Friends and special people we met on the road |
| You can click the images to enlarge. | |
 | These two guys from Land Rover Ottawa provided a quick check and greasing of our car for free! They are both members of the Ottawa Valley Land Rovers Club and own nice old Landy´s themselves. |
 | Robin walked up to us when we were parking on the street - and invited us to stay on one of the thousand islands - on a private beach. He showed us around and we had a very pleasant time talking Land Rovers, culture, land and people! |
 | And when we needed parts, we asked Robin, where to go - and through him we found the "Rover Park Boys", Mark and his brother in Edmonton (Alberta). Not only that they have all the parts (even for an Exotic Defender 110 in Canada) but also reasonable prices! Contact them first, whenever you need something . And best of all: As our left front bearing had a little game, Mark went right into repacking and tightening it - as a gift to travelling Land Rovers... |
 | As we asked Mark where to go to for a service, he sent us to the Rover Shop in Calgary. These two guys just opened up their business a couple of weeks ago. Vern checked our Landy and serviced it pretty fast, so we were on the road again soon. |
 |
On the Dempster Highway in Yukon, Canada there is a little lake - the "Two Moose Lake". There we met Susanna & Peter the first time. They are from Switzerland and were travelling from the tip of Southamerica to the furthest point North. It was sympathy from the first moment - therefore we met several times again, and travelled for more than a week together. This time will never be forgotten. |
 | On the website www.landytracks.de we found www.greatbasinrovers.com, owned by Bill in Salt Lake City, Utah. He helped us twice with parts and advice - when it comes to drivetrain and suspension - he is the one! |
 | Because Bill has no garage and is more into the parts business, he sent us to Mike and his garage. We really felt well and can recommend him and his team! www.roverland.net |
 | When our rear door lock decided to give up
it´s work, we found Doug. And he showed us quick flexibility:
He took out the passenger door lock from his private car and gave it to
us. Thank´s for this immediate solution! Ship's Mechanical
Service, in Portland: www.shipsmechanical.com |
 | It looks like we are attracted by swiss people, but the charming open minded couple Elfi & Hans Peter really made it into our hearts. First time we met them on the Baja California, then a second time in Creel, a third time in Guadalajara and many times thereafter. They are planning to build a house in Chile now. www.abgefahrene-oldies.com |
 | When you decide to travel with a Defender (what surely is one of the best choices), you have to visit Graham and Joyce. He is THE Defender-man. There is a rumor, that he has green blood in his venes, guaranteed he has all the parts you need. Pass by at his garage in Belize and have your Landy checked through! Help yourself: www.adventuretrex.com |
 |
First time we met the Welf´s in Costa Rica, then again in Panama. We had good times together and really enjoyed their "We are not camping people". A different point of view always lightens your life. Youcan find their itinery here: www.welfreise.com |
 | We had a wonderful time staying with Graham (not the one from above!) in Ecuador. Coming from Australia, he owns a nursery near Ibarra for several years, in a wonderful spot outside of town. He is always happy to have travellers visiting, contact him at gkersy [at] hotmail.com. Here is a map how to get there. A very execptional and helpful person we will never forget. |
 |
Mathias is the owner of the Estancia Bahia Bustamente (www.bahiabustamante.com). He drove up to us, when we were working on our Land Rover. He is a Land Rover fan also and operates several to transport tourists on his land. We went on a incredible nice tour with his boat and saw a lot of animals on the surrounding islands. You can find the pictures here. |
 | We met Sandra and Eduardo several times in La Plata, near Buenos Aires. They do have a workshop "La Mercedes" where they repair not only trucks with the star, but also any kind of cars. Friendly, reliable - and if you need a dentist, they can help you also! Since 2010 they also offer a long-term parking possibility, if you want to leave your car in Argentina. |
 | When we came to the Island of Chiloé in Chile, we fell into the arms of Jessica. She is working for a tourism project there and gave us a very warm welcome. All tourist agencies could learn something about enthusiasm and engagement from her. Their new website: www.infochiloe.cl |
 |
When we had to repair our roof window, we ran accross Gabriel and his team. They build mobil-homes, especially for the rough roads of Patagonia. You can rent or buy, new or used. They also offer a buy-back possibility. Have a look at www.motorhometime.com |
 |
Walking on the beach in southern Uruguay we met Nelson and his friend Gustavo. We started talking and ended up with an asado in Nelson´s stove-building factory. |
 | When we came into the city of Treinta y Tres in Uruguay, we were looking for a place to see the WM final, where Uruguay played Ghana. In the tourist office we met Roberto. He really took care of us and we had a wonderful evening together at his home. |
 | In Brazil we had a very nice encounter in a small village. First Lauro (right) walked up and invited us for a beer - then Fernando joined us for a chat. In the end it was more than a week where we had a lot of fun, interesting talks and never ending barbecues! |
 | There is a Landrover-Fanatic guy named Lucho in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He owns his own shop - LRO Workshop Bolivia - and helped us with a lot of repairs. On the weekend he took us on a trip into the nearby dessert to see, how his modified Range acts. A very nice machine. He became a real friend... |
 | It was a honour to meet Hanne and Toni in the streets of Camargo in Bolivia. They are both very socialy orientated and spending part of their time in retirement to assist people in Bolivia. From caring for the ill in the hospital up to building drinking-water solutions or renovating churches. |
 | A wonderful and warmhearted German couple living in Villa General Belgrano in Argentina for decades really helped us a lot! They are very open-minded and learned to win every battle. Their positive attidude is an example for everybody. Thanks again! |
 | While waiting at the fish market in San Agustin in Argentina, we got to know Mabel and Javier. They invited us to an traditional Asado the next day, which started a new friendship... |
 | In Mendoza, Argentina we had a stop at Ruiti´s workshop. He and his team were really friendly and worked well. Not exclusively on Land Rovers, but on all different 4x4 vehicles. If you have a problem in this area - try his competence. |
 |
At the Lider-Supermarket in Santiago de Chile a Land Rover drove in and a nice guy jumped out. Austrian. Oskar is living in Chile since 2004 and working for Nextel. By the moment he had the idea to invite us to the barbecue he had planned for the afternoon. We really had an interesting and amusing time at his home. Thanks again! |
 | First we had to stay in Vallenar, Chile because of a gearbox-problem. When we were waiting for spare parts we liked our time in the village, because we became good friends with Raoul, Ivan, Maricsa and Lucho. Finally we even came back a second time because we had such a good time together. They are really special people. Most of the pictures you can find here |
 |
Diego is incredible. His passions are dedicated to the Andean Mountains, Nature and one manufacturer: Land Rover. Owning some awesome machines he is an address to go, whenever you need a major repair. A real character, not only a "mechanic", you can discover a friend with tremendous Land Rover knowledge in Zapala, Argentina. |
 | Caro and Arno are a crazy couple from France. They worked in Canada, saved money and started travelling. They are a tremendous example what you can do if you really want to. |
 |
On one of the rodeos in Argentina, so called "Jineteada" we got to know Carlos Mora and his family. They invited us on their little farm - without electricity - to have an asado together. The sheep came directly off the field... |
 | In the middle of the pampa in Argentina we met Attila, Tamisietta and their kids the first time. They were on their way to start a new life in El Hoyo. During the last years they started to build up a business with horse-trekking tours. Now they are established and we had a great time in their new home. Whenever you are looking for a ten day trip on the back of a horse into the wilderness, their professional guidance waits for you. |
 | Whenever we have a chance, we come back to the peninsula of Valdez, Argentina where the whales pass by. In 2012 we saw a guy swimming with the mammals and the first contact with Graciela and Jorge then lasted for several days and a wonderful time together. A friendship that continued the next year... |
 |
At the time our family was visiting in Argentina, we needed a mobilhome, that could accommodate four of us when travelling. After searching the net, we finally found Antonio and Patricia, living and renting campers in Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego. We decided to go with them and made a very good choice. Reliable and in good condition the car made fun and new friends... |
 | At Lago Blanco, a beautiful lake in the chilenean part of Tierra del fuego, we met three fishing enthusiasts that invited us for dinner, and breakfast and dinner and... We had a wonderful time at the fireplace, talking and laughing a lot. Thanks for the time together! |
 | When we met Anibal for the first time he immediately made it clear: "When you pass by in Punto Arenas, Chile, you have to stay at my place!" What we did. Together with the whole family he runs a small restaurant in the city - if you would like to have the address, just contact us. |
 | In
Patagonia we encountered the first traditional fiestas of Argentina.
The first contacts were shy and slowly. Until we met Horacio. Selling
"papas fritas" he immediately started with a little conversation. From that point on we became real friends, since years we constantly keep in contact and enjoy the time together, having an asado at the fiestas and... |
 | In Mar del Plata we met these three guys, working in a garage. In the center is Alexandro, Graciela´s brother, to the right Fabiano, his brother in law, to the left Lucho, who painted our camper shell and rims. Very, very friendly and helpful! |
 |
Our website was hosted by sicht-bar, a small company with a very good technical background, ask Peter to help you - and you will get a great service! |
 | Travelgear and 4x4 equipment can be obtained next to training courses at Hof & Turecek - ask their friendly staff! |
| | We want to say thank you to Webasto Austria for providing us with detailed technical information on our heating system. |