Real life Lego Bugatti

No glue!

Cars and highways of the future, according to 1958 Disney

I am done with the Darien Gap

I just finished a great book about a man's motorcycle journey in the mid-80s through the jungle and swamps.

I've come to the conclusion that unless they build a road between Panama and Colombia (which will never happen), I won't be crossing it by foot. It's simply too risky. Even though I figured out an easy way to do most of the Panama side by boat, the Colombian side is just too fraught with danger (criminals, paramilitaries, bugs, snakes, nature).

The Colombian side (Choco Province) was infested with FARC and the whole area was then obliterated by the government. This documentary gives you a flavor of the region, which is just starting to repopulate.

Definitive detailed Darien Gap map (Panama side)

I created this map from maps I purchased from the Tommy Guardia National Geographic Institute in Panama City. The highlighted route is the safest* and quickest route from Yaviza (the end of the Pan-American Highway) to the village of Paya by motorized dugout canoe (piragua) (67 miles) to the Colombian border (Palo de Letras) by foot (8 miles).

*Not safe.

RIO CHUCUNAQUE

Yaviza had a population of 4,441 in 2010. This is where I ended my 2013 bus trip. It's a pretty vibrant town, composed of descendants of escaped African slaves and indigenous tribes. Go to the dock and get on a boat! It should take a whole day to get to Paya.

RIO TIURA

Once you get to El Real, you take the Rio Tiura. The next settlement is Pinogana (405 people in 2010).

All of these photos of the villages were tweeted by Panama's border police SENAFRONT.

Brindando un apoyo a los más necesitados, entregamos bolsas de alimento a las familias damnificadas de la comunidad de Pinogana, provincia de Darién. #ProgresoSeguro pic.twitter.com/PdRtNbLLr5

— SENAFRONT PANAMÁ (@senafrontpanama) April 23, 2018

The next settlement is Vista Alegre, a Wounaan village.

Unidades del Puesto Avanzado de Vigilancia de Vista Alegre #Darién visitan los comercios de la comunidad dando seguimiento a los programas preventivos de #SeguridadCiudadana #ProgresoSeguro #Marca109 @minsegpanama @senafrontpanama pic.twitter.com/oW2HnS8NSn

— Batallón Central SENAFRONT (@BatallonCentral) November 7, 2018

Next up, Union Choco.

Unidades del Puesto Avanzado de Vigilancia de Unión Chocó #Darién brindan Matiné con películas educativas a los niños de la comunidad #10AñosSenafront #ServimosConPasión #CentinelasDeLaPatria @minsegpanama @senafrontpanama pic.twitter.com/PlndHIi89g

— Batallón Central SENAFRONT (@BatallonCentral) November 27, 2018

Yape had a population of 187 in 2010.

Junto a niños y jóvenes de la comunidad de Yape #Darién realizamos jornada de limpieza de desechos. Instruyéndolos a conservar el medio ambiente y vivir en un lugar limpio y seguro #ProgresoSeguro #Marca109 #SeguridadCiudadana @minsegpanama @senafrontpanama pic.twitter.com/qar4gi3ec3

— Batallón Central SENAFRONT (@BatallonCentral) August 26, 2018

Capeti had 957 residents in 2008.

Por la salud y bienestar de los moradores de Capetí, Darién; apoyamos en construir una zanja para denaje y así evitar criaderos de mosquitos. #ProgresoSeguro #Marca109 pic.twitter.com/vMMqKqNQQn

— SENAFRONT PANAMÁ (@senafrontpanama) March 2, 2018

Boca de Cupe had a population of 1,167 in 2010. Here is a great story about a recent visit to the town and a description of all the murders and kidnappings by Colombian rebels and paramilitaries in the area, which in turn resulted in the heavy SENAFRONT presence.

Inicia la 8va. Feria del Ñame en la comunidad de Boca de Cupe #Darién con la participación del Conjunto Típico de los Hermanos Valdés y las actividades que realizamos con los niños del sector. #ProgresoSeguro #Marca109 #SeguridadCiudadana @BatallonCentral @minsegpanama pic.twitter.com/SGi6thHEi1

— SENAFRONT PANAMÁ (@senafrontpanama) August 15, 2018

 

Al cruzar el Tapón del Darién nos topamos con las dificultades que enfrentan los agricultores de Boca de Cupe. Pero en uno de los territorios menos accesibles de América Latina también encontramos otras historias ➡️ https://t.co/TwZ9jBQoZU pic.twitter.com/1S93OXQ2V0

— BBC News Mundo (@bbcmundo) February 1, 2018

The final settlement before turning onto the Rio Paya is El Balsal.

Apoyamos en la gira interinstitucional organizada por #Seprodacan y llevamos ayuda social a moradores de las comunidades de Matuganti, Sobiaquiru, Balsal y Boca de Paya en #Darién en apoyo al @imapanama #ProgresoSeguro pic.twitter.com/NuEMRDfppv

— SENAFRONT PANAMÁ (@senafrontpanama) February 23, 2018

RIO PAYA

Finally, Paya (639 residents in 2010). This is the end of the navigable river. From here, you have to walk to the border with Colombia.

