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THE ROUTE
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Waiting and waiting in Buenos Aires
Statue in the Recoleta neighborhood, Buenos Aires
As you probably thought in the long time I did not update my blog, I made it to Buenos Aires. The two last weeks have been kind of busy, with days not always filled with the most exciting things to do, and I didn’t get much time to fill you in, so many apologies.
But let’s start from the beginning. It took Nadia and I two days from Mendoza to arrive to Buenos Aires. Straight lines as always, for a thousand kilometers.
Classic European architecture in Buenos Aires. Here, an embassy.
As soon as we arrived, we began to search an apartment, to avoid the costly option of having to take a hotel. In less than two hours, we got one. After sending few emails, we spoke to the owner of an internet café, and she knew someone who knew someone…
Spectacular trees in Recoleta
So we got ourselves a one bedroom apartment in the Collegiales neighborhood starting the following day. At US$250 a week, it was a little bit more money I wanted to spend, but Argentina had become more and more expensive.
The shot Diego (top left) took of us
However, for our first night in the city, we met with Diego, an Argentinean photograph who contacted us after finding the website. He invited us for supper, and offered us to sleep at his apartment. He took a shot with us, and I encourage you to check out his photo feed here.
The following day, we moved in our new home, and tried to adapt and live again like normal peoples. Difficult task for the gypsies we became. Staying indoor was depressing after spending so much time camping and cooking in the great outdoors. And I am still restless. I just can’t wait to continue this expedition.
Statue in the Recoleta cemetery
The Recoleta cemetery
I had the hope to get an earlier boat, but in these days of economic slowdown, there is much less traffic on the world oceans.
For those who are interested in practical detail about the shipping, please find info and some contact information at the end of this post. For the others, just know it will cost me US$2,000 for the shipment, not including the port fees in Durban, South Africa, which I don’t know about yet.In the meantime, my parents flew down to see me, and few days later, Nadia left to go to Brazil and my brother arrived in the city as well to join us.
I spent time with my parents when I was not busy with paperwork and fixing details on the truck.
Indoor market, San Telmo
We spent time in the center of the city, and went out for diner a lot. The meat, as always in Argentina, was great. But I was longing for more, and hoped to find big markets in the city to try a diversity of food.
Museum
Could be New York...
Maybe I spent too long thinking Buenos Aires, my last destination in South America, would be welcoming me with French-like food, as all travelers going north were enthusiastic about it. Regardless, my evenings are synonyms of sausages and steaks.
San Telmo
I also spent much time researching the next leg of my trip. I mentioned last time that I was going to follow the east coast rather than the west coast of Africa. Now, the problem I have to solve is the missing link between Africa and the Middle East. The one problematic country is Egypt. To cross it by car, you need to let a guaranty equivalent to 800% of the value of the vehicle.
Indoor antiques market, San Telmo
My truck, according to AAA is worth US$6,800 which means I would have to hand down $50k just to cross the country. So I have to find another solution, and there are not many.
– The first one is to go up to Sudan, and try to take a ferry in Port Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. From there, go up to Jordan. The problem with this route? Getting the Saudi Arabia visa. Valid for three days, the transit visa let you just enough time to go through. If you can get it which seams pretty difficult.
– The other solution would be to sail from Djibouti or Eritrea to Yemen, and drive to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, where I could sail directly to Iran. The problem here is crossing Yemen, which the U.S. State Department just issued a travel warning for, due to a high level of terrorist activities.
The important thing is to have some options, and I am confident there will be a way of getting out of Africa…
La Boca and its colored houses
Today, I finally went to the port, and loaded the truck in the container. I will miss driving and see new places every day, and still have three weeks before being back on the road. I got a flight ticket to Johannesburg for April 15 and will take the bus to Durban to get the truck.
Arriving at the port
The next few weeks may not see much activity on this website, but please stick with me as there will be new adventures here soon, and not the least exciting: Africa!
Getting ready to close the container
Notes for those of you who are interested in shipping a truck out of Buenos Aires:
This is pretty straight forward. For my destination, two companies were less expensive. Hamburg Sud, and MOL. Here are the contact info:
Federico J. Boettner
Hamburg – Süd / Aliança
Phone: ++54 11 5789-9900 – ext 366
E.mail: federico.boettner [AT] ar.hamburgsud.comand
Luisina V. Abruzzese
Agencia Maritima Sudocean c/o MOL
labruzzese [AT] ocean.com.arA big part of the cost is the port fees. My quote to go to Africa is app. US$2,000 and of that, $1,000 go to the port here in Agentina. Not sure yet about the fees in Africa. The container stuffing cost depends a lot of the terminal. On T4, I paid US$450, but on another terminal, I may have paid US$900. When you have you company nailed down, you need to make a copy of every page of your passport, and go to a notary to certify the copy. You also need a certified copy of your outbound flight ticket. Everything should cost you US$60. Then you go to the custom office located at the port, where the cruise ships leave. There, you should give them a copy of the vehicle title, the copies of passport and ticket, and sometimes they can ask you for a copy of the content of the vehicle. You also need to bring them the paper the Aduana gave you when you entered the country.
