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Cyril Mischler follows a couple’s three-year expedition
across the Americas – and they’re still going
Words: Cyril Mischler Photos: Patricia Fehr
The Great escape
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 Exceptional vehicles driven by exceptional people” ran a
Land Rover ad years ago. Every now and then I run into
individuals who more than live up to the slogan. Just a
few months ago, in Guatemala, Central America, I had the
privilege of meeting two such individuals – Patricia
Fehr and German de Cordoba, an Argentinian couple who,
together with their Labrador, are currently driving
across the Americas in their 1999 Defender 110 Tdi on an
extraordinary adventure.
 Just over 10 years ago, Patricia and German, who both
hail from San Nicolàs, Argentina, decided that their
lives were in desperate need of change. At the time they
were living a typical urban life in one of the largest,
most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America: Buenos Aires.
Tired of the rat race, they began planning their “great
escape” to drive through the Americas from south to
north, one village at a time, to discover for themselves
the landscapes, people and traditions that make up the
Latin American identity.
 The odyssey would be called “Amunches”, which means
“travellers” in the old Mapuche tongue of Patagonia. The
journey they would embark on would take a year and a
half.
So, what he intends to show, above all else, is that the world is not such a dangerous place after all.
Daniel also hopes to raise funds for two charities he's passionate about; MSF and AwaRE. MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) is the leading non governmental organisation for emergency medical aid.
Meanwhile, AwaRE (Aquatic World Responsibility and Education) is committed to the conservation and preservation of the aquatic environment and its resources, a prime concern being the world's fast-disappearing coral reefs.
 To keep up to date with the progress of the Lone Wolf Transglobal Expedition, check out www.lonewolftransglobal.com
If you'd like to make a donation to either of the two charities that the expedition is supporting, please log on to www.justgiving.com/wolftransglobal/ or www.justgiving.com/wolfaware/
Achieving a dream
 The
couple started painstakingly organising the trip, but
years went by until they finally worked their way
towards achieving their dream. The biggest problem hit
in 2001, when Argentina was rocked by the worst
financial crisis the country has known in a modern times,
and Patricia and German had no choice but to cancel the
project.
Picking themselves up with determination, they tried an
alternative plan. Now that their budget disappeared into
thin air, new ways of financing Amunches had to be
achieved. Sponsor had to join in for the project to be
saved, so the pair managed to attract companies such as
Land Rover, Royal Dutch Shell, Bridgestone and
Telefònica who responded to their calls – the trip was
back on.
ARGENTINA
 In
March 2003, Patricia and German finally leave San
Nicolas to travel northwest through Argentina towards
Bolivia and the Andes. The white Defender 110 Tdi is
equipped with all the necessary expedition items: a
Maggiolina Autohome; roof top tent; snorkel; ARB front
bar with a WARN 10,000lb winch; satellite telephone;
bicycle; canoe; surfboards; and heavy-duty set of Old
Man Emu springs and shock absorbers to deal with all the
added weight. Liveried in banners and flags from the
sponsors and countries they will drive through, the 110
certainly looks the part.
BOLIVIA
 The
couple gradually leave the fertile Argentinian pampas
and reach the arid foothills of the mighty Andes. From
here they find their way up the desolate cordillera,
driving on endless dirt roads, slowly gaining elevation
until finally crossing a pass at an altitude of 4600m
near Potosì, Bolivia. After reaching La Paz, at 3700m,
the highest capital city in the world, the intrepid
explorers make their way to Lake Titicaca where they
meet the amazing Uro people who live on floating islands
made out of straw.
Legend has it that he ancestors of the mighty Incas, who
later conquered most of South America, emerged from deep
within these waters.
So far the Defender 110 has been the perfect vehicle for
the trip. Its sheer strength is more than enough for the
rugged, high altitude, long-range travelling the
Argentinians have embarked on.
PERU
 Patricia
and German’s next destination, Peru, is as breathtaking
as they had expected.
