Happy New Year

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and drama-free 2011. Thanks for loyally following this blog and for the entertaining and insightful comments. Starting this weekend, my posting rate will return to normal (thanks for your patience) and I will provide a detailed recap of my fantastic journey.

The picture, by the way, is of a Ferrari 250GTE I spotted in Naples, Florida, with longrooffan.

Carspotting: Argentine Ford Falcon truck/Ranchero

Carspotting: Argentine Ford Falcon wagon

Carspotting: Argentine Ford Falcon sedan

These Falcons are everywhere. The 60s sedan was built and sold until 1991. The "modern" head- and taillights in the newer models look really out of place. Green Falcons are not popular as they were used by the government to disappear people.

Carspotting: Peugeot 504 pickup truck

I had a really hard time capturing the 504 truck in the wild with my phone. They were all on duty and busy working. But I was able to take pictures of this parked example in BA.

Carspotting: Citroen Mehari

My only complaint about my 3-day stay in Buenos Aires was that I was there during a miserable heat wave. Because I traveled extremely lightly, I did not bring shorts or light shoes. I walked around the large city in 35 degree heat in boots and jeans.

When I saw my first Mehari on the street, I was excited. When I saw the second, I thought I had gotten lost and come back to the first and/or started hallucinating.

Carspotting: Fiat 1500

Saw this in the posh Palermo shopping district of Buenos Aires. It appeared to be a well taken care of daily driver.

Colombia tourism slogan

Model bloat, Exhibit 35

Nissan Z, before and after.

Courtesy Bolly Blog.

Merry Xmas!

Good news, bad news

 Andes between Buenos Aires and Santiago.  That´s either a tall mountain or we are flying a bit low.

Bad news: Aerolinea Argentina loses my luggage (the one with all the clean clothes and commemorative 2009 Dakar Rally book).
Good news: Had extraordinary conger eel for lunch, washed down with top shelf pisco sour.
Better news: Luggage found and delivered to hotel lobby.

Japanese 1932 war tubas / ear trumpets

That's Hirohito!

Pre-radar: These were used to hear enemy planes.

Argentine supermarket finds

Some markets in Argentina offer carts and baskets.  The baskets have extra long handles so that the basket drags on the ground and you pull it like a sled.

McCain fries, go well with Obama cheese:

Rhodesia candy, goes well with Ceylon tea:

Rubber shortage in 1917 Germany

Turismo Carretera: Argentine stock car racing

Project Echo communication satellites

NASA sent mylar balloons into space?  More info here.

Carspotting, Ushuaia edition

It´s the end of the world, but it´s pretty civilized.  There´s a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Ushuaia and I saw a ZR-1 driving down the main drag.  Here is a Ford Taunus fastback.  Anyone care to share their knowledge about this model?  I never knew they made such a thing.

Strait of Magellan ferry crossing

I waited over eight hours for the ferry before it was canceled for the day due to high winds.  The wind was so strong, when I pulled up my hood, the wind pushed my closed hand and punched me hard in the face.  The assault on Ushuaia had to wait.

Carspotting, Tierra del Fuego edition

There are a bunch of Renault Fuegos on the island.  If this one were on fire, it would be a Fuego en Fuego en Fuego.

Cazuela in Argentina

The 28 hour bus between Osorno, Chile, and Punta Arenas, Chile, stopped for dinner at the Virgin Waterfall in the Argentinian Lake District.  I had the cazuela.  The meat was 1/3 fat, 2/3 lean, and 3/3 delicious.

Looking out the bus window

Thanks all for your patience.  I´m having some internet access issues.

Some trip highlights include:

• climbing on top of an Incan temple
• hanging out with Bolivian truckers
• visiting the largest open copper mining pit
• discoverying Chile´s Four Loko (sp?), Fan-Shop (half orange Fanta, half draft beer)

 Patagonian sunrise out the bus window.

Straits of Magellan out the same window, hours later.

The Peacemaker (1997) car chase demolition derby

I have been forced to watch days of crappy American movies.  This chase is definitely the highlight.

REM´s It´s the End of the World

The end of the world!

Top 5 Google search terms in Chile in 2010 (personalities)

5. Alexis Sanchez (Chilean soccer player)
4. Lady Gaga
3. Selena Gomez
2. Gustavo Cerati (Argentine rocker)
1. Justin Bieber

God help us.

Lima, Peru food scene, via Al Jazeera

Teresa Bo examines Lima's culture, history, politics, demographics, and socio-economics through the lens of food.

FIAT cannon truck, circa 1927

Honda CRX next to Honda CR-Z

Source.

B-52's Roam video

I'm roamin'!

Cerveza Austral beer review

The blue labeled ale is delicious.  It´s like a lighter version of Anchor Steam.  BevMo needs to carry this, now!

Carspotting, Lima edition

Something to whet your collective appetites.  These were taken with my iPhone.  There will be better pictures from my camera.  Lima is an amazing town.  Without NHTSA, USDOT, the EPA, and CARB, cars of all kinds from every corner of the world can be found here, if you look hard enough.

The ass-engined Renault 10 parked on the street blew me away.  The Lada 1500 is the first Soviet sedan I´ve ever seen in person.

Mean Gene interviews Andre the Giant

Andre was French?!

VW Beetle tram

Two questions.
1. Where's the engine?
2. Does it have enough torque to pull that load?

Via Flavio Gomes.

Last day to get McRibs

Today is the last day to buy the ephemeral, Halley's Comet-like McRib sandwich.  For nostalgia's sake, I bought one.  The verdict?  It tastes like thick, wet, bland cardboard.

The Die Is Cast

I'm going on hiatus for a few days.  In the meantime, I encourage you all to visit a new-ish blog called The Die Is Cast.  An Australian gent, within a short period of time, acquired an incredible collection of die cast classic cars and motorcycles.  In each post, he comes up with a theme and introduces a few of his vehicles.  Part of me just wants to ask him straight up how many die casts he has.  50?  100?  500?  But the part of me with self-control patiently waits as he displays them at a pace of his choosing.  Enjoy here.