South America
Going back
Heading towards our Brazil...
After making sure that the ship had already left the port with our car, it was time to leave Central America. Our destination was Santiago, Chile.
Santiago is a beautiful and elegant city. We started our tour in the historic center. We went to Paseo Ahumada, Plaza de Armas, La Moneda and some other tourist attractions. Then we went to the viewpoint of Cerro Santa Lucia, Cerro San Cristóbal, and we walked through Parque Florestal and the Bela Vista neighborhood. Providencia and Las Condes are some of the most modern areas of the city and where you can find the best restaurants, cafes and shops.
Since the car would take ten days to get to Chile, we decided to go to Viña del Mar. Although it was not the Chilean holiday season, there were many foreigners there who preferred to travel at a quieter time. The weather was great and we took advantage of the opportunity to sunbathe at Reñaca and Concón, beaches north of the city. It was impossible to get into the water because it was so cold, but lying on the sand just admiring the beautiful view was worth it.
Viña del Mar has its own charm. The seafront is very beautiful and Valparaíso Street is where people go to walk, look at shop windows, eat something in the bakeries, have a coffee or dine in its many restaurants.
We took advantage of the proximity of San Antonio, the port where the car would arrive, to go to the shipping company and learn about the bureaucracy and procedures for picking up the car. We learned that in Chile the "deconsolidation", that is, the clearance of the car at the port, would have to be done by a specialized company. We closed the budget with a company and found out about all the processes in order to avoid future problems.
The day the car arrived, we went to the port very early, but we were disappointed because, due to an internal problem with the shipping company, it would not be possible to pick up the car that same day. After all the precautions and conversations we had taken, the company forgot to ask for "priority" in unloading our container. Once again, it was time to be patient, have a good mood, and have a lot of conversation and arguments... But, by the middle of the afternoon, we managed to get our car back. It was a relief! We returned to Viña del Mar and the next day we hit the road towards Mendoza, in Argentina.
Los Caracoles was a route we had thought about doing on other occasions. Several times, before deciding on this expedition, we went to Ceagesp in São Paulo to talk to truck drivers who were traveling the Brazil, Argentina and Chile route. The information we got from them was very useful. With that, we headed to the city of Los Andes and started climbing the road that would take us to Los Caracoles.
The Andes Mountains were already familiar. We had already crossed the mountains at an altitude of almost 5,000 meters on our way to the Atacama Desert. We had also traveled through its southern part a year before going to Alaska. And this time, we climbed the central part, in an endless zigzag. At the top of its 3,000 meters, we crossed into Argentina. We passed through a 3 km tunnel, the Christ the Redeemer, and had the opportunity to see Mount Aconcagua up close, which is a challenge for mountaineering enthusiasts.
In Argentina, we continued on to Mendoza and the next day to Pergamino to spend the night. The stop in this city was strategic for two reasons. First, because of the heavy rains we had to make a 100 km detour, which delayed our trip. Second, because on the way, near Pergamino, we were approached by a police officer who asked for a "contribution". We said we didn't have anything at that moment. So he asked for "anything". He would accept a pencil, pen or any other object, but we decided not to "contribute" anything and thought it best not to continue. We were worried because the strategies of the police on the roads were well known.
The next day, having already decided to cross into Uruguay via the Fray Bentos border crossing, we faced a 9 km traffic jam. We decided to change course and went to the border crossing the General Artigas bridge, connecting the cities of Colón and Paysandú, now in Uruguay.
A little over 300 km from Brazil, we couldn't resist and kept going. But when we were 100 km from the finish line, a feeling overwhelmed us. A mixture of great euphoria, for arriving in Brazil, and a deep sadness knowing that in a short time we would have to park our car for a well-deserved rest. Despite this, we took a deep breath and crossed the Brazilian border.
In Santana do Livramento we were welcomed by friends from Rio Grande do Sul, who traveled almost 600km to welcome us, which was essential at that moment to ease what we were feeling. We went to Quaraí with Ricardo and Ana. We also felt welcomed by Marjorie and Marinho (in memoriam) and all their family and friends. Cold beer, barbecue, photos and stories made us feel at home again.
After a few days in Quaraí, we went up to Porto Alegre. From there, we went to Florianópolis, Curitiba and Espírito Santo do Pinhal, already in São Paulo.
The reason we went to the interior of São Paulo was to meet up with our friends from Bowling Green, Kathy, Zé Luiz and their daughters Andréa and Isabel. They were spending a few days on vacation at a family farm and we didn't want to miss the opportunity to see them. Coincidentally (or not!!!) they were the last friends we said goodbye to when we left Bowling Green. We stayed with them for 2 days and took the opportunity to see the beauty of the place. Then, we left for São Paulo.
In São Paulo, we were also welcomed by our friends. We spent several days meeting and celebrating. We told each other stories many times. We heard from them that when they listened to our news on the radio, they were euphoric. We were happy and we were sure that it had all been worth it. But it was time to go to Belo Horizonte and meet up with our family and other friends.
Likewise, in BH we were welcomed with a welcome banner and affection from our family and friends from Minas Gerais. Finally, we were able to catch up on our longing for such a long time away. There were also many meetings, parties, stories and more stories.
Finally, after so long, crossing borders and countries, meeting so many people, facing all kinds of social and political situations, and adverse weather conditions, and finally arriving in Brazil, we felt fortunate. We persevered and never thought about giving up in the face of difficulties. We kept moving forward, with determination, caution, and the certainty that we would be able to overcome all the proposed stages. We achieved our goal, reaching Proudhoe Bay, the last city in Alaska, in our Land Rover Defender. And then we returned to our starting point, São Paulo-Belo Horizonte. A lot happened. Many alternatives were presented to us. This expedition was much more than a simple trip. It presented us with a different perception and concept of life. It was a learning experience and a “watershed” for us. During this time, we learned, among other things, to be patient, to respect and be respected, to tolerate, to negotiate in situations, to have common sense and good humor. To live simply, to see nature and respect it above all else. We learned the value of facing a great challenge. We learned that it was worth interrupting our professional lives at that moment, leaving the comfort of our home and missing our family and friends in exchange for the realization of a great dream.
After all, for us "DREAMS ARE TO BE LIVED".