A fact-finding trip you’ll never forget

Reconnaissance trip in my Volvo 123 GT

Many of the participants wanted to drive from the Chilean town of San Pedro de Atacama – an oasis in the Atacama Desert – to the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia. Most of the route would be unpaved, and the question was, of course, whether these classic cars would be up to the task. I knew from experience that there was only one way to find out: to make the journey myself in my Volvo 123 GT. The shortest route from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni is approximately 530 kilometres, of which only the first 125 kilometres were on tarmac.

The first hiccups

Before we could set off on this trip, however, we first had to get to San Pedro de Atacama. We’d set off from Buenos Aires a week earlier, and everything had gone smoothly as far as the Chilean capital, Santiago. On the way to San Pedro, however, the car started to play up. It turned out to be a problem with the carburettor. In the village of Chañaral, two elderly gentlemen tried to fix it. We were able to carry on, but after night had fallen, we broke down in Calama. It was Friday evening and it wasn’t easy to find a garage. Eventually, we met a few young lads who were willing to help us. The next day, we took the car to a garage, where the mechanic on duty set to work on it with all his knowledge and expertise. In the afternoon, we were able to carry on to Awasi, our beautiful accommodation in San Pedro. I’ve already described the heart-warming welcome we received at this hotel in a blog post about Awasi.

We finally reached the border. We soon realised that a train only passed through here once a week. So we couldn’t count on petrol. The car broke down again and we had to be towed by our Bolivian contacts who had been waiting for us at the border. This journey was a real ordeal. We had 200 kilometres ahead of us and it would take hours. The road ahead of us was completely unpaved. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant gravel road, but more of a track littered with boulders of varying sizes. Every metre felt as though the car was being torn apart. Deep into the night, we arrived in Uyuni.

On the way to La Paz

In the afternoon, we returned to the garage to see if the car was ready. Unfortunately, it turned out that our classic car did have some rather serious problems after all. The best option was to have the car transported to La Paz. We soon found a driver who had a lorry and was willing to take the car to the Bolivian capital. We drew up a contract in a notepad at the local police station. We drove the car onto the lorry via a rubbish tip. It was marvellous to see just how innovative people can be when resources are scarce. The good chap set off with my car and we took the night bus to La Paz. In La Paz, we found a Volvo garage where they worked on the car all night long. The next day, we were able to carry on our journey to Peru.

One of the most beautiful routes I’ve ever driven

In Peru, the journey to Cuzco went smoothly. After our visit to Cuzco, the journey continued to Nazca. The route from Cuzco to Nazca is one of the most beautiful routes I have ever driven. The route takes you through tropical valleys and spectacular gorges; you drive across impressive high plateaus and pass through picturesque villages. Gradually, the landscape changes into a desert-like coastal strip.

End of exercise

The first part of the journey went smoothly. The route at the start involved quite a few changes in altitude and we did notice that the car was struggling a bit there, but it was going well. Before we reached Nazca, we still had to cross a serious plateau situated at over 4,000 metres. Just as the landscape was becoming a bit more undulating again, I heard a massive bang and then the car simply stopped. The drive shaft had snapped and driven into the engine block. That was really the end of the line. We were, of course, on an inspection trip, so we had no technical support here. Good advice was hard to come by now. We were in the middle of nowhere, and when night falls at this altitude, the temperature drops well below freezing. Not exactly the sort of place to get stuck.

When the need is greatest, help is at hand

I tried to flag down the few cars that passed by. Eventually, a small lorry travelling at a snail’s pace stopped. I asked if he would tow me to the nearest village, which, according to my calculations, was about 30 kilometres away. Towing through these mountains wouldn’t be possible, but we could see if we could get the car onto the lorry. I knew the trick from the rubbish tip in Bolivia, so in the twilight we set off in search of a hill. Fortunately, there was a small ridge and, using this pile of sand, we managed to get the car onto the lorry. We even persuaded the men to take us all the way to Nazca. We arrived there the following morning.

In the meantime, I’d got in touch with our partner in Lima. I’d told them about our situation and they made sure a car would be waiting for us, so we could carry on the next day. In Lima, I’d already been in touch with the classic Volvo club for some time. The chairman of this club was a young doctor who had a passion for classic Volvos and drove a 123 GT himself. It turned out he still had an engine lying around. When we arrived in Lima, he and his friends set to work on it. I travelled back to the Netherlands. After a month, the car was ready, so I went back and completed my inspection trip.

Not a gruelling journey, but one of the most wonderful travel experiences

Reading this, you might think it must have been a hellish journey, but that is absolutely not the case. For me, it was one of my most wonderful travel experiences. It has confirmed to me once again that when the going gets tough, help is always at hand. More importantly, I’ve seen once more that people are always willing to help one another. I managed to get my car to Lima within the planned timeframe because there were so many people who were willing to help me selflessly. People I didn’t even know and whose existence I might never have been aware of under different circumstances. When I watch the series by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, you see this reflected there too. I’m sure they’d agree that experiences like this enrich your life.

The epic Pan-American Road Trip was well worth the hassle