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| June
2001 |
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Start - Recipe for Adventure
By: Jeff Willner
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Bits
and pieces
By: Gulin Akoz
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 Arrived
in Vic Falls with Devy Santiago and Rob Smoot, fresh from taking 36 MBA
classmates around Kenya and Tanzania in luxury. Found the currency crashing
in Zimbabwe, truck delayed in shipping, and the women had not arrived. Wondered
what I was getting into. |
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#2
- Curb Rates and Hyperinflation
(Zimbabwe)
By: Jeff Willner |
Surreal
Solipse
(Zambia)
By: Jody Finver |
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Diaries
By: Gulin Akoz |
Met
Jody for first time this week. I filled two seats on the expedition
by advertising on the Lonely
Planet website, asked for applications, and picked two fellow adventurers.
Not recommended by any expedition planning books - but with a portfolio
plunging like a shot pheasant it was the only way I could afford the trip. |
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#3
- Southern Circuit
(Namibia)
By: Jeff Willner |
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Robben
Island
(Cape Town)
By: Sally DeFina |
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Drove
into Namibia, picked up the expedition Land Rover Defender in Windhoek -
and it promptly broke down. I'd promised Rob and Devy three weeks of southern
sightseeing, but we'd spent most of the time in mechanic's garages. To make
up the time we blitzed south toward Cape Town. |
| July
2001 |
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#4 - Southern Circuit Part 2
(South Africa)
By: Jeff Willner |
The Great Zimbabwe
By: Jody Finver |
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 Cranked
expedition into high gear - drove 3000km in two days. Cape Town down to
the Garden Route, then north through Johannesburg through Zimbabwe back
to Victoria Falls. Sally's boyfriend, Mike Faulkner flew in for 3 weeks. |
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#5
- African Sketches
(Zambia & Malawi)
By: Jeff Willner |
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Mike & I
(Zanzibar)
By: Sally DeFina |
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 Gulin
flew into Vic Falls, so now the expedition team was complete. Foley spent
two days fixing problems on the Rover and we set off north. Gulin had no
visa for Malawi so we smuggled her in. Dirt roads and engine overheating
landed us in the garage again. Will this truck make it around the world? |
| August
2001 |
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#7
- Bandit Country
(Kenya)
By: Jeff Willner |
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African Driving School
(Tanzania)
By: Sally DeFina |
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In
Kenya the group split up for a week to do safaris. By a fluke of timing,
my Dad was in Nairobi at the same time I was. It was amazing to hang out
with him in the city of our youth. The roads north of Nairobi were rough!
The Land Rover broke down twice, this time Foley was able to direct repairs
via sat phone. We checked into another garage in Addis Ababa. Ethiopian
food is teriffic! |
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#8
- Ethiopian Diary
By: Jeff Willner |
Brokedown
in Kenyan Desert
By: Jody Finver |
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 Victor
chatted up Gulin in Addis Ababa and ended up joining us for two weeks. We
headed north to the amazing carved churches of Lalibela, and the royal castles
of Gondor. I didn't realize that Ethiopia had the longest monarchy of all
time, 3000 years. |
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#9
- Ethiopia to Sudan
By: Jeff Willner |
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Sudan
By: Sally deFina |
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 We'd
heard about the rough passage into Sudan from many travellers. If we'd had
an option, we would have avoided it - but the expedition depended on making
the crossing. We met a scruffy backpacker looking for a ride, Mark (left)
joined us for the rough crossing. The worst dirt I'd ever driven. |
| September
2001 |
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#10 - Across the Sahara
(Sudan)
By: Jeff Willner |
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Friendly
villagers and Arab hospitality smoothed over the police checkpoints. But
Khartoum is a fly blown dust bowl, and the food, well, beans and bread gets
monotonous. From Khartoum to Lake Nasser is unmarked desert track- we drove
across the scorching Sahara with only a railway track as a guide. The prospect
of getting stuck in the deep sand made the drive rather terrifying. |
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#11
- Cape Town to Cairo
By: Jeff Willner |
So Should I Hyphenate?
By: Jody Finver |
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Africa
By: Gulin Akoz |
To
help the tourists feel safe, most highway travel in Egypt must be done in
a convoy. It was a great way to travel - no stoplights, no delays, and I
kept an Arabic license plate as a souvenir. The tombs of the kings are hyped
- but still impressed. |
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#12
- Jordan & Syria
By: Jeff Willner |
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We
were just entering Jordan on Sept. 11. The prospect of being in the Middle
East was a bit daunting - but the locals went out of their way to express
their shock and anger at the event. Even in Syria, we felt very safe. Jordan/Syria
is one of the best sightseeing combos in the world. |
| October
2001 |
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#13 - Turkey
By: Jeff Willner |
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Just
For Your Information
By: Gulin Akoz |
Turkey
was Gulin's native land and we enjoyed the hospitality of her family. Took
a vacation from the expedition for a week. She stayed behind for four weeks
- rejoined us in Finland. |
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#14
- Bulgaria, Romania & Hungary
By: Jeff Willner |
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 Met
a rather cute Canadian in Romania. Janet Porter ended up travelling with
us for the rest of Europe. |
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#15 - Slovakia, Austria & Poland
By: Jeff Willner |
Home is where the truck is
By: Jody Finver |
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Auschwitz
was an amazing emotional experience, seeing the actual buildings and cremation
furnaces. |
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#16
- The Baltics & Russia
By: Jeff Willner |
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The
Baltics were a big surprise! The countryside is rural but the cities are
immaculate and rich in architecture. We grooved with the locals in St. Petersburg. |
| November
2001 |
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#17
- Scandinavia
By: Jeff Willner |
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The
Team And The Bean
By: Gulin Akoz |
Scandianvia
was a mad dash, literally one country per day! But worth it to see the fjords
of Norway. |
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#18
- Western Europe
By: Jeff Willner |
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Somebody
Else's Child
By: Gulin Akoz
On
My Own
By: Gulin Akoz |
Berlin
is like a butterfly, emerging from a cocoon of construction cranes and worksites.
The city tour is well worth doing. |
| December
2001 |
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#19
- Clearing Brazil Customs
By: Jeff Willner |
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Long
Lost Memories Of Childhood
By: Gulin Akoz
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Sally
stayed in Australia for the holidays. Gulin and I sweated it out in the
Customs halls getting the Land Rover out of port. The worst red tape of
the trip (and most expensive). |
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#20 - So you want a Revolution
(Argentina)
By: Jeff Willner |
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The
Tree and The Boy Who Was Afraid Of the Wind
By: Gulin Akoz
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We
accidentally arrived in Buenos Aires for the worst of the financial crisis. |
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#21
- Rio to Ushuaia
By: Jeff Willner |
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Jealous
By: Gulin Akoz |
To
stay on schedule we drove over 6,000km in three days. A marathon day and
night epic. Hotels are too expensive in Argentina. It is common to camp
in the lot of a gas station and pay $1 for a shower. |
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#22 - Wreck in Patagonia
By: Jeff Willner |
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Goodbye Max
(Argentina)
By: Sally deFina |
The
Aftermath
By: Gulin Akoz |
Going
too fast on a gravel road, Gulin rolled the Land Rover in the middle of
Patagonia. 300km from the nearest town! There was real doubt about whether
the expedition could go on. |
| January
2002 |
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#23
- Buenos Aires Beautiful
By: Jeff Willner |
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We
stayed in Buenos Aires for three weeks dealing with the insurance claim
- we were treated very fairly! It was an unexpected bonus because the city
turned out to be amazing. |
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#24
- Uruguay
By: Jeff Willner |
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A
weekend trip to Uruguay by hydrofoil is common amongst the elite Argentines
- many have vacation homes across the river. |
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#25
- Expedition Life
(Chile)
By: Jeff Willner |
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Gulin
left the expedition in Buenos Aires. Sally, Jody, and I continued on by
public bus. |
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#26 - Bolivia
By: Jeff Willner |
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I
didn't realize that Bolivia was the Andes of South America. Extreme altitude
combined with spectacular scenery. Some amazing pics. |
| February
2002 |
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#27
- Peru
By: Jeff Willner |
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Jody
did the Machu Pichu, Sally overnighted at Colca Canyons, I lazed in Arequipa
eating great food and enjoying the scenery - having already seen most of
Peru. |
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#28 - Galapagos
By: Jeff Willner |
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Though
extremely expensive ($1000) we decided to shell out for Galapagos. I am
sure glad! It was stellar. Mostly because the animals have no fear of humans. |
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#29
- Ecuador
By: Jeff Willner |
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Sal
flew home, Jody did a jungle tour, I rented a motorcycle and tore through
the Amazon at speed. Then chapped my butt on horseback. Columbia was too
dangerous so we ended our circuit in Quito. |
| March
2002 |
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#30 - Knifepoint
(South Africa)
By: Jeff Willner |
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We
sent the wrecked Land Rover to Africa to be rebuilt (cheapest option) and
I flew over to test it and ship it to China. In Durban I was attacked by
two guys with knives. |
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#31
- Dubai
By: Jeff Willner |
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A
stop-over on the way to SE Asia. |
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#32
- Singapore & Malaysia
By: Jeff Willner |
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Mike Update
By: Sally deFina |
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Sally
travelled SE Asia with Mike. Jody hung out in Thailand. I travelled on my
own. After nine months together we needed some time apart. |
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#33
- Thailand
By: Jeff Willner |
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Ko Phangan
(Thailand)
By: Sally deFina |
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I
loved Thailand! Great golf, good friends who showed me a great time. Jody
was not so lucky. She got quite ill and had to pull out of the expedition.
It was really disappointing for her. |
| April
2002 |
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#34
- Cambodia
By: Jeff Willner |
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Phnom Penh
(Cambodia)
By: Sally deFina |
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Ankor
Wat rates as one of a dozen places on earth that absolutely, positively
must be seen. |
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#35
- Vietnam
By: Jeff Willner |
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Vietnam
By: Sally deFina |
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Vietnam
is plagued by aggressive touts and con men. But Hanoi is a peaceful oasis
of shaded streets, french restaurants, and water puppet shows. And Halong
Bay is not to be missed. |
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#36
- Laos
By: Jeff Willner |
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Vang Vieng
(Laos)
By: Sally deFina |
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Laos
is just open for tourism. If you want to see a country untouched by western
influence, Laos is one of the few left. |
| May
2002 |
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#37
- Beijing
By: Jeff Willner |
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Meet Mr Chen
(Beijing)
By: Sally deFina |
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 Kathryn
joined us for six weeks through China, Nepal, and India. She was a hard
core traveller, great to have around |
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#38
- Shanxi
By: Jeff Willner |
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China
was a surprise. Much more capitalist than I thought, and had amazing infrastructure.
For most of the country we were on paved highways. But very little wildlife. |
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#39 - Western China
By: Jeff Willner |
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Once
we got into Western China our guide proved invaluable - very little English
is spoken outside of Beijing and Shanghai. But even he was uncomfortable
in the far west. Like a Yankee down in Dixieland. |
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#40
- Tibet
By: Jeff Willner |
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By
the time we got to Tibet I was a big fan of the Chinese. So my perspective
goes against the Western line of thinking. A controversial journal! |
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#41
- Nepal
By: Jeff Willner |
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 Stacey
Madge joined the expedition in Kathmandu. Originally for three weeks, she
stayed six. |
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#42 - India
By: Jeff Willner |
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The
most challenging driving of the entire expedition. Driving through India
was almost impossibly tough. We had several fender benders and ran into
one reckless scooter. Amazing sights though. |
| June
2002 |
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#43 - Pakistan
By: Jeff Willner |
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In
the middle of the Pakistan-India nuclear war scare, we decided to transit
Pakistan. We had to. We were too close to give up. It turned out well. The
police looked after us, locals helped us, and the roads were great.
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#44
- Iran
By: Jeff Willner |
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It
was the last destination I was really looking forward to seeing. Such a
great travel reputation - but it did not go well. The worst part were the
constant attempts to con us, or overcharge us. Really disappointing.
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End - One Last Laugh
By: Jeff Willner |
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The
end. Saying goodbye to Sally in Goreme, Turkey, marked the end of the trip.
Stacey and I continued into Europe to ship the Land Rover back to Canada
from the UK. |