very busy guys these days – some Outfitter models have a 9 month wait list; seems many folks suddenly want a truck camper. Thanks again for squeezing us in Scott !
Ethan Bridges of Outfitter Mfg, Longmont ( near Denver ), Colorado Scott, Bob and Ethan at Outfitter making some adjustments to the camper.Camped here at Cherry Creek State Park in Denver. A very nice spot and one of few campgrounds that is more or less in the city ( Greater Denver ).
Heading north from Denver one gets to Fort Collins and has to decide which way to go up into southern BC. We’ve done the scenic route through Grand Teton and Yellowstone a few times before but enjoyed it enough to tackle it again – it was our preferred route. Faster, and shorter was the Cheyenne, Casper, Sheridan, Missoula route but there’s just not as much to see. Then we looked at the weather forecast:
Cold for camping at Grand Teton NP………….and REALLY cold in Yellowstone ! We passed.
We might just have tackled Grand Teton in -10 Celsius (14 F ) weather but Yellowstone in -22 Celsius ( -8 F ) was a bit much to bear. That’s capital “C” cold at anytime but considering all our warm weather gear was stolen during shipping it may well have been a very uncomfortable stay ! Google Maps was reset for the more boring, less mountainous, but ultimately warmer eastern route
Leaving northern Colorado there was not yet any snow………..but we did not have to wait long. Here just into Wyoming, where it was snowy and very icy on the roads.The roads in Wyoming ( often over 5,000 feet ) were extremely icy – saw this car off the road and two overturned semi-trailers. We took it very slow.
As I closed off this blog we had just reached Montana leaving us still a few relaxed days drive from home. The plan is stop in Missoula and replace as much of what was stolen as we can – of course we’ll load up on our duty free allowances as well ( a rite of passage as you approach the border ) !
Stay tuned for our closing blog next week – we have had an incredible journey traversing the Americas but it’s also very exciting to be going home. More details on that ( and some possible future plans ) next week…….
A full week had elapsed between our arrival into Miami before the good ship “Toledo” would deliver our precious cargo just over the state line in Brunswick, Georgia. The originally scheduled 30 day passage from Argentina to the US had, with multiple delays, blown out to 36 days and when pre-departure delivery and post-arrival unloading days were added we’d been just a day shy of 6 weeks without the camper by the time we picked it up. I’ll come back to the camper delivery saga – first some observations after our first week back in North America.
The tortuously slow route of the ”Toledo” from Buenos Aires ( Zarate), to Brunswick, Georgia where we would pick it up.
It’s always great to get back ‘home’ (or in this case at least, just more familIar surroundings). Signs are all in English ( well, most anyway – it is Florida ), you can turn on the TV ( which we had not watched in 5 months ) and it’s all in English, road rules make sense, you can actually find a restaurant that opens for dinner before 8pm ( a near impossibility in South America ! ) and, best of all, your ”regular” size truck will now fit in a ”normal” sized parking space ! All nice, of course, but it comes at a cost – life in North America is a bit less exotic, things are less spontaneous and more predictable, and – holy cow – WAY more expensive ! Throw together Covid-induced shortages, Russian-induced oil price shocks, no camper ( it had been hotels and restaurants every day for a week now ! ), US Spring-Break crowds, and it was …..err, shall we say, quite an adjustment from South America. I think we had been living in a parallel universe of sorts (one we thoroughly enjoyed being in though) !
On one of the few good weather days we enjoyed in Florida we went for a walk on the beaches near Jacksonville. Beautiful white sand and they go on forever it seems – water still too cold to swim ( and no one was in the water ).The stretch of coast between Miami and Jacksonville has some stunning homes, this one just south of Jacksonville. Drove the tourist strip – ahh, one can dream…….!
Save for the last couple of days when we did see bright sunshine, our first week back ( spent ambling up the coast from Miami to Jacksonville ) was, quite honestly, a bit of a gloomy one. The weather was mixed at best, we’d been to Florida a couple of times before so weren’t really into doing the full tourist thing, and we’d heard that the ship was now even further delayed. At this stage, we just wanted our wheels again, and to move on – the good ship “Toledo” could not arrive soon enough…!
On the Interstate heading north to Brunswick. Not visible in this pic but lots of traffic on the roads with the end of Spring Break and lots of Snowbirds returning north after wintering down south. Much of the weather in Florida looked like this sadly. Very overcast.Brunswick is a quaint, traditional southern city ( more a town really ) and we spent an afternoon enjoying its sights, mostly historical buildings and monuments. Lots of parks and plaques commemorating past events of historical significance.Every time we’d visited a city park in South America it was full of people – it was quiet in Brunswick.The city had an impressive old court house.
