woensdag 6 juni 2012

België - check

Vlotte vliegreis -check
Dutyfree shops leeggeroofd - check
Familiair ontvangstcomité - check
Reuzespandoek - check
Tiramisu - check
Mama-eten - check
Een camion Belgische biertjes - check
Verkeersregels - check
Insomnia - check
Grijze wolken - check
Dikke zoenen - check
23 jaar worden - check
Nice to be back - check
Maar wij willen terug - check
Nodig ons eens uit - please



zondag 3 juni 2012

Leaving on a jetplane

OK this is it, no more countdown calendars, today we meet the great battle of our age (as Gandalf would say). Do we ignore the British Airways ticket in our pocket or do we face that bright white tunnel that leads us to an airplane home. We regret that it's going to be the latter, but it is with joy that we'll describe our last days of the pura vida.

After entering into Brazil and checking into a very overpriced hostel (welcome to this new concept of travelling without wheels), we immediately made our way to 'one of the seven', Iguaçu. As you come closer you realize it's not an army of a thousand helicopters approaching but a thunderous, jaw-dropping, simply big ass waterfall. No wait, hundred big ass waterfalls that spray your face with feel-good droplets of world wonderism. Spectacular as it was on this grey raincloudy day, we thought it would even be móre spectaculair with blue skies and a hot sun. Guess what, the next day the sun was out giving it's best and we decided to go check out Iguazu falls on the Argentina side. No words for it, but we're uploading a thousand pictures as we speak. In all this beauty we got introduced to another new travel-experience, namely waiting in line together with thousands of white-socks-grannies or noisy nose-poking brats to see a peace of nature. I guess we shouldn't complain, being curious tourists ourselves after all, but please guys get those iPhone-cameras out of our face so we can see that crocodile!

We decided to break our 24-hour journey towards the Atlantic in Curitiba. Not much to say other than that we enjoyed strolling the green plaza's, shopping our heart out and drinking good beers on a sunny terras. We happily took the stained bedsheets in the smelly hotel that came with it...
Arriving in Rio right away brought back happy seven-year-old memories for Robin. Dragging Miet by her arm around the city to see his appartment, school, beaches and favourite juice-bars he succeeded to infect her with the Carioca bug. We planted a seed in our dreams that, who knows, might grow into everybody having to visit us on a next birthday party on Ipanema beach!

We're staying with Maite, with whom Robin, his mom and sister spent Christmas evening all these years before. She lives in this amazing blue vintage house with an astonishing view on the city. Of course a good view means that the house is on a hill, and no way we're walking up this Kilimanjaro, so every day we return to the nest Carioca-style, which means on the back of a motorcycle with a local kamikaze. On friday Maite and Till, her charming husband, took us further up the hill into the favela. We partied the night away on this once-in-a-month exclusive jazz gig in a place that's very close to a Gaudi labyrinth. The smile never faded from our faces as Priscilla kept planting big kisses right next to them, we were moved to tears by the reunion.

Never a dull day in Rio De Janeiro, we packed our days with exploring and spending our last coins on beautiful adventures. While Robin climbed the Sugarloaf mountain, the iconic 400-meter rock you see in every bikini-advertisement, Miet went to get her long desired tattoo. The next day Robin also went 'under the needle' and in the evening our hosts filled our tummies with a delicious barbecue and our ears with live guitar music from the neighbour downstairs. Later that night we ran into fellow travellers we met earlier in Ecuador, what's the chance, while we squeezed ourselves through the Lapa party crowd. Here's a caipirinha to that!

This is the way to end our dream-trip, on a wave of good karma, beautiful friendship and exciting party. There's no way we want to go home, bijlange ni, bijlange ni!

Devils Throat

Iguazu rainbow

Loaded

Cristo Redentor

Climbing Sugar Loaf

Miet Priscilla Maite Robin Till

Santa Teresa stairs

Tattoo Love



woensdag 30 mei 2012

People

As our trip is coming to an end, it is time to get melodramatic and share the thoughts of our heart. As we winded our way down through the America´s, we´ve been awestruck with amazing landscapes that made us feel tiny and forces of nature that made us feel so insignificant. The phrase 'het is hier wel mooi hé' passed our lips nearly every day. But what really kept dominating our conversations and occupying our thoughts during the long drives and silent nights was you. The locals we met along the way, friends we shared adventures with and the people back home whom we look forward to meet again.

Though driving from one country into another was often accompanied with entering a completely new environment, it was the change of people and their culture that truly marked the difference. We never thought USA culture would differ that much from ours, but we've been amazed and inspired by the alternative ways of living we experienced on our path through this beautiful country. And talking about the cool Americans we've met, this is a great opportunity to share the portraits Miet made of the WWOOF farmers along the way. We were anxious to enter Central-America but were welcomed with this tranquillo vibe and a people energy that truly marked the beginning of a holiday. We've been thrown many odd looks, but have been greeted more with smiles and happy curiousity. If we had to make one general asumption of people in South-America, it's that they're über friendly. We've seen our share of bad luck and crime, but there was always a magic mechanic or laid back Latino to ease the pain. Thanks!

It was great to visit many friends along the way, to enjoy their hospitality and to see their cities through their eyes. We hope we get the pleasure to return the favour really soon! Meeting new friends on our path really lifted our trip to the next level. It was great to share most adventures just with the two of us, but the ones we were able to do with other travellers really stood out. We've had Americans, English, Canadians, Columbians, Belgians, Mexicans and even a Chinese guy - who thought he was riding a collectivo - in the back of our car, and it was all really good fun!

Every 'like-click' on Facebook has been wildly discussed, and the people who clicked it even more, how thrilled we were when the blog reached 10.000 pageviews. Everytime we put an update we found it difficult to turn of the computer, and not to check who already commented on the story or pictures. We've missed our friends and family more than we'll acknowledge next time they ask :-), but we've talked a lot about you guys. We're really happy to see y'all back soon!
And of course, our trip was mainly just our trip, where we've had a wonderful opportunity to get to know ourselves and each other a lot better. How great it is to be in love under a huge waterfall or to yell at each other in the desert, when no one else in a 100km radius is around. We've been together nonstop, in a 2x5m container for nine months, ready to give birth to our next dreams and fresh ideas!


Max - Backbone Farm

Helmut - Classic Organic

Gunnar - Orello Ranch

Baxter - Llama farm

Brittney, Alchemy and Ansel


maandag 28 mei 2012

Brazilië - check

Andere kant van het wereldwonder - check
Opdringerige neusberen - check
Zeulen met bagage - check
Vriendinnen opzoeken - check
Portugues - check
Twee nachten op een zalige bus - check
Smelly hotelrooms - check
Aftellen - check
Lekkere pinten - check
Surf ´n beach - check
Açai - yummie
Voorrang aan voetgangers - check
Zon - check
Brasiiiil, lalalalalalaaaaaaa - check


Driving the Americas