Back in December, I posted on BITOG about a road trip I was taking from Colorado through Central and South America. I was in Southern Patagonia, when the COVID-19 Pandemic really started heating up, so I decided I was better off in an area near an airport and hospitals. Higher population density wasn't a concern because at the time, there were barely any cases on the continent. That was only 2 weeks ago.
I made it to Punta del Este Uruguay one week ago, which is a very posh resort like W Palm Beach for the jet-setters of the Southern Hemisphere. I established contact with the US Embassy in Montevideo early in the week after hearing rumors that flights were going to be cancelled. They told me on Thursday to LEAVE NOW.
I got on the last flight out to Panama from Montevideo at 1AM Friday, then on to Denver. Panama's airport is now completely shut down. In looking at the Arrivals/Cancellations board at PTY, the only flights that weren't cancelled on Friday were to the US.
On the way to the Montevideo airport, I dropped my 2015 Toyota Tacoma at Wave Logistics, who will ship it to the US. We parked in a large covered garage near their office in downtown MVD, and signed a couple of papers. They told me that the Port of Houston had just closed, and that they had no idea where it would end up. Living in Colorado, I told them I was flexible. My best guess at this point is Port Everglades in May. They're a very professional outfit who were busy helping out a lot of people at the time. There were other overlander vehicles in their lot, and I met up with them at the MVD airport.
Several people had suggested that I just abandon the truck, and get my a$$ home. I'd just as soon abandon my dog as my truck. With the stock market way down, it's going to be a while before I want to buy a new one, anyway.
I ran across this interesting article about COVID cases in Uruguay just as I was leaving.
Once I get my vehicle out of the container, I'll get the oil changed, grab a sample for Blackstone, and drive it back to Colorado. I have about 12k on Mobile-1 EP, IIRC. I wasn't happy about leaving it filled with old oil, but I basically had to evacuate.
Here are some pics taken on my trip. Note the "Older Posts" link in the bottom right of the page. People have complained that it's hard to see.
I made it to Punta del Este Uruguay one week ago, which is a very posh resort like W Palm Beach for the jet-setters of the Southern Hemisphere. I established contact with the US Embassy in Montevideo early in the week after hearing rumors that flights were going to be cancelled. They told me on Thursday to LEAVE NOW.
I got on the last flight out to Panama from Montevideo at 1AM Friday, then on to Denver. Panama's airport is now completely shut down. In looking at the Arrivals/Cancellations board at PTY, the only flights that weren't cancelled on Friday were to the US.
On the way to the Montevideo airport, I dropped my 2015 Toyota Tacoma at Wave Logistics, who will ship it to the US. We parked in a large covered garage near their office in downtown MVD, and signed a couple of papers. They told me that the Port of Houston had just closed, and that they had no idea where it would end up. Living in Colorado, I told them I was flexible. My best guess at this point is Port Everglades in May. They're a very professional outfit who were busy helping out a lot of people at the time. There were other overlander vehicles in their lot, and I met up with them at the MVD airport.
Several people had suggested that I just abandon the truck, and get my a$$ home. I'd just as soon abandon my dog as my truck. With the stock market way down, it's going to be a while before I want to buy a new one, anyway.
I ran across this interesting article about COVID cases in Uruguay just as I was leaving.
Once I get my vehicle out of the container, I'll get the oil changed, grab a sample for Blackstone, and drive it back to Colorado. I have about 12k on Mobile-1 EP, IIRC. I wasn't happy about leaving it filled with old oil, but I basically had to evacuate.
Here are some pics taken on my trip. Note the "Older Posts" link in the bottom right of the page. People have complained that it's hard to see.