We eventually got to Brunswick ( a pleasant little historically important, Georgian city of about 20,000 ) and the following day were advised that the ship had not only arrived in port, but that the port crew had already discharged our truck camper and it was sitting on the dock ! We could schedule a pick up for the next day. Not only that but it had already been “pre-cleared” by customs ( a random process ) so there would be no lengthy inspections or checks at the port – wonderful news ( a huge thanks to our Brunswick agent, Virginia, who made this part all so easy ) ! We expected this to take at least two more days – the gods were now smiling on us it seemed. Safety vest on ( a port requirement ), port fees paid ( all online, a very seamless process ) I went to the gate to meet our port “escort”. Taylor, the shipping company representative, took me into the port ( only the driver – and no one else – can enter the port ), cleared security and accompanied me to the truck which I could see in the distance as we approached. Could it really be this easy ? There was so much more to the process when we last did this in Cartagena, Colombia.
First stop was to meet Virginia, our port agent, who provided the document that allowed us to pick up the truck. We enjoyed a coffee together and she shared some useful shipping tips.
Upon arrival in the port I could see the Toledo, berthed right alongside 2 other massive car carriers.Inside the port it was very easy – show your ID and documents and they take you to your vehicle.I could see it in the distance – it had been 6 weeks since we left it in a port just like this in Argentina.
At first glance – all looked well, from the outside anyway. A quick walk around the vehicle revealed nothing unexpected – a great relief. Then, I opened the doors – first to the truck, then the camper. My heart sank……it was immediately obvious that both had been completely pilfered, with things out of place and strewn all around. We had carried all the really valuable stuff ( drone, cameras, iPhones. iPads, laptops etc ) with us and hidden expensive vehicle/camper accessories where they could not be reached with the camper top down, so that helped mitigate our losses. But you can’t hide it all and quite a lot of valuable coats, other clothes, boots, hiking equipment, other accessories along with various odds and ends were gone. Devastated does not begin to describe the feeling.
Not only had they rifled through all our drawers they had moved everything around and left a great mess, perhaps having to stop what they were doing in a hurry.Out stuff was strewn everywhere inside the camper – all had been neatly packed and stored in Argentina.Port staff made some calls to the head office but there was not much that could be done – fill in a vehicle condition report and advise the Georgia Port Authority police they said. That we did.
The port staff were sympathetic but could do little but assist in filling out a claim report – they suggested that it likely happened in other ports en route ( Brazil is notorious for it and our ship stopped at 3 ports there ). We were not the only victims it turned out – another RV on the same ship was also hit, the owner in that case had ( against all advice ) actually stashed cash ( yes, really ) in their rig – it too, was all gone. Perhaps we got off light. The loss of many of these things was not just inconvenient, but an unwelcome additional cost to what was already an exceptionally expensive shipping experience. Hopefully we can recover some through insurance (which we have) – fingers crossed 😌.
Josh, of the Port Authority police made an ispection, took our declaration and created a file. Now to our insurer. Ughh !
Truck in hand there was now much to do – unload everything we’d been carrying with us for 6 weeks and put it back in its rightful place, reload/replenish all tanks ( empty now of course ), reorganize everything that had not been stolen and lastly stock up on supplies. Licence plates had to be re-affixed as well – finger tight only for now, since they had also cleaned out my tool box during the heist. The process did not actually take that long and all that remained before we could head northwest to Canada was to drop the rental car off at nearby Jacksonville airport, just an hour away.
After all was done we collected our vehicle and were escorted out of the port. Noticed a few other overlander vehicles had just arrived as well ( on the other ship that came in from Europe ) – here a few classic Land Rover’s belonging to some French folks.
Must say it was really nice to have our own vehicle back – everything at our fingertips again, and such a nice, comfortable vehicle to drive. We had a permanent place to stay again, our own comfy bed, and the ability to buy, store, cook and eat whatever foods we wanted and now had everything with us ( not just what we could fit in a travel bag ! ); we had really missed that for the past 6 weeks. As this past week wound down we’d put the camper contents theft behind us ( hey, worse had happened to others ) and managed to get on the road back to British Colombia. Not “far” on the road, mind you, but ( as Willie sang it ) at least we were finally ”On the road again”…!
Almost across the street from our hotel in Montevideo was the Mirador Panoramico ( a high rise building with a viewing deck ) so before driving out of the city to Punta del Este we took in the city view from the 22nd floor to get a different perspective on this city of 1.3 million.
Montevideo from the 22nd floor Mirador Panoramico.
Punta Del Este, ( PDE ) 125 kms straight east, is a beach-side getaway on the Atlantic Ocean that’s long been a summer playground, not just for Uruguayans, but also other South Americans ( especially Argentines ). We found it newer, cleaner and just generally more appealing than Mar Del Plata ( very broadly speaking it’s Argentine equivalent ). Centred on a peninsular at Uruguay’s southern extremity, PDE has a calm western bay side and full exposure to the South Atlantic on its eastern shore with some fairly solid surfing conditions in places.
View of Punta del Este as you approach from Montevideo.Lots of beach walks here, but it was windy !Inner harbour, Punta del Este.