If you go there at 9:30, you should be done by noon.
Then, you can go the the port. You first need the gate permit to enter. Just bring the Aduana papers in the building at the entrance. They will take care of you there, and dispatch a custom officer to check your vehicle and seal the container. You can be done there in just three hours after several back and forth between the warehouse where you are stuffing and the aduana. Not bad at all.
42 Responses to “Waiting and waiting in Buenos Aires”
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Helene March 30th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Hi Nic,
Good to have post. I’m glad you had your familly visiting in Buenos Aires
I loved my trip to East Africa, but that was 14 yrs ago! Beautiful landscape. Great memory of exchanging with people. Why don’t you check shipping from Mombassa, Kenya or Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania? I don’t have a clue on the trip duration, coast… tough. And no clue about whether or nor there is passenger taken on board with the piracy activity in the Indien Ocean/Golf of Aden. The whole Africa Horn is badly rated by Coface/Department of State and related agencies.
But as you blog says: “transworld – the year of living dangerously”. You better take care of yourself and let us travel more and more through your posts
Nadia is well in Rio -
Great Blog Nick. I got into your blog through the news article and stayed up till 2 AM catching up all the posts since September. Very fascinating and adventerous. I am originally from India settled in US now. Looking forward to your experiences travelling through Africa all the way through to India.
Cheers!
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suzanne March 30th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
i’ve been following you since it was published that you wanted to drive around the world; I live vicariously through your adventures. Good for you. East coast of Africa, huh, and Egypt is your biggest headache? Good luck as you traverse a very misunderstood continent – I hope. Your ARE the newest, honest, puriest, no-agenda person to tell Africa’s story. Propaganda be damned. I look forward to your postings. Peace. Suzanne
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Bill Brown March 30th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Hey Nick, while you have time, could you post why the west Africa route does not appear to be a good option to you. I would be curious to read what information you found about this route.
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Nick! You are so amazing! I have followed you from the beginning, though I don’t know how I found out about your trip and your fabulous blog.
I lived for many years in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand ( I taught in a college there) so I can hardly wait for your perspective on those places.
My favorite picture so far is the SUV on the salt flat–fabulous, fabulous photography!
You seem so calm, cool, and collected, but I can imagine waiting to fly to Durban will put you on edge.
Tout le meilleur!
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Hi Nick,
We (a Dutch family from Holland who are driving from new York to Argentina in a Dutch car) are following your stories for a few months now (got the address from friends from Luxembourg who met you in Panama I think (driving the same car, a Landrover :). Lots of nice info, because we are always behind you! Anyway, you are going to Africa. I know a dutch family who travelled for two years in Africa and also crossed the border in Egypt, The site is in Dutch, but I/m sure they can tell you all the facts. http://www.annavanpraag.nl
Have a good trip! Maybe we will meet you in BA.
Nadja (yes, my name is almost the same!) -
Go to Yemen. Geographically, it’s one of the most amazing countries you’ll ever see. Plus, it’s chock full of Land Cruisers, in case you need some spare parts. The terrorism stuff is way overblown, but it’s the State Department’s job to play the CYA game. (Caveat: I have no insight into the piracy issue off of Somalia.) Email me if you need some contacts or suggestions.
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Nice to see you made the first major leg of your journey. I have some theories on your engine troubles while on Salar de Uyuni, but I won’t go into the details here since it’s a past issue. All I will say is, it didn’t appear to be electrical but was mechanical instead (caused by salt spray obviously). I hope you won’t experience the same issues again on the African leg. I recommend you stock up on common maintenance spare parts from the Toyota dealership while you are still in Argentina before flying out to Johannesburg. Aftermarket replacement parts (which you will be forced to use when you are miles away from civilization) are not worth the trouble for the money spent when you are subjecting your vehicle beyond what’s normally considered “severe duty”. I speak from experience and was a mechanic by trade.
I’m on my 2nd year “break” but unfortunately don’t have the funds to make an epic journey like yours. I traveled through China and Japan last year and it changed my life! I now see things differently and will attempt to go somewhere else later this year.
