November 14, 2008 – 8:36 am
Gabon was a pretty short segment on the expedition. We crossed into Gabon from Cameroon with only a few objectives: get our visas for the Congo and the DRC in Libreviile and pick up our newest crew member, Jen. Gabon turned out to be a pretty laid back country and it was also geographically significant because it was our first time crossing the equator in the Toyotas. While we waited for the visa process, we met a local guy who went by the name of Jack Daniel. Jack was working on building some bungalows on a quiet piece of property he had purchased just outside Libreville. Jack was kind enough to let us pitch our tents on the property and even cooked us some great meals while we were there. In return, we thought it would be a good gesture if we helped JD out with some of the work. In the end, it was definitely more of a gesture than anything tangible because after 10 minutes of swinging an axe around or attempting to dig a trench, the heat and humidity of Gabon got to you and you had no choice but to take a break with JD and some of his homemade palm wine.
November 13, 2008 – 2:28 am
The list of quotes related to patience is just about as long as the situations in life you will undoubtedly encounter that require it. Problems are inevitable in life and having the patience to deal with problems as they arise will undoubtedly make your life easier. I knew that there would be a lot of situations that would require a lot of patience on this expedition, and I like to think that over the course of the last two years, I have become a much more patient individual. Just about every day on the expedition, something will come up that requires some degree of patience. Whether it is trying to communicate with someone in a foreign language about the simplest of things, or waiting for political issues in the country you are in at the time to run their course, having the ability to be patient can get you through a frustrating situation without doing any physical or emotional harm to yourself or anyone around you.
November 10, 2008 – 12:45 pm
The world is full of differences and we have been very privileged to witness a tremendous amount of diversity throughout the course of the expedition. Differences abound at all levels of society and culture and learning about why people, cultures and countries do things differently and more importantly, appreciating that certain things are in fact done differently is an invaluable education. However, from time to time, you also learn that many things are quite similar and familiar to what you know and recognize from home, wherever that may be.
Posted in Action Sports, Argentina, Interesting, Observations, south america
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Tagged Argentina, Asado, broncos, Canada, cowboy, El Chalten, gaucho, Mexico, National Western Stockshow, rodeo, south america
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November 9, 2008 – 12:35 pm
Trying to decide which country one likes the most is a difficult task that necessitates a lot of reflection. Again, different countries on the expedition each hold different meaning to individual expedition members. Each country we have crossed through presents memorable moments that make impressions on all of us that will last a lifetime. In some cases, even a few of the bad experiences we have encountered along the way can sometimes transform themselves into positive memories over the course of time. Personally, the type of mood I am in at the time might also affect how I respond when asked what country I enjoyed the most on the trip. No matter what mood I am in though, there are certainly a few countries that always stand out in my mind above all others and one of those countries is Chile.
Posted in Chile, Environment, Interesting, Observations, Trip Thoughts, south america
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Tagged chile, futalufu, mountains, National Parks, ocean, Santiago, skiing, south america, surfing, Torres del Paine
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November 8, 2008 – 9:35 pm
Our original plan was to leave Dolisie and head directly to Brazzaville, however, our sources in Dolisie said that the road to Brazzaville was not safe and we would most certainly encounter rebels along the way. The only other alternative was to head west to Pointe Noire and get our Angola visas there. From Pointe Noire, we could cross through the Angolan province of Cabinda before heading south into the DRC and then continuing on into mainland Angola. This was the same route our friends the African Surfers had taken so we headed west without hesitation considering it would save us a lot of driving on poor roads, we had been offered a place to stay in Pointe Noire and assistance with our visas and I was still extremely ill with malaria.
