Funny thing happened on the way to Brazil....

No not really, we are not on the trip yet but we did get engaged, which changes the focus of things...DRASTICALLY!  Who would have believed?  Anyway, we are having a great time doing both...or rather I am...he works, I research and let him know what I've found and decided. He nods in agreement and every so often in disagreement.

Money becomes an issue when you are trying to plan the wedding you want and the 6 month vacation you want. What exactly do you do? Is it possible to do it all on the cheap? We shall see and if nothing else the trip will hold for a month or two.

Just wanted to give a quick update!!!

On our way...in a year.

Well very soon, anyway....so just a quick update. 

Juliano and I are embarking on the adventure of a lifetime at the end of summer next year. We are traveling across the country - not sure whether we are taking the northern or southern route. I would love to drive as much of old Rt 66 as we can.  We are hanging on the beach in Cali for a few weeks. Then we are traveling by car, truck, or van through all the countries of Central America to Panama. We are then shipping the car to Venezuela, while we take a relaxing break on some Caribbean island.  We are driving the East coast of South America all the way to southern Brazil, hopefully in time for Christmas. Once in Brazil, we will lounge on the beach, drinking Corona, dancing the Samba, enjoying Carnival and plotting ways to never come home again.

That is the plan....now here is what we have to do to get there....a whole lot.

1) Brazil visa issue - Juliano has been in contact with the Brazilian embassy in Panama.  Thank goodness I can get a visa for Brazil through them.  They have a ton of paperwork requirements, including three recent bank statements.  Not sure how that is going to work but we will figure it out.

2) Jul also got paperwork requirements for driving into Mexico...man there are a lot of

 requirements to do this.

3) I am writing an email to be sent to all the embassies so we can get free information! 

4) Last but not least and the most important, a friend is loaning me Rosetta Stone so I can learn Portuguese.  But what about our Spanish?  Oy.  That is two languages plus English.

I have had to tone down my excitement about this a little because I was getting to anxious to go and not getting any work done or taking care of my life.  But J and I are both paring down our lives, budgets and watching what we spend. We have to save and save and save. 

So that is where we stand. More tomorrow. 

I am in LOVE

We are in the process of starting to think about what type of vehicle we would like to drive on our trip. There are so many possibilities and prices and criteria to think about. We want something that will double as sleeping quarters.  I want something that I could partially live out of for 4 months. We both want something comfortable and bigger rather than smaller. Something that doesn't guzzle gas, maybe diesel which is cheaper. A vehicle that may be more widely used down south. Parts is not always parts! 

Anyway, in our search, I found this and fell in love.  It may not be the best choice but wouldn't it make for a great story!!!  A 1964 Deluxe 21 window Mint Green VW Van!  Ha, you cannot go wrong! I think Juliano will nix it but it is fun to think about.

I wonder what we would name her.

Taking the less expensive route

We are visiting 14 countries on this trip. That is a hell of a lot of guide books, which seem absolutely essential in navigating our way through Latin America. We'll need road maps, camp sites, hostels, historical attractions, what to do and not do, must see, must avoid, practical information so we don't go in totally blind. There is so much to know and plan for, unless you truly want to go vagabond style and do no prep work. Sounds a little dumb to me.

Anyway, giving the number of countries, we are going to have to buy a lot of travel books.... Lonely Planet, Let's GO, Frommer's, Fodor's, etc...it seems endless. But because I am cheap...and maybe smart, I've decided instead to research, research and research free guides and information on the internet. There are sites such as Drive the Americas, BootsnAll, forums in Portuguese, Thorn Tree forum, they are everywhere and they are free. We are writing every consulate and asking for information.

OK, so I am going to waste ink on the printing but I think if I can pick and choose what information we want as opposed the ton of additional information we don't need in the book, won't that also save money and trees? At the end of the day, we will have a totally tailored informational guide.

Today I am working on Belize cause it is the first in the alphabet and the smallest country. It is still a lot of work but you also run the risk of finding much more interesting information this way. Just look at this amazing photo I found online and NOT in a quidebook. I am DEFINITELY going here.

Aerial of Blue Hole in Belize

I am copying, pasting, and printing to my little wanderlust hearts content. It may be burdensome but the fun is in the journey. And it is cheap.

Anybody have suggestions of internet sites to visit or books they would like to loan, let us know.

Video to change the world!

I am getting overwhelmed with the planning....well not really overwhelmed just becoming more aware of the real focus and serious logistics this will take....not worries just aware. On top of that I am getting obsessed about this video and photo idea I had of wanted to connect with groups doing work and also document our travels in a way that could be meaningful if not useful. If nothing else, I would like to do some short videos as we go along to post for our family and friends. 

