Island life
THE PHILIPPINES
Mylene and I approached the Philippines in much the same way that Lachie, Scott and myself approached South America. Completely unplanned, somewhat unprepared, and utterly ready to wing it. Turns out it works pretty well.
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PERUVIAN ANGELS
THE STORY OF AREQUIPA
After almost three months in Bolivia, it was only right that we felt both happy and sad to be leaving. We’d explored more of the beautiful country than we could have imagined, met incredible people and had more than a few highs (and lows).
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Almost as high as we were
LA PAZ
Having connected with the jungle, we pushed west towards the mountains once again. The riding was tough, it brought its fair share of difficulty but came with some of the greatest hospitality we’ve experienced.
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The dumbest thing
SALAR DE UYUNI TO SUCRE
We had good intentions for Sucre, we really did. We were going to lay low and rest after a few months on the road while Lachie healed and we got some much needed Spanish lessons. The reality was somewhat different. Scott and I DJ’ed at the local party hostel and subsequently snagged ourselves volunteering jobs running their parties. We also found ourselves in the role of translators for hikes run by the hostel and got a gig photographing a proposal.
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ROAD CLOSED
BECAUSE WE DIDN'T LEARN THE FIRST TIME
With our spirit of adventure still alive and strong, and our intelligence little improved, we headed off on a closed road through deserts and over mountains for the second time in two weeks. Only this time we sought some local advice first – “Don't do it. It's very difficult. It's very dangerous. There are lots of somethings.” Well, it was very difficult. And dangerous. We found out what the somethings were. It ended with Lachie in hospital.
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The Longest Shortcut
With 8 litres of water, half a kilo of rice and three carrots, we weren't exactly prepared for two days riding across a desert. But in our defence, we had no idea that's what we were getting ourselves into.
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Our secret cave
Argentina provides
After being stuck in a cold rinse cycle for three days at Pichilemu it was time to put ourselves out to dry in the Argentinian desert. The only catch was that we had no guarantee Scott and Pat would be able to leave the country with their motorbikes.
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TATTOOS AND TECHNO
SANTIAGO
To be honest, until now we don’t think we’ve really lived up to our name ‘dumbthings’. But don’t worry, this week in Santiago we had a red hot crack at rectifying this problem. We had to have our motorbikes fixed twice, were woken up by the police at 2am, Scott kindly donated his wallet to a stranger, and Pat finished up a nice family dinner by getting a homemade tattoo. But you know, all’s well that ends well.
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Sayonara HitchHiking
THE ROAD TO SANTIAGO
At a petrol station just out of Auckland, we asked a truck driver if we could hitch a ride with him. His response, “Just take a bus, it’s quicker, it’s safer and it’s not going to cost you much.”
Three months and a few thousand miles later, we've learnt a new language, made friends we'll remember when our hair has turned grey, and been reminded of the generosity that exists in the world if only you’re open to it.
SORRY MUM
We bought motorbikes
The last two times that Scott had briefly disappeared, he had returned with an immediate call to action, hiking. So when we awoke to find him missing the morning after our five glorious days on the Huemel Circuit we knew something was coming. With our Dutch friends working away on an incredible stack of post-hike pancakes, Scott returned to Mariano’s house with the news that not only had he found three motorbikes online, but they were as good as sold….. to us.
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