Unidades del Puesto Avanzado de Vigilancia de Paya #Darién realizan visitas #Preventivas a diferentes residencias de la comunidad #10AñosSenafront #ServimosConPasión #CentinelasDeLaPatria @minsegpanama @senafrontpanama pic.twitter.com/lM1lElKFwf

— Batallón Central SENAFRONT (@BatallonCentral) November 27, 2018

This video gives you a pretty good idea of the scenery along the rivers, from Yaviza to Paya:

And this obelisk (Palo de Letras) marks the border.

Photo source.

1/3 of Marshall Islanders have left their country

Eating the Globe: Palestine

I'm a simple man with simple needs. My wife asked what I wanted for Christmas and I responded: "A meal at a Palestinian joint!"

The bread was by far the highlight. It came straight out of the oven, with steam inside. It was both chewy and firm.

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, St Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Amy Sedaris's apartment

It's just as kooky as she is!

Darien Gap and Road of Bones in HD

It's obvious that the Darien Gap in Panama-Colombia and the Road of Bones in the Russian Far East are my two top dream destinations. With the world getting smaller and technology advancing every day, these places are not Terra Incognita anymore.

Last night, I watched a survival show where a guy with no supplies, water, or food trekked from the Pacific Ocean, through a portion of the Darien Gap, to a town south of Yaviza.

This morning, I watched a 60 Minutes piece on the coldest town in the world, right along the Road of Bones.

What a time to be alive for the armchair explorer!

Disgusting Food Museum in Sweden

Cadillac Allante airbridge promo

Saudi influence in Bosnia

Old lady lives on a cruise ship

Eating the Globe: St Kitts & Nevis

Yesterday, I made pelau, which is related to the Silk Road rice dish of plov/pilaf. For this Caribbean entree, the recipe called for melting brown cane sugar first and cooking the rice in half regular water and half coconut water.

I've been sick for over a week now and my taste buds are 70% ineffective, but this tasted really good! I'm going to try making it again. 

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, St Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Mecca buses or cassette tapes?

VW Dieselgate is NatGeo's photo of the year

View this post on Instagram

Announcing the grand prize winning image for the 2018 National Geographic Photo Contest. Expert judges reviewed thousands of photographs entered in the contest, ultimately selecting the most powerful images as the top winners in the competition. The grand prize winner by Jassen Todorov @jassensf pictures thousands of Volkswagen and Audi cars sitting idle in the Mojave Desert near Victorville, California. Diesel models manufactured from 2009 to 2015 intentionally cheated emissions tests mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Following the scandal, VW recalled millions of cars. Jassen Todorov says, "By capturing scenes like this one, I hope we will all become more conscious and more caring for our beautiful planet." To see more winners, visit natgeo.com/photocontest

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Dec 6, 2018 at 7:34am PST

140-car Youngtimer collection up for auction

For some unknown reason, a very wealthy British-American collector is giving up all his cars. If I had lottery money, I would get the:

• Aston Martin Lagonda, 
• Ferrari 412, 
• Mercedes 500SEC AMG 6.0 Wide-Body, 
• Mercedes W124 E60 AMG, 
• Ferrari 575M Maranello, 
• 1993 RX-7, 
• Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, 
• 1994 Toyota Supra, 
• Bentley Turbo RL, 
• Renault 5 Turbo 2, 
• 1989 BMW 750iL, 
• 1999 BMW M5, 
• 1979 Mercedes AMG 500TE, 
• 1995 Mercedes S600 L, 
• 1990 Rolls-Royce Corniche III 

Relocating Rohingya refugees onto a deserted island

The Bangladesh government wants to move hundreds of thousands of refugees to Char Vasan/Bhasan Char, a low lying uninhabited island.

Here is an article with more information.

I'm going to the Indy 500!

I just bought my plane ticket. Now I just have to scrounge up a decent seat at the race. I'm looking at Penthouse level at Sections A, B, and E next to Turn 1.

Hopefully, Alonso will win.

If anyone has tips on places to visit and eat for the weekend, please share!

Goldeneye extra AMA

This is a fun read from an extra who was a Russian soldier in Goldeneye.

Dana Carvey as George HW Bush

Tweet of the Year

pic.twitter.com/HWIxhWn55Z

— Orli Matlow (@HireMeImFunny) November 30, 2018

Iggy Pop and Anthony Bourdain

H/t to Alan.

Eating the Globe: Saudi Arabia

I got a box of 12 individually wrapped Saudi date-filled cookies. They kind of tasted like Fig Newtons, but flakier. It smelled a bit like alcohol too. The ingredients are all natural: wheat flour, dates, butter, sugar, yeast.

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

World Leaders Cars: Update

I'm making great progress. The research has been a lot easier than my first go at this a decade ago.

