XMen Xtreme Adventure 6
XXAV: Trans Amazon updates
by admin on Jun.11, 2010, under XMen Extreme Adventure, XMen Xtreme Adventure 6
11:32am, 19Aug2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Flying on TACA025 to Madrid for 3 days then to Dohar and back to Malaysia.
11:30am, 17Aug2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai The Convoy of TA2 arrived in Lima at 10pm(local time). This is our final destination after travelling more than 6000km. All the way from Venezuela to Peru. Muchu Gracias.
05:40am, 10Aug2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Arrived in Cusco, the city of Inca
05:20am, 9Aug2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Arrive in Peru mountain. Start our 1st camp in d cold windy hill.
07:50am, 7Aug2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Hello Malaysia. After a great adventure tru BR319 of more than 700km without rain, we are back to civilization. Now just arrive in Brasileia. Car 3 John’s Ewing Prado driven by Alyna and Co drv by Wing have to change rear wheel oil seal half way after Porto Velho. It was done in such a short time manually in just 2 hours. We also welcome back Yamin who joined us in Porto Velho. We’ll be heading to d mountain in Peru.
04:31am, 30July2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai 3rd day of TA2. Left Comona beach and a night in Ciudad Bolivar stay in an ancient 150yrs old hotel. Yesterday we camp at Gran Sabana in d wild. All of us was attacked by d mosquitoes. We just managed crossing back to Brazil.Chaos. Convoy left Boa Vista 4 Lake Camp. Jauaperi checkpoint. Last nite dinner at water front. Rio Branco – famous goreng Tambakqui.
06:57pm, 12July2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Convoy Reaches Caracs midnight safely. After driving 380 km from Caimana in the rain. The participants will be going for city tour b4 flying back with some wanting to continue with their holiday adventure.
10:23pm, 9July2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Hi we are now in d border of Brazil-Venezuela. Q for our passport stamp and here we r in Venezuela. D group b flying to c Angel falls before heading Caracas today.
07:17am, 6July2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai We now in d ferry barge to Manaus city after 2 days of boring offroad on d legendary BR319 track. I think it’ll be interesting if there’s some rain. B in Manaus 2 days b4 camp out again. Cheers xmen01
08:54pm, 3July2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Arrived in Jumaita 7:30pm local time. Dinner in a famous local cusine of fish and a hot shower b4 heading drinking hole. 2 day Harjinder Singh birthday so i think d boys going to have some wild party. Phts in a shot while.
08:54pm, 2July2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Brazil Brazil… d Malaysianflying d flag for Brazil in support. Brazil vs Holland
10:38am, 2July2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai We arrive in Brazil hopefully to reach Humaita by 2nite. 2day adv begins with 1 participants putting wrong fuel. Then Aman’s broke his shaft. D convoy proceed while repair is being done. They’ll catch us later. Brazil’s trucks country.
11:43pm, 30June2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai We arrive Porto Jefre port 8:30pm yesterday after 2 days on a barge. Cruising pass tru 3 rivers sailing d Patanal river upstream Moto Groso Wetlands. We unload d cars at 6am in d morn and nw offroad to Humaita.
04:43am, 27June2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai Hi… we arrived in Pantanal yesterday evening, 7pm with a sighting of beautiful sunset. D Caimen, Herons, egrates ,ibis diff colorful parrots etc. Capibara d biggest rodent. No in Carumba to shop then load into barge tonite. Dave and Rose from Nessie Scotland is already here waiting 4 d convoy.
12:18am, 20June2010, Local Time(Malaysia): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai We are now moving from Asuncion to campsite for 7 Nights before we enter to another twn in Humaita Laguna Baca – Paraquay Jardin-Brazil Bonito Carumba Porto Jorfe-Ferry Camp BR 070, Br 174 BR 364
11:05pm, 21June2010, Local Time(Paraguay): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai
We arrived in Paraquay with honking of celebration of the World Cup Goal. Border crossing fast, thanks to Roberto Recalde, Paraquay coordinator. We managed to see Iguazu falls before heading to Asuncion Hotel. Be there for 2 nights for washing, service and repairs. It’ll be busy for crew and opportunity for the rest of the adventures to see interesting places.
11:40pm, 20June2010, Local Time(Eldoro): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai
We are in De Gido Virasoro refuelling before proceed to camp. Will be morning before we reach.
11:30pm, 20June2010, Local Time(Eldoro): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai
Hi, we are just out of Eldoro. Offroading for 170km now. Continue to second campsite. Another 400km to go. Dinner was Maggi cup noodles on the go. Is cold and sky is gloomy. Convoy pushing on. Cheers.
6:30am, 11June2010, Local Time (Buenos Aires): Xmen4x4 crew ~Alyna Tai
Arrive in Buenos Aires airport. Weather 11 deg. Celcius. More photos added in the following link: http://www.xmen4x4.com/cpg149/index.php?cat=27
9.59pm, 10Jun2010, Malaysia Time: XMen4x4 crew ~ Alyna Tai
Finally arrive in Madrid. Boring flight but food is good. Eat and slept on route.
4:21pm, 10Jun2010, Malaysia Time: XMen4x4 crew…
Good morning,
…We are in transit in Dohar, cold la very long flights for us.
Everyone tired after all the past few weeks of rushing and clearing our work. Now all bungkus in the plane.
B.A going to be cold 5 C i think . Brr….
Thanks and will keep u feeded with info and phts whenever we can.
thanks and take care.
