Slow boat to Europe.

Slow boat to Europe

Grimaldi offer a RORO (roll on roll off) and passenger service to and from Europe and South America. Many Europeans take advantage of the service shipping south, but few ship back as they generally Overland north through South and Central America to North America.

As a consequence there were only two trucks and three humans as cargo ready to embark at Montivideo bound for Antwerp in Belgium.

The trip ended up taking less than the month scheduled. Thank you, thank you, merciful god!!!

I look bored already and not even on board yet.

They called our ship Grande Amburgo. This is a shot of a sister ship that we passed at sea. Thankfully I have never visited (or been an inmate, yet) at Hobart's Risdon Prison but I imagine the cells there are better presented than the cabins on these ships.

Having breakfast with Peter. The runny peach yoghurt ran out after a few days so we were left with bread rolls and/or imitation corn flakes. We managed to get ashore briefly at Rio to buy some granola and bran. This was an attempt at avoiding bowel obstruction surgery in Antwerp.

We were looking for further challenges after mastering ping pong. We were moved to attempt some of the jigsaw puzzles, but had a lie down instead. I did a lot of laying down.

Could only be Rio.

Accommodation quality varies for the locals.

                                     
 Unloading at Dakar, Senegal

The crew spent the whole voyage chipping off rust and repainting deck 13.                                                    And doesn't it look smart.

Iguazu, Brazil then Uruguay.

Iguazu Falls, Brazil then on to Uruguay 

After returning to Argentina to pick up the truck from storage, where it has stood covered in pine needles for the last three months, we headed north along the Uruguay border to the falls. 

It takes 275 separate falls over a distance of 2.7 klm to make up these truly impressive falls.

After the falls we head east to near the coast of Brazil where we 'hang a lefty' and head south to Montevideo, Uruguay. Here we and the vehicle are loaded aboard a Grimaldi freighter and set sail for Antwerp in Belgium.

The falls are epic in their shear size and were just reward for the long drive from Buenos Aires. 

Gael and I have now made our way overland to the three greatest falls in the world. Victoria Falls Africa, Niagara in Canada, and now Iguazu in South America.

Some locals caught on camera just after they attacked a kid for his biscuits.

And the best falls are? I think Victoria, Gael Iquazu. We both agree however that the best falls 'experience' goes to Victoria in Africa. It's just less 'touristy', it's raw!

A German town somewhere in Brazil!!!

Pine forests can be an Overlanders best friend when a quiet night can be hard to find (ANYWHERE) in South America.

Monkey Puzzle trees in all to rare native forest.

If no pine forest, head for the hills! It got pretty windy beside the tower so we found a quarry near by.
Quarries, did I mention they can be an Overlanders best friend?

A cross between a pig, a rat, and a wombat. 

They can spend more money accommodating the dead than the living.

Did I mention about Overlanders and sand dunes?

Yummy.

This little bloke had quite an appetite. We didn't hang around!