Arriving exactly on time we have just now finished our epic journey that started in Anchorage, Alaska in the snow and finished in Rio de Janero, Brazil in the humid heat!

40 weeks is an awfully long time to live together and an even longer time to camp but through the extreme cold weather (-28°c for the coldest nights bush camp on a frozen tundra near Prudhoe Bay in Alaska), to high altitude camping in The Andes (5500m at the highest point), to the steaming hot jungle heat of Central America and the intense tropical heat of the Argentine and Paraguayan border (50°c degrees at it’s hottest) we have managed it all with relative ease. We have done, seen and experienced so much it’s amazing to think back but even more incredible to think that it’s all over – On one hand it seems like Alaska was forever ago and then on the other, the 9 months has simply flown by, since arriving in South America it’s been full on adventure after adventure and the time has pasted so quickly.

We celebrated Christmas in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, at the ‘End of the World’ which saw us to the end of the Pan American Highway, and then it was New Years in a Valdes Peninsula, a Marine Reserve in remote Argentina. We then stayed as long as we could at one of the best cities in the world – Buenos Aires, where Tango Dancing is done on stage, on the dance floor and spontaneously on the streets (with rhythm like we haven’t seen since the Columbian salsa days)!

From there it was into Uruguay where far from being behind the times as was partly expected, it proved to be one of the most modern counties in South America, the beaches, the people, the food and the climate was about as good as it gets.

Then weaving in and out of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay we have been into the wetlands, experienced one of the most powerful waterfalls in the entire world – The mighty Iguacu Falls! Seen from both the Argentinean and the Brazilian side, it was truly incredible! From there to a protected area in Northern Argentina which is likened to a ‘mini Pantanal’, we explored by boat and were lucky enough to see Capybaras and Caimans (very similar to an alligator) in their natural environment along with several types of birdlife unique to that area.

Heading back to Brazil everybody participated in a snorkeling excursion, which involved a 2 hour snorkel down one of the clearest rivers in the world. You are not allowed to wear any sunscreen or mozzy repellent and your feet must never touch the ground, therefore creating an environment that they say is the closest you will get to what the earth was like before mankind came along. The aquatic life has never been hunted so therefore the fish, caiman and (if you lucky enough?!?) the anacondas are not fearful in the slightest!

From here some ventured into the Pantanal to explore the wetlands and where piranha fishing was followed by feeding the piranhas caught to the local wild caiman – by hand! Others chose the option of repelling down 72 meters into one of Brazils largest hidden caves and either snorkeling or scuba diving in the underground lake amongst rock formations that were thousands of years old, it was an incredible experience and well worth the effort we had to make. And as if the absailing down wasn’t hard enough, we then had to repel back up the bloody thing - all 72 meters!

We then headed for our second last destination, the beach side town of Parati, where as we had a few days in which to wind down, pack up all our gear, do a finial mammoth truck clean and relax on the beach, trying to get as much last minute tanning in as possible in between the rain showers – this was the most rain we had experienced all trip! We finally met up with all the other overland trucks all headed for carnival and although it was good to catch up with some other travelers, it was a bit of a shock to find ourselves surrounded by 20 other trucks, we have had almost everywhere to ourselves so it took a bit of getting used to, even if it was only for a few days.

And then that was it, our Exploratory Overland Expedition from Alaska to Brazil was over – just like that! A short drive took us into Rio where we took our gear off and kissed our truck goodbye. William and our beloved orange truck have driven us safely all the way with not so much a breakdown and we (well ok, the blokes then) only had 4 flat tyres to change the whole way – 50,500 kms From start to finish!

Although mostly all who were meant to made it, we had a few unplanned farewells along the way, some unfortunately had to return early for family reasons and some because over-landing and living in a tent for the best part of 9 months proved a little too long! All and all it’s been fantastic, the good and the bad times, and I don’t think it will sink in until we are back in the real world again.