I'm currently looking into user generated content sites and hope we can use those as a launch pad....maybe even have a little series as we go.  Two Vagabonds Do Latin America.   Lonely Planet has Lonely Planet Tv which allows people on the road to upload their videos and email directly to family and friends.  I am going to contact them and see if there is a market for a group of short docs about our trip, what we see, what we do, how we do it. I have a new plan; travel guides online should have a section for visitor videos specifically about that country. That is the best sort of info to have, people who have already been there!!! Shhh....can't give away my ideas.

I did lots of searching today and found  - thank goodness for Wikipedia - a list of all social networking sites.  One such site is called OneWorld.  Here is their blurb, which I know you can find on your own but I really wanted to include. It spoke to me.

"OneWorld is a global information network developed to support communication media of the people, by the people and for the people — everywhere. Its goal is to help build a more just, global society, through its partnership community. OneWorld encourages people to discover their power — power to speak, connect, and make a difference — by providing access to information, and enabling connections between hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of people around the world." 

They also have an online video site, One World TV, "a unique public platform for filmmakers, video journalists, NGOs and just about anyone with an interest in video and a concern for a better world".  Dudes, my kind of place for those of you who know my love affair with media and telling stories of the world.  I hope we will have the time to really use this while we are out there.  

My new goal is to find one topic, one subject, no...one question that applies universally, to ask people we meet on the road. I want to write about it, videotape it, blog post, take its picture.  There has to be at least one thing connecting us all in this world....one thing we all care about the same.  It makes for a great thesis.....this is my new plan....on top of visiting 14 countries, spending LOTS of good quality time with Juj (Juliano's nickname) seeing the historical site and getting our butts to Brazil before my visa expires. 

Let's go!

Translation anyone?

One of the issues Juliano and I are running into is that we want both of our families to stay updated about what we are doing.  Problem is my family doesn't speak Portuguese and his does not speak English. No matter old you are, parents still have to know what is going on in your life. Fine by me.

We were chatting on Skype today - don't tell the boss, discussing blogging, technology, video, etc and we ran across a Google translation service. You simply input the web link and it translates the whole site. Granted it may not be perfect but it is understandable.  

Vagabond translated to Vagabundos, which in Portuguese means lazybones. That is what the dictionary said anyway.

Funny stuff but Diva will appreciate it.

On a whole other mother subject, my mom flew off to Costa Rica this morning at 2:27 am. with students from her college, Westfield State College. She helped design an international component to the education/teacher program they have there. She gets to go for free. I mean she does deserve it after all. I asked her to make some good connections for us.  She may even be there when were are there next year.  One never knows.

Just a quick update!

How many countries??? Oy.

The other night, Juliano and I were going through all the countries we plan to visit on our trip. Our heads were swimming as we tried to organize who needed what type of visa for which country and so on and so forth. What do we do with the car, what sort of paperwork, how do you get a visa if you are not flying and they want an itinerary, is my passport enough?  You want to see what??? My bank statement with -$0?  

I love Brazil's attitude about visas...quid pro quo....you demand one from me, I demand one from you.  I have to go through lots of hoops just to get into Brazil.  The whole visa thing definitely puts a crimp in our laissez faire attitude about time....we get there when we get there. It will be an amazing logistical feat to get this all organized....a challenge I am definitely up for. I am going to have to make an Excel spreadsheet!!

So here is the list we have thus far:

CENTRAL AMERICA/MEXICO

Mexico - we need Mexican car insurance and a promise not to sell the car, I am good, J needs to go to the consulate in Boston, yucko

Belize - these guys are tough

Guatemala - both good

Honduras - Good for 90 days

El Salvador - J needs a visa before hand, I can purchase one but since we are driving, I will do it ahead of time just to be safe.

Nicaragua - we can both only stay for 30 days

Costa Rica - we are both good, no visas required

Panama - 30 days but no visas needed

SOUTH AMERICA

Venezuela - Although I have been to Venezuela a number of times before for volunteer medical work in Barinas, it still surprises me that given the political climate, American citizens do not need visas. J is good to go as well.

Guyana - I can stay for 90 days but J has to get a visa which is a bit ironic since it is a South American county and very close to Brazil

Suriname - Just read an awesome article on the capital Paramaribo

French Guiana - we are good here for up to 90 days, I hear they have a pristine rainforest where we can get lost!

Brazil - Finally!  We made it but we have a long way to drive to get to Santa Catarina! 

There is so much information on the web, sometimes it is hard to wade through. Although I am using many lesser known but maybe more reliable for on the ground, budget traveling resources, I have to say that Lonely Planet online is an excellent place to stop.  The books are nice but the web is great for quick and accurate answers.

So there you have it....14 countries in say...5 months. Is it doable?  I sure hope so. Stay tuned as we break it all down and start the real work...the master plan.