One of the most common questions we are asked is “What are your plans for the next few days?”. A question that seems simple at first, but is a real challenge for us.
Why is that?
Travelling by car in South America is an adventure full of unpredictability, which makes it difficult to stick to plans, especially short-term ones.
Here are a few personal examples.
Weather
The weather can be your ally or your enemy, and it always wins. In Paraguay, the rain turned the road into impassable mud and forced us to wait two days. At least we met an elderly farming couple who were very poor, but all the warmer for it. They even offered to kill a chicken for us if we ran out of food.
In Argentina, the Ruta Nacional 40 was closed due to flooding, so we had to take a 300-kilometre detour. The best thing about it: When we left Salta the day before, we asked the police and they couldn’t warn us.
Money
In Mato Grosso, Brazil, finding a working ATM became an odyssey. Not a single ATM would accept our foreign cards, and no one would exchange dollars or euros. After 500 kilometres, we finally found a bank where we could withdraw money.
It is not uncommon in Argentina for entire villages to run out of cash to withdraw or refuse to exchange foreign currency. Especially since the introduction of the new economic policy, dollars are not so popular anymore.
Mechanics
Of course, we use the car the most. The 3.5 tonnes it carries don’t exactly prevent damage either. So far we haven’t had any accidents (touch wood!), but something always happens that forces us to stop. Be it to find a spare part, a mechanic to repair it or a makeshift solution.
A hook on the pop-top roof broke. After two days of searching DIY stores, we found a turnery that had stainless steel and could make it. Another time we needed to replace the seal ring on the drive shaft. Although we quickly found a mechanic, the part was only available in the next town, which cost us a whole afternoon in spare parts shops. Well, another very enjoyable afternoon.
Refuelling
Need to fill up quickly? Well, if you’re lucky, it means a short queue or waiting for hours… or worse, they simply don’t have petrol. Then you have to try again the next day. It can also happen that they won’t sell to foreigners, which is common in Bolivia, and you’ll have to find a station that will.
Fortunately, our tank holds 270 litres of diesel. That’s a big plus, as it means we’re not as dependent on people feeling like working and availability.
Politics
In Bolivia, roadblocks are a common form of protest, so we had to wait ten days before we could continue our journey. At least we met some amazing people.
Border crossings can also be very interesting. Sometimes it takes thirty minutes, sometimes hours, or you’re told you have to wait until Monday because the person in charge doesn’t work on weekends. In these situations you just have to be persistent, whine a bit, and “suggest” that in that case you’ll have to camp outside the customs office because you can’t go back to the other country.
People
We meet people along the way who spontaneously invite us into their homes or recommend places to visit. Then our plans change, but for the better. That’s how we got to know Chapada dos Guimarães or Fazenda São Nicolas in Brazil, or Vilhena or Cachuela Esperanza… and countless other examples.
Having a rough idea of the destination is important, but flexibility, calmness, patience and sometimes perseverance are the keys to a successful trip. Ultimately, improvisation has allowed us to discover places and people that we would never have met if our plans had gone perfectly.
As the saying goes: “The journey is the reward”.