During one of my first business trips to Sao Paulo,
Brazil, one of the largest cities in the world, I casually asked the taxi
driver what he thought of Rio de Janeiro.
The driver looked at me with a concerned look and vowed never to visit
Rio because it was a very dangerous city.
He then added anecdotal stories of murder, robberies and police
brutality.
A few weeks later, I was walking near Ipanema
Beach, Rio de Janeiro with a grin from ear-to-ear in awe of the sheer beauty of
the place they have nicknamed “The Marvelous City”. The famous beaches, the lush jungle nestled up to the city
sitting on the edge of a beautiful crystal blue Atlantic Ocean. I found myself inside another taxi and this
time decided to ask the driver what he thought of Sao Paulo City. The driver nearly jumped out of his
seat to warn me of the dangers lurking all around Sao Paulo, the infamous gang
violence of 2006, homicides and daily carjacking’s. He refused to visit Sao Paulo because he had been warned it
was such a dangerous place. Like
most, if not all large cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have their fair
share of crime, however these cities also offer a tremendous amount beauty,
prosperity and culture. The truth
is that the vast majority of citizens of these two cities are hard working, law
abiding, warm people who love living life to it’s fullest and not opportunistic
criminals waiting for the first gringo to walk by.
Before we embarked on our road trip we read
government produced country reports on the dangers lurking in every single
country between Brazil and Canada.
Most reports had recommendations such as “avoid all non-essential travel”,
while others suggested that we “avoid all travel” period. The sad reality is that a good majority
of countries throughout the Americas are having a difficult time in keeping the
crime rate at an acceptable rate and have poor records for good
governance. It also doesn’t take
long to find online news articles depicting senseless and at times random acts
of violence and a million and one “reasons” never to leave the comfort of one’s
own city. It didn’t take long
before we questioned if this trip was worth the “risk”.
Just like the taxi drivers who have never ventured
outside of their cities, we were slowly falling into the trap of fearing the
unknown.
With support and encouragement from family,
friends and other travelers who had embarked on similar trips throughout the
Americas, we decided to press on…and we weren’t disappointed!
We were blessed, privileged and humbled to have traveled
over 19,300 km through 12 countries without any major issues. The border crossings were a pain but
not difficult, we just needed some patience and respect for local laws and
procedures. The police and
military roadblocks are a necessary reality of many countries but we were
always treated in a professional manner, perhaps we were lucky. The roads were surprisingly in good
condition and the drivers as good and/or as bad as in North America...Lima,
Peru perhaps being the exception in which controlled chaos and extreme honking
is the norm.
It’s difficult to choose the “best country” or
pick a favorite place, but some things do stand out. Driving over the Andes at one point reaching an altitude of
almost 15,000 feet while seeing small children happily playing on the side of
the highway in near freezing temperature.
Descending into the highest capital in the world, Quito, Ecuador didn’t
disappoint and was well worth the visit. The gorgeous old walled city in Cartagena,
Colombia on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. Enjoying a break from the daily driving while diving in the
crystal waters off Taganga, Colombia.
The pristine and untouched San Blas Islands of the Kuna Yala tribe off
the coast of Panama. The colonial city
of Antigua, Guatemala, sitting in the shadow of Volcan de Agua and de Fuego. The peacefulness and freedom of driving
with those you love.
We are now back home. The bags have been unpacked,
the kids enrolled in school and the work schedule posted on the fridge. We now sit quietly reflecting on what
we’ve accomplished but also back to the wonderful places we visited, lifelong friendships and elated
we embarked on this journey of a lifetime.
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