Over on YouTube, we are wrapping up our adventures in Colombia. As we near the southern border to cross into Ecuador, we can’t resist exploring the Tatacoa Desert. This is a place our Pan-American overlanding heroes have talked about, so it felt momentous to see the iconic landscape for ourselves.
But it wasn’t a simple sight-seeing destination. Where would the fun be in that? Instead, we took the desolate northern entrance through the grey desert, where we confronted old, dark tunnels cut through the hillside. We exited one of the tunnels to find another obstacle in our path.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Watch our Tatacoa Desert tunnel, bridge, and mud adventures for yourself in our latest episode:
What’s the latest?
Our time in the Tatacoa Desert took place in late March 2023. Yes, we are behind on YouTube. In real time, we are in Ecuador, high in the Andes Mountains south of Quito. The nights are cold, but the views are unforgettable.
We were able to renew our Ecuador temporary import permit, which is essentially our Jeep’s visa. Our Jeep has 90 more days, but we only have about 60 days on our personal visas. It’s a relief to have the renewal behind us. We may be in Ecuador until mid-August when our visas expire, or we may continue to Peru earlier than that. At this point, planning revolves around needing to be back in the U.S. for Christmas with family. It’s a complicated dance to find a place to legally store the Jeep, returning before the TIP or our visas expire.
Caspian lost another tooth and found out the Tooth Fairy is active in Ecuador. This has been a constant question all the way south, considering Caspian has lost teeth in Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica. It’s amazing how many different currencies the Tooth Fairy has on her.
My worldschooling article was published on Expedition Portal. This piece was originally featured in the Spring 2023 issue of Overland Journal magazine, but now it is accessible to everyone online. In this article, you’ll learn what worldschooling is and how some families are using overland travel to accomplish their educational goals.
Do you have any questions for us? If so, please feel free to comment and we will get back to you. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
-B
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