Good luck!
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Michal Kratky March 31st, 2010 at 1:17 am
Hey Nick & Nadia! Checking in. You guys doing great. Stay safe and have fun. -Mike (Prague, Czech Republic)
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Ray Manalo March 31st, 2010 at 2:31 am
Hi Nick,
Ray from Seattle , I really appreciate all of the blog and pics from your first leg of journey, wow I did not realize it is 13k miles just to get to Buenos Aires. I have been to the Horn of Africa but that was 20 years ago and times have change. Djibouti was another one of those place where you will need to find out if all of those challenges can be solve by looking into it with more info either in the internet or just plain doing your research before you get there.
Well I am sure you know the challenges that you will be encountering once in Africa, the swelltering heat of either 120 degrees and crossing some major desert in which there is no turning back and just make sure the vehicle is in good mechanical shape and thanks for the blogs and pics. I will keep in touch god bless you. -
Nick, just another thought (on the Egypt issue) in case you didn’t know yet…
Did you look into getting a Carnet de Passage? There are “backwards” countries that require this and Egypt seems to be one of them. Having a Carnet de Passage will probably be cheaper for you to pass through Egypt than paying whatever exorbitant *cough*extortion*cough* fees at the border. I heard that it will also be easier to go through countries that don’t require it also.
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Jerry Smartt March 31st, 2010 at 7:07 am
Super exciting news, Nick. Yours is an adventure for many lifetimes. As a retired English professor, it would be “It took Nadia and me…..” That pesky language of ours. Continued success. Difficulties are “no hill for a climber.”
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Luciano March 31st, 2010 at 8:17 am
Nick, it’s a pity you will not pass by Brazil – I was about to offer you a comfortable bed and a beer in São Paulo. I’m following your trip since you started the blog, and wish you all the best in your journey through Africa. I’ve been to Ethiopia a couple of months ago, if you need any tips when you get there (then you will probably be very used to the “wonderful country, hideous roads” mantra), drop me a line.
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jesty t March 31st, 2010 at 11:18 am
Good to hear your having fun in Argentina. Africa will be awesome. someday i like to visit. Looking forward to adventures in Africa.
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Podgorsek Family March 31st, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Hello Nick,
Great to hear your family made it to spend some time with you. Hope you can enjoy a bit of your down time and put the wonderlust on the back burner for a few weeks. Can imagine it’s hard to do when you’ve seen SO many beautiful places. We’ll keep checking and just put a quick blog to let us all know you’re still safe and moving. Safe Travels, Dan, Lisa & Bryce
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Ms. Marti-Nashville March 31st, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Thanks! Nick!! We all look so forward to your post and comments. You are having cabin fever, and oh my what will it be like when you have to go back to NY and stay in the office everyday. I know for sure that I can’t understand all the planning and prep you do for the trip. Then here you have everyone wanting to hear from you. What will we ever do when you have made it back to work? Wait on a book tour or movie? I love all the advice that people are offering toward the travels. Tell Nadia everyone misses her. Have you had anyone offer to travel with you through Africa? You will be soooo lonesome out on the road without Nadia.
Ms. Marti-Nashville
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I have been following you since the beginning and thoroughly enjoy every post. Please keep us posted on your adventures in Argentina, and I look forward to your continued adventures in Africa. Thanks for sharing this wonderful trip with all of us.
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joanne March 31st, 2010 at 2:02 pm
hey nick- i am in “awe” of your guts to undertake a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that you are doing, especially in an old toyota! good for you; i look forward to reading your blogs, and seeing those fabulous photos! since i’ll never be able to visit any of the countries you are embarking on, it is a thrill to see the way the people live, the architecture, hear of the people’s stories of their good nature to you – kudos to you! this is something that will, indeed, last with you for a lifetime; and anyway, things are going that well in the states, right now, lol – be safe and careful, looking forward to the africa landscape, animals, and blogs!
joanne from new york 🙂 -
I’m curious to know…why did you decide to drive & ship your car? Wouldn’t it have been easier & cheaper to stay in cheap hotels/hostels & rent cars? The expense of your car has got to be extreme now, yes? My hubby & I will be in Buenos Aires on Sunday…any recommendations of places to eat? (I’ve a vegetarian, but he is NOT) We will be staying in Palermo SoHo.
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Victoria Picard March 31st, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Nick,
How lucky you are to be in Buenos Aires!! I hope to visit there myself some day. I love your blogs! I wish you a safe and pleasant journey. If you have a chance to get to the UAE go for it! I have been there and loved it! Dubai is amazing! Herds of wild camels roam the desert. Best of luck.