From William and I we would like to thank each and everyone one of those who participated, especially those who put in more effort than we ever expected and those who went out of their way to constantly support the expedition.

To Lynn, thank you so much for all your hard work spending hours and hours putting our EOE You Tube DVD together (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JriE6tY-9t0) and to Rob the biggest thank you possible for letting us, therefore including our friends, family and everybody else following our trip, have ‘carte blanche’ access to your incredible photos – they really made our trip diary something!

Even though the Overlanding side of the adventure is over we still have one last party to attend tonight… one of the greatest shows on earth… THE RIO CARNIVAL!

Until our next big adventure…

Ciao!

Peru and Bolivia just keep getting better and better with fantastic markets almost at every turn and most importantly, The Inca Trail and Muchu Pichu completed successfully!  Although quite hard, it is all over now and the aching limbs and struggle for breath is but a distant memory!  All who attempted the 4 day Inca Trail completed it with relative ease (and even though she was poorly, Hill’s still kicked arse)!  The views and scenery on the trail more than worth the effort it took to get there.

Cusco (the town where everybody leaves from to do the Inca Trail) is perhaps one of Peru’s most touristy destinations – but not in a bad way, it is a fantastic place, the food is divine, they make the drinks perfectly and thanks to “The Real McCoy” you can get one of the best English breakfasts possible, what ever few pounds were lost didn’t stay lost for very long!

Heading to Potosi (the highest city in the world) most took the opportunity to visit the silver mines, where they (unfortunately) are still mined the old fashioned way – by hand and shovel.  Here we also had the opportunity to purchase dynamite at the miners market and have a go at blowing it up.

Then onto the thriving metropolis of Uyuni, the tiny rather nasty looking village which just happens to be the gateway to one of Bolivia’s most revered treasures, the Great Salt Flats.  From here it is possible to take a 4×4 Land Cruiser out for the day, driving across the actual salt and taking in the stunning surrounding scenery.  Some choose to just do a one day excursion while other went  the whole hog and crossed over the Altiplano on a 3 day excursion.  The sights were amazing and the photographs wonderful as they were treated to lakes of deep greens, reds ands blues.  The weather conditions couldn’t have been any better – a great time was had by all.

We have just entered Argentina, where immediately the landscape looks different, we wait in anticipation to tonight’s dinner where “The best steak in the world” is on the menu!

Until next time….

Upon leaving Adelaide, we made a small detour for Hahndorf, a quaint little German village in the Adelaide Hills, then headed back to the coast and stopped off early at a viewpoint near Coorong for an afternoon of lamb spit roasting and Melbourne Cup (Australia’s biggest horse race) celebrations. With the lamb jam-packed with veges, it was roasted over coals for many hours and was succulently juicy – you’ve got to love the Australian lamb season.

The Great Ocean Road was a highlight for many with superb ocean views, Eucalypt forests and more wildlife sightings. We stopped off at The Twelve Apostles along the coast, and got very excited at seeing our first Koalas and Echidnas. A quick detour was made to Torquay and Bells Beach (home of the Australian Rip Curl Surfing Competition). Then it was into the cosmopolitan city of Melbourne early the next morning. Here we experienced the café culture and nightlife and yet more wildlife can you believe it – Blue Penguins on St. Kilda beach on Phillips Bay. A popular detour was made leaving Mebourne for all the Brits onboard – Ramsay Street of Neighbours fame.

Our last National Park was next on the itinerary; Wilson’s Promontory, characterised by eucalypt forests and coastal scrublands. Bushwalking and wildlife spotting were the order of the day. Sightings here included enormous wombats wandering around the camp, possums and colourful birds (that seemed to be very attracted by Steve’s red overalls).

Once into New South Wales, due to popular demand we made an unscheduled stop off at Eden, a tiny town situated on a very pretty bay that Humpback Whales use as a rest stop on their long journey down to Antarctica. Cruising out on a boat to do a spot of whale watching we saw many pods of mothers and calves (including a seal who thought it was a humpback) and dolphins.