The town delivered better weather than expected in the 4 days we were there although the winds were pretty fierce at times ( making it very popular with windsurfers and kite boarders alike ). The city has a great seashore promenade that wraps right around Salinas Point ( Uruguay’s southern extremity ) and made for an enjoyable afternoon’s walking. Remnants of one of Uruguay’s great historical battles can be found there. While Uruguay was not a combatant, one of WW2’s earliest naval encounters, the Battle of the River Plate ( fought between 3 British cruisers and the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee ) was fought just off this coast in late 1939.
A peace memorial now marks the site of the famous naval battle in WW2.Anchor from the British ship, Ajax, one of three that challenged Germany’s mighty Admiral Graf Spee in the waters off Punta del Este in the early days of WW2. Damaged, the German ship would be deliberately scuttled just days later in the waters outside Montevideo.Another anchor from a ship in the battle.
A plaque noting Uruguay’s southernmost point, Punta de las Salinas, right by the same spot.
Punta Del Este lighthouse.
With “wheels” again following a month with none ( we’d rented a car in Uruguay ) exploring the coast of Uruguay was now possible so north we went. The interior of the country is pretty much farmland so offers little to see but it’s coastline is very scenic – reminded us much of small coastal towns up and down Australia’s east coast ( perhaps not so coincidentally since both regions lie at almost the same longitude and enjoy similar weather ). Tested the water but as summer had just turned to autumn it was a little cool for a dip ( and probably a bit rough given the strong wind at the time). It’s pretty much beaches all the way up to Brazil ( and more beaches beyond that ! ).
La Mano ( The Hand ) of Punta del Este, a sculpture depicting 5 fingers emerging from the sand. Created by the Chilean artist, Mario Irarrazabal, in 1982 it has since be become one of Uruguay’s best known landmarks.From the back.If you like solitude the Uruguayan coast is your place.Caught some nice sunsets, but the mosquitos came out in droves right about then…!The Laguna Garzon bridge, north of Punta del Este, famous for its circular shape. Rafael Vinoly, the famous Uruguayan architect who designed it also designed Montevideo’s sleek international airport.
Having had such a wonderful experience with an “apart-hotel” in Buenos Aires we decided to roll the dice again and book one in PUnta del Este and were very happy with it. With these units you forgo daily housekeeping but generally get more space, more facilities and a little more “homey” feel: good for when you are spending more time there.
Inside the unit. Very well appointed, full kitchen and deck.The Emerald Punta del Este apart-hotel had a nice pool, and gym. We found the quality and features they offered to be exceptional.
Alas, all good things come to an end and for us leaving Punta del Este was a double whammy- not only were we leaving a beautiful and relaxing part of Uruguay, but (save for one night at an airport hotel) it would also be our last hurrah in all South America. Hard to believe that, yes, we have been back 5 months – where did the time go ? Prior to flying out there was yet another Covid test to do, fortunately another “negative” result ensuring no hassles boarding. Still, anxious moments while you wait for it.
We were getting sick of these Covid tests. This one in Uruguay was our 6th since we re-started our trip in November. They may be cheaper in South America – it does not make them any more pleasant !
Roads in Uruguay ( based on what little of them we saw ) were very good. Here, showing the 4 lane highway between Montevideo and PDE.Somewhat appropriate that we should enjoy a beautiful sunset from the airport hotel. Being our last night in South America, the ”sun was setting” on our Pan American overland journey as well.
Our flight back to North America took us from Montevideo’s modern new airport via Panama where a scheduled 4 hour layover morphed into more than 7 resulting in arrival into Miami at the ungodly hour of 5.15am. At least customs and immigration were not busy so it was a smooth process on arrival. Never had we so looked forward to “crashing” in a comfortable hotel bed !
Montevideo airport: new, spacious, comfortable, stylish and very efficient. Panama’s ? Not so much !Sadly, our last view of South America ( Uruguay’s south coast with Montevideo in the background ).Miami airport is normally a zoo. Barely a soul there when we arrived, the place was deserted ( benefit of a 5am arrival !)
We have some planning to do in the next few days while waiting for the truck – hoping to enjoy a few days in the Florida sun by a pool or beach somewhere before driving up to the shipping port at Brunswick, Georgia and collecting the truck next week. An exciting but also a nerve-wracking time – praying it looks just the same as when we left it back in BA.
A few months back, just after we had reached the bottom of South America ( effectively completing the ”Pan American Highway” in our vehicle ), I penned another article for Truck Camper Adventures magazine covering our experiences, some highlights and relevant tips on the journey. The article is primarily oriented to the needs of those with truck campers ( or similar overland vehicles ) but would have relevance to anyone considering a trip like this regardless of their means of transport . It was published today – link below.
We are Lois and Jeff, of Kelowna, BC, Canada. Recently retired with a serious overlanding travel bug, we hit the road in our truck camper in May 2019, initially tackling the Pan American highway. The PanAm completed in April 2022, and truck camper sold, we plan to continue exploring again later in 2022 in our Sprinter 4×4!
