February 2017: South America begins

March 22, 2017

February was a very different month. I spend the first two weeks being more lazy than I’ve been so far on this trip, after that it was time to cross the infamous Darian Gap and I finished with the intense four day Ciudad Perdida hike.

The Good

The Darian Gap. Yes it was expensive, a paperwork pain and took about a week. But it was quicker, cheaper and easier than expected.
I got a lot of exercise: hiking, running

The Bad

Expensive month: shipping the van across the Darian gap, flying myself, staying in hotels, Ciudad Perdida hike. It all adds up quickly.
I’m way behind on my website (sorry!)

The Unforgettable

Four days of jungle hiking, getting up at 5am for great views and good stories. (Ciudad Perdida).

The Stats

No days: 28 (375 total*)
No. km: 950 (42610 total)
Countries: Panama, Colombia
No. Border crossings: 1
No. of places stayed at: 13 (10 campsites, 3 hostels)
Hikes: 86 km height difference 4704 m
Books: 3
Movies: 1
New Beers: 13
Photos: 706
Weather:
- Days: warmest 35 coldest 15, average 29
- Nights: warmest 24, coldest 11, average 21

*Yes that’s more than a year. But actually these stats have been counting since my first day of being jobless and being in full time trip preparation mode. The actual one year on the road is the second of April.

Daily costs for February

Camp sites: 9 Euro per night (plan was 10)
Food: 9 Euro per day (plan was 6)
Fun: 10 Euro per day (plan was 5)
Total: 28 Euro per day (plan was 21)

Because of the Darian Gap shipping I spend 4 nights at hotels and had to get all meals at restaurants. The Ciudad Perdida hike is the reason the fun expenses are so high. The hike was pretty expensive but the last few months I was way under budget for fun stuff so that’s OK.

Overall driving (11 months):

Distance: 42610 (plan was 42101)
Fuel costs: 62 cents/l (plan was 62 cents/l)
Efficiency: 11.1 km/l (plan was 11 km/l)

With all the relaxing time and shipping I didn’t drive much. So I only filled up the car once this month. A huge difference with Alaska/Canada when I would fill up every second day.

Other costs: