This is just a short update on how the plans for South America are evolving and how the time has been spent since returning from the Roof of the World Tour.

So the current Plan is for Nelson to leave the UK in September in a container for Cartegena while I follow around the 29th of September to extract him from the docks and customs to start the tour of Colombia. I will have most of the month in Colombia at first exploring the beaches of the north and then making my way to the jungle and the coffee growing regions of Bogota and Medellin. In October I will be exploring Ecuador from the mountain circuits to the Pacific shore before moving down to Peru in November through the contrasting landscapes of the high Andes the deserts and the historical Inca sites before moving across to Bolivia in December and picking up my friend Mark to brave the salt pans of the Sala Uyni and the north of Chile from wine regions to the capital city of Santiago.
Then it is time for a break with a run home to Edinburgh for two weeks at Christmas before returning with Lee for a six week tour of Patagonias wilderness and the deep southern glaciers !
Once Lee heads home in Feb then I hope to be joined by Tony for the run up to Argentina, Buenos Aries and the spectacle of Carnival – hopefully a fitting end to the grand tour of South America.
Since returning from Asia I have been lucky enough to spend some “leisure” time fixing up the mechanical issues on the Landy, including getting a new engine fitted and renewing critical elements like brake discs and steering joints to combat the wobble that plagued us since the Gobi desert.
I was able to do some consulting work for RBS, M&S and one of the London consulting companies before picking up a small two month project with Gore which has filled my time up nicely in the winter months – I am looking forward to a relaxed summer with some projects at home and in our cottage in Aberdeenshire while trying to find the discipline to learn Spanish in anticipation of the trip.