Victoria
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Nick,
I am glad to see that you made it through the first leg of the trip with no major issues, I can’t believe it’s been this long already.
Enjoy the time you have with your family before you leave again, you need some time to decompress some and just rest.
Did the issues with the Cruiser work themselves out after the salt incident?
Good luck and I will keep reading.
Matt
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Rob Mittler April 1st, 2010 at 1:04 am
I am very happy your family had time to come to see you Nick. There is nothing like family.
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Harvey (Naples,FL) April 1st, 2010 at 1:06 am
Hey Gang (aka Nick’s bloggers and followers of TWE)
It’s time for us to come to Nick’s aid without spending a dime. All we have to do is reach into some deep pockets over at Toyota and ask for their help! With all the bad press they’ve been receiving of late… they need to express some goodwill for PR purposes at the minimum.
Simply drop a hard copy and e-mail note to Toyota asking for some assistance for Nick. After writing, you can post your letter on this blog. Come on gang… Nick needs our help and he ‘s in no position to ask us to do this for him. It’s got to be voluntary, sincere and in numbers too great to ignore. Here’s my letter to Toyota… waiting for you post… good luck:
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
19001 South Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501Email: toyota_cares@toyota.com
Dear Toyota,
I’d like to bring your attention to a brave and courageous young man, Nicolas Rapp of New York City, USA, who is driving one of your 1996 Toyota Land Cruisers around the world. He’s doing this of his own free volition and primarily with his own money and with the assistance of a hand full of contributors starting as little as $5! He specifically chose your vehicle because of its dependability and reliability. He’s just completed the first leg, 4+ months, of the trip and is headed to Africa to continue his adventure. Without further explanation please refer to his web site for the complete story. (http://transworldexpedition.com).
The purpose of this letter is that I know he needs YOU and I believe YOU NEED HIM. During the trip he has encountered numerous mechanical problems… most of which he has repaired. With all the difficulties that the Toyota brand name has endured lately… the success of one daring soul who chose your brand, over all others, to carry him around the globe is the best publicity you could ever have. He doesn’t want to fail and you don’t want him to either!
Please do anything you can to help in his quest. Thousands of us who are following him along his way on the Internet, newspapers and television… will be praying for his success and yours!
Warm regards,
Harvey -
Hello Nick, I have just browse your websites and I would like to ask you a few questions. My name is Miki and I am from Europe, the Czech Republic. In June I am going from Europe to South Africa, we are travelling along the west coast of Africa. Then we will continue travelling the same route like you but the opposite way. We will continue to Vancouver and then we will go to Vladivostok by boat. From Vladivostok through Russia back home to the Czech Republic.
Your information concerning Darien is very useful for my expedition. I have read about this in your travel guide. Since today I haven´t had the information about the car transport from Columbia to Panama.
If you have any questions about the journey in Iran, Pakistan. I am able to send you a lot of information about the car transport and other staff because I have travelled through these countries in the past in 2008 when I went from Europe to Vietnam and back.
Good luck to you and your journey. We may meet on the way.
Miki -
MichaelB April 1st, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Hello Team TransWorld: Your stories and photos fascinate me–and seemingly everyone else who posts here. I must write to put Fargo, North Dakota on the TWE blog map.
I also feel compelled to offer you a place on the urban prairies up here for you to camp and have a tasty beverage although Fargo doesn’t seem to be in the forecast (sad). If Moscow, London or Paris are intended destinations then Fargo certainly should be too (smile).
My request is that you post more info on buffets around the world. Does every country have all-you-can-eat specials? Imagine a Latin American Caribbean smorgasbord with a never ending desert tray at the end. Good stuff.
The tales of world travelers present and past are so interesting, and I am hooked like an addict on reading your stories like I was when I first read about Shackleton and the Endurance. If you make in into National Geographic you’ll be my hero. Can’t wait until Africa.
MikeB
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Harvey–sounds like a good idea. Would like to get ok from Nick before I send a letter myself.
Nick–thanks for the continued entertainment. I love the way you’re doing this trip.
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Robert April 1st, 2010 at 7:38 pm
How much of a surprise to Nick if Toyota could come through with a new Land Cruiser for him to continue on with his travels. If enough people get on the band wagon, they are bound to help someway. BMW gave the two guys new dual purpose bikes for their travels around the world in “Long Way Round”. Anyway, we can pray for the best to happen for Nick. Keep us posted, as I’m addicted also to this most fantastic trip.
