Adventure
What do people live for?
Average age, 81.
This ad, for a bank, is based on a true story.
Wiebe Wakker
From March 2016 until April 2019, in the early days of electric vehicles, and before there was much EV infrastructure, anywhere, Weibe Wakker drove a borrowed electric vehicle from the Netherlands to New Zealand. He accomplished his 100,450 kilometres (62,417 miles) road adventure by asking people to donate some of their electricity.
via The Next Web »
According to Wakker, the first three factors to consider before every journey are distance, charging stations, and charging speed. It goes without saying that these will vary based on your destination and electric car model, so make sure to crunch the numbers carefully.
“When you’re on a road trip, it’s about finding the right mix between convenience, having fun, and getting to your destination,” the Dutchman told SHIFT.
One way to combine fun with convenience, Wakker shares, is to plan charging stops around landmarks, museums, and other popular tourist attractions. In fact, he would often pick sightseeing spots depending on whether there are charging stations nearby. That way, he can go explore the surrounding area while his car is getting juiced up.
Here is a 2019 video of his achievement »
As part of his 3-year African expedition, Dan Grec highlights his travels through the jungles of Gabon.
After reaching the gates, Grec learns that entrance to Lopé National Park was USD$500 per day (Aug 2017). So instead he finds an ex-guide and goes in search of gorillas on his own. He later finds elephants in and near Loango National Park.
Min says she’s the happiest she’s been in many years.
Alex Myall, writing in Exploreweb »
She saved her $300 monthly pension and combined it with her savings to buy a white Volkswagen Polo hatchback. She researched everything she could about traveling on a budget — which apps are most helpful on the road, tips to save money — and when the twins started school, she fixed a rooftop tent to her car and hit the road.
Leaving Zhengzhou last September, she has covered more than 13,000km and has visited some of China’s most famous sites — historical Xi’an, mountainous Sichuan, the old town of Lijiang — and is currently on her way to Guilin, famous for its lumpy karst hills and cormorant fishermen. She’s been traveling for more than six months.
Her husband, who ridiculed her decision, has not seen her since she left, and while Su shudders at the thought of their eventual reunion, she is relishing her freedom.
via YouTube »
The land locked nation of Tajikistan is the poorest country in central Asia. The mountainous landscape is unforgiving and temperatures extreme. Here desperate truck drivers can wait for days to get assigned a load to transport across the treacherous terrain.
Working in old and battered trucks on bone-shaking routes, dodging falling rocks and landslides, and being forced to wake up every two hours during the night to start their engines so they don’t freeze up and leave them stranded; these men are severely tested.
They do it all for the love of their families who wait for weeks at a time, hoping that their husbands and fathers will return safe. A look at both sides of the lives of Tajik long distance drivers.
2010 documentary.
via YouTube »
It is a road of mountain passes and India’s access to the roof of the world – the Himalayas. This 475-kilometre long route at the northernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent connects the cities of Manali and Leh at the heart of the Ladakh region.
The term “highway” applies quite literally, since the route traverses five of the highest drivable mountain passes in the world – among these the Lohtang La at 3,978 metres above sea level, the Lachulung La at 5,059 metres and the Tanglang La at 5,325 metres.
Crossing these passes is a challenge for both vehicle and man. The mountain peaks, still snow-capped even in the depths of summer, wide variety of vegetation and the fantastic and craggy landscape turn any journey into a captivating adventure.
Deutsche Welle (DW) Documentary via YouTube »
A trip along Chile’s National Route 7, the Carretera Austral, takes us into the stunning wilderness of Patagonia – a place that many German emigrants chose as their new home almost a century ago.
The Carretera Austral is straddled by mountain ranges, primeval forests, fjords, volcanoes and a huge ice field. It has taken decades to carve its way through the almost impassable terrain – even now a lot of traffic is forced to take a detour across the border into Argentina. The military dictator Augusto Pinochet made the construction of the road a national priority in the 1970s, sending thousands of soldiers to the region to work under the most adverse conditions. One of the last surviving members of Pinochet’s junta, former military police chief Rodolfo Stange, talks about the road’s strategic importance for the regime.
German marine biologist Vreni Häussermann tells us about a catastrophe in one of the Patagonian fjords – an event that underlines how economic expansion along the route has adversely affected the natural environment in southern Chile. On our journey we meet descendants of German emigrants who found a new home in Patagonia’s remote vastness after the First World War. An insight into the past and present of this unique region.
Dot answers a lot of questions about travelling overland solo through Africa in a 2WD van. She offers proof that it can be done.
Dot Bekker tells of her adventures returning home to Zimbabwe after a failed 22 year marriage in Europe. She paid £1,700 for her old two-wheel drive Sprinter, built the interior herself for less than €2,000, using many reclaimed materials, and set about on her inspiring adventure. Dot drove over 20,000 km through more than 20 countries and is now helping educate and inspire young women in Zimbabwe.
Marion et Anatole, the young couple who did the interview, set off from France to explore Africa in 2018. Their YouTube channel is well worth following if you understand French. They offer lots of useful, practical information about overlanding in Africa, all based on their experiences.
Snow tires are mandatory from November 1 to April 1.
According to Allegra Zagami, writer for Lonely Planet, on a drive along the Pan American Highway in 2019 »
The Icefields Parkway, or Canada’s Highway 93, is one of the most scenic drives in the world with over 144 miles (232km) of adventure and overwhelming natural beauty between Banff and Jasper National Parks.
Resources » Parks Canada, Icefields Parkway Continue reading
BMW Motorad’s Ride and Talk podcast » #22 Sam Manicom and his spirit of adventure!
Within three months of throwing his leg over a bike for the first time, Sam Manicom set off on an R 80 GS to travel the length of Africa. But when he got to the Cape, he didn’t want the trip to end, so he just kept going. His planned one-year trip turned into an eight-year, 200,000-miles overlanding odyssey across 55 countries.
The four motorcycle travel books that came out of that trip are inspirational; his talks and presentations are truly memorable and his main ambition in life now is to encourage others to explore and learn about the world and themselves. Listen to @sammanicom.author in this podcast and be inspired!
Sam Manicom, Under the Visor Interview (2015)
Sam Manicom discusses his book Into Africa (2013)
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