So, the other day, when looking at a map of the Western Hemisphere, I began daydreaming about winning the lottery.
I said to myself that if, infact, I won the lottery (tens of millions), the first thing I would do (as selfish as this is) is run to the nearest auto dealership, purchase Hummer (well, it wouldn’t have to be a hummer), collect all my music, and start driving south (from the midwest, USA). I was looking at South America, in particular, and how great it would be to take, say, a year long trek through the continent. I’d love to see Chile.
Would this even be possible? How far would/could I get? I mean, I know I’d need a passport just to get through Mexico, but assuming I could get that taken care of, very easily. But what else would this entail that I’m not currently thinking about, in terms of traveling through other countries like that? Obviously, currency exchanges would be one thing, but assuming I could afford it, don’t think that should get in the way of anything. What about roads/guerillas? The Panama Canal?
Or am I just that dumb not to have any idea about this.
(and yes, I’d put some of the money to good use upon my return).
There is no real problem driving from the US to Panama, aside from border-crossing and paperwork hassles that can normally be resolved by exchange of a little cash. Once in Panama, you can drive as far as Yaviza in the Darien, though the road is not too good once you are past Panama City (there is a bridge over the Panama Canal).
To my knowledge the Darien Gap beyond that has been crossed completely at least four times by automobile. The first was in 1959-60, by a Jeep and a Land Rover.[sup]1[/sup] The second was in 1972, by the British Trans-Americas expedition led by Col. John Blashford-Snell, which managed to get two Range Rovers through.[sup]2[/sup] In 1975 Loren Upton crossed with a CJ-7 Jeep, and between 1985 and 1987, Loren and Patricia Upton completed the first all-land crossing (the previous expeditions have floated their vehicles across the Atrato Swamp in Colombia) in a 1966 Jeep CJ-5.[sup]3[/sup] On the last trip, they had to halt during the rainy season, which is why it took them three years.
The trip requires widening existing trails so that a vehicle can pass, bridging small streams and rafting across larger ones, and winching one’s way up the steeper muddier slopes. Additional problems these days include Colombian guerillas, their paramilitary opponents, and maleantes (more routine bad guys). These were not such a major factor during the last crossing I know of in the late 1980s.
The Gap has also been crossed by motorcycle several times.
[sup]1[/sup] Kip Ross, 1961. We Drove Panama’s Darien Gap. National Geographic, v. 119 pp. 368-389.
[sup]2[/sup] Russell Braddon. 1974. The Hundred Days Of Darien.
John Blashford-Snell. 1974. Where the Trails Run Out.
[sup]3[/sup]Sand Ship Discovery in the Darien Gap
How safe would it be to drive through these countries? I assume you have to plan it out pretty well, so you don’t end up stopping for the night in Mexican version of Gary, IN.
I don’t think it’s particularly unsafe, as long as you stay on the Pan-American Highway and stay in a reasonable hotel in whatever town you spend the night in. Pick up the Lonely Planet guides to the countries in question and you should do fine. Here’s an account of a trip made in 1991.
While there are some dangerous places, the hazards of travel in most of Latin America are wildly exaggerated in the minds of many people in the US compared to reality.