Alyna
My next driving adventure by John
by admin on Jun.10, 2010, under XMen Xtreme Adventure 5, XMen Xtreme Adventure 6
I have survived! :)
Driving adventure journey has successfully ended at Caracas, Venezuela last night. All’s well. Apologies for not being able to send out updates as I did before on previous trips. As earlier stated, this trip was totally unlike my previous ones where we were constantly close to civilization and stayed in civilized modern accommodation. This trip was back to basics and nature, camping and roughing it out in far from civilzation places. Hence we had no internet nor phone signals for days. 3 photos to accompany this message – the begining, the “suffering” and the ending. I will then fill out the details in my next post.
Cheers
John wrote:
Of the many places I have been to in Central and South America, I rate Panama City as among the best. I feel comfortable, safe and am enjoying myself with the clean, green, modern and friendly city. Am very surprised with my find as I’ve only heard of Panama when I was a school boy known for its canal and locks linking the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. More than 50 tears later, here am I happily looking at the Canal and the locks system. Also watched World Cup football at a restaurant with the locals. GGGOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
Am now at the Panama City Tocumen Airport waiting to catch my flight to Buenos Aires to join 34 other adventurers.
When I arrived from LA, I had 5 hours to kill as the hotel would not let me check in till 4pm. I must say I spent it efficiently by ringing a contact posted on the internet. He is a free lance tour guide and I had a lovley city and canal tour all to myself while waiting to check in. I saw all that I wanted and more. Attached are a few photos of my pre-adventure adventure.
Cheers.
John wrote:
Flying off tomorrow morning to start the next driving adventure.
I fly to LAX to Panama (will go and look at the Panama Canal) and then on to Buenos Aires on Fri 11 June. Back on 18 July.
Here is my driving itinerary in google map. (Argetina, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela)
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=109853480000927765601.0004840c494f194f78611
Will send the usual photos with GPS co-ordinates as I travel along. This will be the most adventurous and tough driving trip I’ve made thus far. Where in previous trips I camped out 2 or 3 nights and stayed in luxury hotels the rest of the nights, this time it will be 17 nights of camping in the jungles of the Amazon etc. Toilet? Bath? Aircon? Mosquitoes etc etc? Food? wifi? Also, to lower the cost so more people can join, the hotels will be budget Ibis Hotels. To be able to returnn home, I must first escape the piranhas, jaguars, pumas, anacondas, fire ants, Amazonian women, Malaria, Yellow Fever, etc etc. We shall see. Must not forget the tiny catfish, candiru.
Candiru??? hahaha
From wikipedia: ”… the candiru “jumped” into his urethra as he urinated while thigh-deep in a river.^[8] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candiru#cite_note-cecil-7> It was also once thought that the fish was attracted to urine (as the candiru’s primary prey emits ammonia from its gills, a chemical found in urine), … Bathers in the region are, however, warned not to urinate while swimming, out of concern that the expansion of the urethra during urination will allow the fish to enter the otherwise closed orifice.” <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candiru#cite_note-cecil-7>
Amazonian women kidnap me? Just discovered that they are not in the Amazon jungles but come from Greek mythology and in outer space. Phew!
————————————————————————
z
Trans-Amazon 2 / XMen Xtreme Adventure VI
by admin on May.16, 2010, under XMen Xtreme Adventure 6
Maps and Application Forms: (Click to View & Download)
TA 2 Venezuela & Brazil sector
Dear Adventurer
Thank you for your interest to join us on this TransAmazon 2, an Overland 4×4 Adventure Expedition this coming July.
As with our previous trips, over the last 18 years, this adventure of a lifetime is a no frills expedition, where everybody have to chip in to help the driving to transfer the 8 trucks from Caracas, Venezuela to Lima, Peru over about 6,000 kilometers of the Best of South America.
The trip will start from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, heading south-east to the Cainama National Park, passing through Santa Elena, the gateway to the highest Waterfall in the world, called Angel Falls. We cross into Brazil to drive south into the Province of Amazonas, where the Mighty Amazon Jungle is found to reach Manaus, the heart of the Amazon. Here we cross the biggest river in the world at the confluence of the Amazon, which spans over 15 kilometers by Ferry.
We will be travelling along the famous BR 319 for about 2000 kilometers on a gravel offroad track passing through Humaita, Porto Velho, Rio Branco, before we reach the border of Brazil and Peru.
We cross the Andes Mountains at about 5,000 meters at Maldonado to enter Peru, bringing us to the Inca City of Machu Picchu, where we will stay 3 days visiting the Sacrad Valley of the Incas and Cusco. This is the perfect opportunity to see the Andes in Winter with day temperature between 5 – 10 deg C. After Machu Picchu, we descend down to Nazca to see the mysterious Nazca Lines believed to be made by the Inca for the Gods, as to date, no scientist could explain what they were used for as they could only be visible from the air.
The final leg is along the Pan- Americana Highway along the Pacific Coast to the mega 15 million people, Lima, capital of Peru. Home to the Quechuas, Aymara and Saipans Tribes of more than 1000 years.
We will be camping most of the journey, and at campsites, everybody will have to chip in to set up camp, do cooking, cleaning and also Night Guard duties on rotation while the other members snore away. Only when we are in developed areas and cities where locating a suitable campsite is not possible will we find a safe budget hotel for the night.
The whole group will be as “1 group” and decisions will be on “one for all & all for one” . Camaradie will be the key to the overall extremely enjoyable experience. Eventhough, the members will be from different age groups, backgrounds and personality, all will have to be totally co-operative and have perfect common sense. The group size will be between 20 – 25 people.