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Harvey (Naples,FL) April 1st, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I don’t think Nick is looking for new wheels. He has a lot of challenging travel ahead of him and tens of thousands of miles to go. A thorough inspection of his vehicle at a large Toyota Dealership in South Africa with a “Carte blanche” attachment from the front office that says… FIX IT… No matter what it cost… We can’t have this kid break down in the middle of BFE from mechanical failure and lose his life or limb in our vehicle. Seems to me like a great gesture for the company for a song! Even if he screws up… Toyota can say… “We did our part”.
By the way… Toyota announced today that their sales were up a whopping 40% over last year. They’ve got money to burn and a good cause to get on board with… They simply have to get the message… and that’s where “WE” come in!!! ( http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-toyota-sales-march-txt,0,7665586.story )
Start writing… NOW!
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hi Nick,
hello from brooklyn… im enjoying the ride vicariously… love the stories and photos and i’m glad i dont have to drive for hours or worry about customs… i too, have no idea how i found this blog… how much time are you giving yourself for this trip?
i am a little nervous about you sleeping in a tent in south africa. my friend’s parents still live there and she told me “security” is a huge industry there because crime is rampant. carjackings, robberies etc… i wouldnt be able to fall asleep there if i wasn’t in a room with a door that locked! so be careful where you choose to pull over and sleep.
also regarding the middle east. As a Jew, I would not be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia. And despite the media bashing, Israel is a great country (but I’m obviously biased). It’s your trip, so I’ll follow you wherever you go but I wish you wouldnt skip Jerusalem and the rest of the country…
STAY SAFE!
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Well men, congratulations!
You have already driven through one continent, yay!
Your trip is very inspiring… so, good luck and bon voyage!!! -
Edgar Munoz April 2nd, 2010 at 1:10 am
Hey Nick been reading your post since the beginning, and I love all y our posts! I’m here Maryland and myself and my family read your posts all the time. We wish you the best. Stay safe and always watch yourself I’ll have you in my prayers! Next time you do this go to El Salvador thats where I’m from ,its a beautiful country Take care my friend!
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Nicolas April 2nd, 2010 at 8:36 am
If you guys can get Toyota to help me out, I love you forever. But they must receive tons of requests.
Thanks a lot for your support team! -
Harvey (Naples,FL) April 2nd, 2010 at 9:00 am
OK Gang… Rev up those Crackberries…. Charge up your “Me, Myself and I Phones”…. Smoke that keyboard… Get cranked up and send your letters to Toyota asking for their assistance for Nick. It’s your chance to get involved and be a REAL part of this adventure. I sent mine out 2 days ago!!! Will post any reply.
Ones again you can hard copy AND email them @:
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
19001 South Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501Email: toyota_cares@toyota.com
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Fatima April 2nd, 2010 at 9:45 am
I am from South Africa, however, I’m not in SA at the moment.
With regards with who to contact in the Durban Port check out:
http://www.transnetportterminals.net/
and http://www.transnetnationalportsauthority.net/NPA_ports_durban_port_directory.htmlKwaZulu-Natal tourism website:
http://www.zulu.org.za/Remember that when you dial from an international number, use the international dialling code of 27 then the local area code of 031 (the 0 will be left out as you’re calling from overseas).
so it will be 2731 and then the rest of the number.There are caravan parks in certain cities and towns where you could pitch your tent, but I would suggest staying at the many affordable B+B’s dotted across South Africa.
I don’t suggest sleeping on the side of a road in a tent! Safety + security is a concern, the roads will be insanely busy because of the soccer world cup – from what I hear there’s a lot of road travel going on now, even though the world cup is only in June!Enjoy my home country, I miss it immensely and can’t wait to go back in June!
Keep yourself and your belongings safe and you’ll have a fantastic time!
You’re traipsing through South Africa at the perfect time as the temperatures are not too hot and not too cold right now.The SA Tourism website: http://www.southafrica.net/sat/content/en/us/home
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OMG, is that you on an exercise bike? First and last time!
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I sent my letter to Toyota!
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Diego Frangi April 2nd, 2010 at 10:42 am
Great idea on the letter to Toyota. Mine is on its cyber-way.
I guess the most important thing is to create as much awareness as possible. Blog it, send it to the press or just increase traffic to this site by any means!
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Kathleen B. April 2nd, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Okay Harvey, I sent my letter to Toyota. Hope it helps.
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Robert April 2nd, 2010 at 11:33 pm
Letter is gone–hope it helps.
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Email sent and cc’ed Nick on it.
I hope Toyota comes through and helps out, I am sure after so far his truck could use come TLC.
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Ray Manalo April 3rd, 2010 at 12:55 am
email sent to toyota yesterday , hope that helps you out Nick , take care
