Ashley sent me a text message late one Friday, “It’s time for a life-chat.” Little did I know, this six-word text message would be the catalyst that would send us on a journey thousands of kilometres away from friends, family and our home. Luckily, we would meet plenty of new friends, people who treated us as family, and our home (a rooftop tent) is permanently attached to our truck. It was time for a road trip, destination: Ushuaia, Argentina.
We decided that after years of working in downtown Vancouver and trying to keep up with the Joneses that we were spending too much time working and not enough time travelling. Working 49 weeks of the year to travel for three just wasn’t cutting it anymore. We weren’t happy and it was time for a change. A plan was hatched in April 2013, and five months later we had saved some money, quit our jobs, rented out our condo, stored our furniture in our parents’ basement, and pointed our truck south with no intention of turning around until the road ended.
Our home is now a 1990 Toyota Pickup. Before leaving Canada the truck received some serious tender, loving care to cope with the long drive ahead. A new engine and suspension system were the first of many modifications completed. There is a Coleman stove to cook on and an electric fridge to keep our food and drinks cool. The rooftop tent, or master bedroom, is perched atop the custom roof rack far away from bugs, snakes and tarantulas.
We simplified our lives and are enjoying every minute of it. We wake when the sun rises and sleep when it sets. We buy our food at the local markets and eat with the seasons. People invite us into their homes, share meals and stories with us and help us learn the local language. When we want to stay in a town we do, and when we want to continue on our journey, we drive. Our schedule is rarely planned more than a couple of days in advance and our route is usually chosen once we hit the road.
We have driven along the Oregon Coast, the Pacific Coast Highway in California, along the Baja Peninsula in Mexico and taken the ferry to the country’s mainland. After three months and 12,000 kilometres on the road we are now in Guanajuato, Mexico. The Mexican people are some of the most friendly we have met on all our travels, the food is unbelievable, and much of the landscape untouched and waiting to be explored.
By June we’ll make it to Panama finishing the first leg of our journey. After shipping to Colombia the next goal is Ushuaia, Argentina.
The Peak will receive stories from Richard, who was born and raised in Powell River, and Ashley over the coming months. Readers can also catch up with the Giordanos on their blog or Facebook under “desk to glory.”