Adventuring to ever more isolated places around the
inhospitable, high altitude altiplano of the Andes, they
explore mystical places such as Machu Picchu, the city
of Cusco and the Nazca lines. Finally on reaching the
Pacific for the first time in the trek, the pair take a
few weeks’ holiday in Lima, the capital of Peru and the
surf Mecca of South America – a welcome break after
their high altitude wanderings of the past four months.
 EQUADOR
After six months’ travel, Patricia and German find
themselves bang on the equator in Quito, Equador. As
they sit astride both halves of the globe, one thing is
clear: their trip is going to take longer than the 18
months they had previously planned on. The road has
become their true home. Patricia is ever more absorbed
by her photographic essay. They now want, more than
anything, to really get to know the exotic places and
people that cross their path.
COLOMBIA
 The
next stage is Colombia, a country full of clichés – some
real and some exaggerated – about the dangers of rebel
guerrillas, warring drug lords and rampant violence. On
the other hand, the two also know that Colombia is a
beautiful country, well known for the friendliness and
hospitality of its people. From deserts to snow-capped
mountain ranges, tropical jungles to Caribbean beaches,
they have to explore it all. They are not to be
disappointed. They live among the Wayuu people of the
arid north where “chivos”, or goats, are used as
currency to buy and sell everything, including women. It
is also in Columbia that Patricia and German meet their
beloved Labrador. The little puppy, appropriately named
“Colombia” by the couple, is to be the new crew member
thanks to another sponsor: ProPlan, the pet food maker.
 Further
on, the expedition goes deep into the Sierra Nevada de
Santa Marta, home to the highest coastal mountain range
on the planet. The mountains climb from sea level to
5776m at Colon Peak in the space of barely a few
kilometres. Once driving inland from the beach, the
Defender quickly climbs into the rainforest where the
winch really comes in handy to help get up the muddy
mountain paths. Here they spend some time among the Kogi
people, an ethnic group hidden from the modern world and
that continues to live by the traditional ways of
ancestors.
 The
Sierra is also located in one of the most troubled areas
in the world where armed rebels, the army and
paramilitary groups are all mixed up in an intricate and
bloody conflict where the local crop, the coca leaf (and
its lucrative by-product-cocaine) is the prize everyone
hankers for. Colombia has been fantastic but the trek as
to continue. They have spent a total of eight
adventure-packed months in the country and new horizons
await further north.
PANAMA
 In
order to get to Panama from South America there are two
options: fly or sail.
The Darien Gap, as the swamps and jungles between
Colombia and Panama are called, is impassable by vehicle.
Here the Pan-American Highway is interrupted for about
200 kilometres. Only a few expeditions have attempted
the crossing over the years, even less have succeeded.
Amunches and their Defender have to settle for a less
extreme means of conquering the gap: sea travel in a
commercial container from Colombia to Panama City, via
the famous Panama Canal.
 Once
in Panama outback, and with the rainy season in full
swing, the 110’s snorkel proves an invaluable asset.
Amid torrential downpours, most paths are submerged in
water and often the Land Rover is the only vehicle
around able to proceed.
GUATEMALA
  The
expedition continue through the small countries of
Central America: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El
Salvador and finally Guatemala, where I meet Patricia,
German and Colombia as they travel through the colonial
town of Antigua. Central America has been rewarding for
the expedition, as momentum around Project Amunches is
building. The white Defender 110 and its team are in
local newspapers and magazines, and they split their
time between presenting their project in events
organised by their sponsor and discovering Guatemala.
They go climbing active volcanoes, visit old colonial
cities and learn about the colourful Mayan communities
that make up the bulk of Guatemala’s population.
A NEW WORLD
 The
Defender is currently getting a comprehensive service by
Land Rover Latin America and will soon be ready to go
further north to Mexico before entering a complete new
world for Patricia and German:: North America and the
Anglo-Saxon culture, its first world infrastructures and
the English language, a new challenge the couple are
really looking forward to. After more than three years
on the Latin American road, the Argentinians are now
impatient to step into that new, exciting phase of their
trek to Alaska. They will be greatly missed by the new
friends they’ve made. Exceptional people in an
exceptional vehicle.
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