Venturing inland again we visited the nation’s capital, Canberra. It is a very organised city in terms of the layout of the city and has some of the best museums in the country.

Heading north up the coastline we bushcamped along different rivers and enjoyed swimming and bathing in their warm waters. These bushcamps had entertainment galore - Louise wrote and performed a very clever poem that incorporated all EOEers (without offending anyone) and the next night we rolled out the red carpet and held the inaugural EOE Oscar Award Ceremony (thanks to Alex, Tom & Jock for all their hard work). Everyone was a winner and many laughs were had.

After a quick stop off at Mollymook Beach for a dip there no more putting it off – we headed for Sydney, our final destination. With the truck fully decked out in Aussie and English flags, streamers and balloons; driving into Sydney was surreal. Driving across the Sydney Harbour Bridge had everyone screaming with delight, so much so, we turned around and did it again. Then it was to the iconic Sydney Opera House, the ‘real’ finish to an amazing expedition.

32 people on a truck, from one hemisphere to the other, through some of the most visited and least visited countries, experiencing some of the most stunning landscapes and cultures in the world – we drove overland from London to Sydney. Congratulations and a big thank you to all involved…

Alrighty!!! We made it!!!

It was then onto the crowning jewel of the red centre – Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas).  Our first view of Uluru was at 5.30 in the morning (yes still dark) with the Southern Cross star constellation hanging beautifully just above it – absolutely magic.  Strategically positioned we enjoyed hot drinks whilst sitting on the roof of the truck watching as the sun slowly lit the worlds largest monolith and revealed it stunning red colour.  Some people chose to climb the rock whilst most enjoyed a leisurely walk around the base.  Onto Kata Tjuta, equally as awe inspiring, we hiked through the Valley of the Winds (where surprisingly enough it was very windy).  Back to Uluru for sunset we again enjoyed the view from the truck roof, this time with a few ‘coldies’ in hand.  Back to camp for kangaroo kebabs – what a day. 

Coober Pedy was our next stop, the opal mining capital of Australia where its population mostly live underground to escape the summer heat.  We stocked up and set off for Australia’s smallest town, William’s Creek (population of 10).  A night was spent in the infamous pub, enjoying a few ales and talking tall stories with the locals (yep, just about the whole population were there).  It was time to get serious in our 6WD and brave the Oodnadatta Track that follows the Ghan Railway Line.  Luckily or unluckily (depending how you look at it), the track was no problem, in fact we were travelling along it doing the same speed we were on the Stuart Highway.  We heard a couple of days later that it had rained and the track had been closed to all vehicles. 

Entering South Australia we had a couple of days to explore the Flinders Ranges National Park, highlight of which was Wilpena Pound, a natural sandstone rock formation shaped like a big bowl.  We were rewarded with wildlife sightings such as Emus (and Emu chicks – very cute), Common Wallaroo (aka Euro), various wallabies and kangaroos – not too mention Black Cockatoos, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and hundreds of ‘Flamin Galahs’. 

Driving through South Australia’s premier wine country we stopped off in the picturesque Clare Valley, where many world famous wineries are situated.  We started the morning off with tastings at the oldest winery in the region, Seven Hills Vineyard run by Jesuits.  A well needed pub lunch was taken at the beautiful Watervale Pub, then we hit numerous other wineries in the afternoon – Annie’s Lane, Paulett and Mintaro vineyards.  Camping within walking distance of the Magpie and Stump Pub in Mintaro capped off a perfect day.  

Heading onwards and upwards, or downwards as the case may be, we hit the south coast of Australia and stayed on the beach in Adelaide, South Australia’s capital.  It is a friendly city with a relaxed atmosphere and an alfresco café and restaurant culture.  

Having driven from the top end to the bottom end of Australia, we will now follow the coast around to the east and then north heading for our penultimate destination, Sydney…