The remaining countries fall into two categories: tiny countries and rich countries with leaders who have large car collections (Brunei, Monaco, Saudi Arabia).

I am still trying to find the rides of the following countries:

• Andorra
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Grenada
• Kiribati
• Kosovo
• Kyrgyzstan
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Mozambique
• Palau
• Palestine
• San Marino
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu

World Leaders Car (17)

161. Antigua and Barbuda: Lincoln Town Car. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

162. Bahamas: Lexus LS. 2008 car: Cadillac DTS.

163. Bahrain: Mercedes S-Class. 2007 car: Maybach.

164. Cabo Verde: Toyota Prado. 2007 car: Mitsubishi Montero Sport.

165. Congo: Mercedes G-wagen. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

166. DR Congo: Toyota Land Cruiser. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

167. Ecuador: Hyundai Genesis. 2008 car: Nissan Patrol.

168. Greece: Audi A6. 2008 car: Mercedes S-Class.

169. Iraq: Chevy/GMC Suburban/Yukon. 2007 car: BMW 7-Series.

170. Solomon Islands: Toyota Prado. 2008 car: Toyota Land Cruiser.

Tally
Mercedes S-Class: 45
Toyota/Lexus Land Cruiser: 33
BMW 7-Series: 15
Audi A8: 10
Lexus LS: 10
Toyota/Lexus Land Cruiser Prado: 9
Chevy Suburban/GMC Yukon: 7
Mercedes Gelandewagen: 7
Jaguar: 2
Land Rover Discovery: 2
Range Rover: 2
Audi A6: 1
Aurus Senat: 1
BMW X5: 1
Cadillac: 1
Chevy: 1
Citroen DS7 Crossback: 1
Hongqi: 1
Honda Accord: 1
Hyundai Equus: 1
Hyundai Genesis: 1
Hyundai Santa Fe: 1
Isuzu MU-X: 1
Lancia Thema: 1
Lincoln Navigator: 1
Lincoln Town Car: 1
Mercedes E-Class (old): 1
Mercedes E-Class convertible: 1
Mercedes GL: 1
Mercedes-Maybach: 1
Mercedes ML/GLE: 1
Proton: 1
Rolls-Royce: 1
Skoda: 1
Toyota 4Runner: 1
Toyota RAV4: 1
Toyota Sequoia: 1
VW Touareg: 1
VW Transporter: 1

Chinese in Brunei

I'm continuing my search for world leaders cars and came across this video while looking for the Sultan of Brunei's official car. I had no idea that Chinese people make up the second largest ethnic group there.

The people of North Sentinel Island

On Thanksgiving, I read about an American Christian missionary/adventure blogger who surreptitiously visited the forbidden North Sentinel Island (administered by India) and got himself killed by locals armed with bows and arrows. Here is a good thread about the island's history. And here is video of a previous government-sanctioned contact.

Driving the Suzuki Kizashi from Japan to LA

Twitter pointed me to a 2010 Motor Trend story about a couple of relatively stock Kizashis that drove, with factory support, from Japan to Russia to Alaska to Los Angeles. Traveling the Kolyma Highway from Yakutsk to Magadan is on the top of my travel bucket list right now, and after reading the tale, I'm convinced that it's really not that hard to do. The challenges:

• Bad drivers
• Unsafe cars and trucks on the road
• Poor dirt roads
• Poor paved roads
• Isolation
• Lack of service
• Cold weather (Susuman is the coldest town on the planet in the winter)
• Fording rivers (probably just one or two rivers in the summer)

Other than the rivers part, it's not particularly worse than parts of the Pan-American Highway. If I ride in a Land Cruiser with an experienced crew equipped with a satellite phone, I should be fine.

Here is the Motor Trend story, with 275(!) photos.

And here is Motorweek's review of the rare car.

Eating the Globe: Vatican City

I went on Amazon and bought a box of communion wafers. Before you get upset, I checked with my godson's father, a lifelong Catholic. He told me that as long as it has not been blessed by a priest yet, it's just bread.

It tasted like paper.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

Eating the Globe: Andorra

Yesterday, I made escudella. It's a hearty stew/soup consisting of ham, sausage, ham bone, chicken, cabbage, garbanzo beans, and white beans (and pasta and rice). There are no herbs or spices other than just salt and pepper. The meal is meant for cold January evenings. It's a bit too heavy and rich for me. Crusty bread might have gone well with it, but because pasta and rice were already in the dish, I chose not to buy bread.

Vatican City is next!

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga

VW electric racer up Pike's Peak

I'm so behind on the news. Here's the record-breaking run. Kudos to the helicopter pilot and cameraperson!

White Porsche collection

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been super-busy at work and the smoke from the fire has me feeling down. I should be eating a Vatican City meal this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy this crazy collection.

Eating the Globe: Dominica

This is Calypso chicken. I overcooked the chicken and put too much ginger in. 

Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga