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Elao 2011

Elao 2011

East Londoners Odyssey through Africa in 2011

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Going East P2

Day 55 & 56 – 11/12th March – Itajaí

Day 55 & 56 – 11/12th March – Itajaí

Sunday was spent preparing Lipstick for its return journey to South Africa meaning that the spare Diesel canisters had to be removed from the roof carrier to reduce the car’s overhaul height so that it would fit in a container.

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Pictures From Andre – Day 40 – Day 54

Pictures From Andre – Day 40 – Day 54
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Day 54 – 10th March – Registro to Itajaí

Day 54 – 10th March – Registro to Itajaí

The last 500 km drive for Team Lipstick in south America towards the harbour towns of Navagantes and Itajai was started after a nice breakfast and seemingly the sunshine returned to Brazil and the clouds started to disappear.    

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Day 53 – 9th March – Rio De janeiro to Registro

Day 53 – 9th March – Rio De janeiro to Registro

Although cloudy there was no rain this morning so the boys decided to visit some landmarks in Rio de janeiro with the most famous being the statute of Chris the Redeemer     A symbol of Christianity across the world,

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Day 51 & 52 – 7th/8th March – Sao Paolo to Rio de Janeiro.

Day 51 & 52 – 7th/8th March – Sao Paolo to Rio de Janeiro.

First action of the Day was a phone call to the shipping agent in Cape Town who still could not tell Team Lipstick who their agents in Brazil are and where they are based.   However, they promised to give

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Day 50 – 6th March – Torres to Sao Paolo

Day 50 – 6th March – Torres to Sao Paolo

Today the boys decidedto give it a big push right through to Sao Paolo rather than to Curitiba like originally planned. They wanted to gain some extra time in case of problems with the shipping agent and the potential need

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Day 49 – 5th March – Punta del Este to Torres (Brazil)

Day 49 – 5th March – Punta del Este to Torres (Brazil)

Today Team Lipstick is crossing from the second smallest country in South America (Uruguay) to the biggest on – Brazil. This also means that they leave the Spanish speaking area of South America and entering the Portuguese speaking country.  

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Day 47 & 48 – 3rd/4th March – Buenos Aires to Punta del Este (Uruguay)

Day 47 & 48 – 3rd/4th March – Buenos Aires to Punta del Este (Uruguay)

Originally he boys wanted to use the Ferry from Buenos Aires to Montevideo in Uruguay but after yesterday’s heavy traffic they decided to rather use the Land Border which time wise would not make much of a difference. This however

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Pictures From Andre – Day 30 – Day 40

Pictures From Andre – Day 30 – Day 40
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Day 46 – 2nd March – San Bernardo to Buenos Aires.

Day 46 – 2nd March – San Bernardo to Buenos Aires.

  A short drive of some 360 km mostly on the highways is on the cards today for Team Lipstick. More and more beautiful cattle Ranches were visible along the road as the boys reached the outskirts of Buenos Aires

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Day 45 – 1st March – Mar del Plate to San Bernardo  

Day 45 – 1st March – Mar del Plate to San Bernardo   

  Only a short drive today for Team Lipstick as the next stop is only some 180km away in the coastal Town of San Bernardo.   The roads were very good and often straight for over 20km reminding the boys

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Day 44 – 28th February – Puerto Madryn to Mar del Plata

Day 44 – 28th February – Puerto Madryn to Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata is an Argentine city in the southeast part of Buenos Aires Province located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name “Mar del Plata” has the meaning of “sea of the Silver

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Day 43 – 27nd February – Esquel to Puerto Madryn

Day 43 – 27nd February – Esquel to Puerto Madryn

  Leaving Esquel the boys needed to decide whether to go further South or making up some lost time ( due to Lipstick’s delay in getting shipped from Honduras to Columbia ) and having a look at themaps they decided

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Day 42 – 26nd February – Frutillar to Esquel (Argentina)

Day 42 – 26nd February – Frutillar to Esquel (Argentina)

  Leaving the old german settlers town of Frutillar behind Team Lipstickis leaving Chile behind today and cross over to Argentina trying to reach Esquel but not before having a breakfast where a Kuchen (Cake) is a must have.  

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Day 41 – 25nd February – Concepcion to Frutillar

Day 41 – 25nd February – Concepcion to Frutillar

  The trip continued along the edge of the Andean Mountains through beautiful farmlands and the goal of the Day was to reach Frutillar a well-known holiday destination with old german history.   Frutillar is a city in southern Chile’s

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Day 40 – 24nd February – La Serena to Conception

Day 40 – 24nd February – La Serena to Conception

  Today the boys made an early start and took a decision to not enter into Santiago de Chile but rather spend some time in the wine resorts on the southern side of Santiago. So off they went along the

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Day 39 – 23nd February – Antofagasta to La Serena

Day 39 – 23nd February – Antofagasta to La Serena

A great drive was waiting for the guys today as they started their drive down along Chile’s pacific coast line.   Although the landscape showed mountains on the left and the Pacific on the right there were quite a few

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Day 38 – 22nd February – Uyuni(Bolivia) to Antofagasta (Chile)

Day 38 – 22nd February – Uyuni(Bolivia) to Antofagasta (Chile)

  Early morning wakes up for the boys again under freezing conditions which made Andre decide to wear long pants for the first time on the trip a   and off they went to the Salares how the Bolivians call

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Day 37 – 21st February – Copacabana to  Uyuni

Day 37 – 21st February – Copacabana to  Uyuni

  The boys woke up to a rather cold Day with temperature around 13 degrees C and set off on a beautiful drive along the shores of Lake Titicaca and around 40 km later they had to use a ferry

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Day 36 -20th February – MachuPicchu to Copacabana (Bolivia)

Day 36 -20th February – MachuPicchu to Copacabana (Bolivia)

  Great breakfast was had at Sol Natura guesthouse owned by a German couple in Ollyantambo before Team Lipstick hit the road on their way to Bolivia.   Fortunately, there was no need of crossing any mature Andean mountains as

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Day 35 – 19th February – MachuPicchu

Day 35 – 19th February – MachuPicchu

MachuPicchu can be visited either in the morning or in the afternoon, so after a long drive the day before the boys decided that the afternoon tour would be best and they proceeded to the local railway station round 10.30am

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Day 34 – 18th February – Nasca to Cusco

Day 34 – 18th February – Nasca to Cusco

A challenging trip lies ahead for the boys today as they will have to cross a variety of mountains in the Andean ountain range.     The Andes Mountains is the mountainous spine which dramatically dissects South America in two

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Day 31 & 32 & 33 – 15th/16th/17th February – Lima

Day  31 & 32 & 33 – 15th/16th/17th February – Lima

  Due to the ignition switch problem the boys had to bypass the electrical system just to start the car and hence were unable to use Radio or switch the air conditioner on and due to this fact, they did

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Video’s From Team Lipstick – Day 1 – 30

Video’s From Team Lipstick – Day 1 – 30
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Pictures From Andre – Day 1 – Day 30

Pictures From Andre – Day 1 – Day 30
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Day 30 – 14th February – Trujillo to Lima

Day 30 – 14th February – Trujillo to Lima

  Straight after breakfast the boys searched and found the Toyota garage in Trujillo only to be told that they would not have the brake shoes as a Toyota Landcruiser 100 series is not commonly used in Peru but that

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Day 29 – 13th February – Machala (Equator) to Trujillo (Peru)

Day 29 – 13th February – Machala (Equator) to Trujillo (Peru)

Another border crossing is on the cards again today leaving Equator and crossing the border into Peru. Again the boys had to go through the lower mountain range on the seaside of the Andean mountain range with endless winding roads

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Day 28 – 12th February – Quito to Machala

Day 28 – 12th February – Quito to Machala

Lipstick left Quito in early morning traffic  and soon found itself on nice double lane part of the Pan-American highway going South towards Machala.       Machala is a commercial centre for the surrounding agriculture industries. There is a large trade

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Day 27 – 11th February -Popayan to Quito

Day 27 – 11th February -Popayan to Quito

Today the boys will be crossing the Border between Columbia and Equator and aim to reach Quito . The first stretch was again through quiet a mountain range until Lipstick reached PiedraSentadaaafter about 75 km from the road levelled out

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Day 26 – 10th February – Medellin to Popayan

Day 26 – 10th February – Medellin to Popayan

Not an easy task to get out of Medellin and soon the boys were back again fighting the enormous trucks for first place in the queue.     Soon the high raise buildings disappeared in the rear view mirror and

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Day 25 – 9th February – Cartagena to Medellin

Day 25 – 9th February – Cartagena to Medellin

First stop of the day was back at the offices of the clearing agent where Willy paid the harbour dues and the agent’s fee whilst Andre was assembling the jerry cans onto the roof rack of Lipstick.   Finally, the

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Day 24 – 8th February – Cartagena (getting Lipstick through customs)

Day 24 – 8th February – Cartagena (getting Lipstick through customs)

Today the boys hope to be reunited with Lipstick and they were told to be at the agent’s office at 1.20pm (yes not 1 or 1.30 it has to be 1.20pm J).   The morning was therefor spend doing some

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Day 21-23 – 5th/ 7th February – Cartagena

Day 21-23 – 5th/ 7th February – Cartagena

Straight after breakfast the boys went to the customs clearance agency in Cartagena with whom they had made previous contacts and Team Lipstick can only recommend this company to anyone wanting to ship into or out of Cartagena    

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Day 20 – 4th February – Panama to Cartagena (Columbia)

Day 20 – 4th February – Panama to Cartagena (Columbia)

It’s a 4am wake up call for team Lipstick to make use of the hotel’s airport shuttle in order to catch the 7.35am flight from Panama to Cartagena – on arrival at the check in counter of Copas airline however

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Day 18 & 19 – 2nd/3rd February – Tamarindo back to San Jose and on to Panama

Day 18 & 19 – 2nd/3rd February – Tamarindo back to San Jose and on to Panama

Having travelled some 900 km through very interesting parts of Honduras Team Lipstick had to head back to San Jose and connect a flight to Panama the following day.   There are no direct flights from Costa Rica to Cartagena

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Day 17 – 1st February – Nuevo Areal to Tamarindo

Day 17 – 1st February – Nuevo Areal to Tamarindo

The boys woke up and the electricity was still down but a nice breakfast was provided before the boys hit the road again towards Arenal Volcano whilst it was still rainy and cloudy. It was really a great pleasure to

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Day 16 – 31st January – San Jose to Nuevo Areal

Day  16 – 31st January – San Jose to Nuevo Areal

  Like in any capitol of the world it took the boys quite some time to get out of San Jose in early morning traffic and on to the route going north west in Costa Rica.   The goal of

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Day 15 – 30th January – Panama to Costa Rica (by air)

Day 15 – 30th January – Panama to Costa Rica (by air)

With Lipstick being at high sea from Honduras to Columbia and after having explored Panama the boys decided to fly to San Jose in Costa Rica. San Jose is close by with only about 800km distance between Panama City and

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DAY 13 & 14 – 28/29th January – Panama

DAY 13 & 14 – 28/29th January – Panama

After breakfast, the guys proceeded to see the probably most famous piece of Panama- The Panama Canal     The Panama Canal ) is an artificial 77 km  waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is

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Day 12 – 27th January – Puerto Cortes (Honduras) to Panama (by air)

Day 12 – 27th January – Puerto Cortes (Honduras) to Panama (by air)

The boys were asked for the reason to ship Lipstick from Honduras to Columbia rather than driving through all the way down to Panama   Costa Rica is one of only a handful of countries in the world which do

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Day 10 & 11 – 25/26th January – Puerto Cortes (Honduras)

Day 10 & 11 – 25/26th January – Puerto Cortes (Honduras)

Thursday was spent sorting out all the export documentations and relaxing around the pool if the hotel Azul with frequent phone calls between the boys and their agent – Gloria Aleman.   In the afternoon, the team drove into the

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Day 9 – 23rd January – Puerto Barrios (Guatemala) to Puerto Cortes (Honduras)

Day 9 – 23rd January – Puerto Barrios (Guatemala) to Puerto Cortes (Honduras)

A nice breakfast buffet was on offer and because Willy’s eyes was hungrier than his stomach he could not finished all the food on the plate – especially the coconut porridge and some unidentifiable sausage that looked tastier than it

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Day 8 – 22nd January – Villahermosa to Puerto Barrios (Guatemala)

Day 8 – 22nd January – Villahermosa to Puerto Barrios (Guatemala)

Early start in the morning and the boys went off to reach the Border between Mexico  and Guatemala at a town called EL Ceiba.   The border can easily be reached by all-paved highways beginning with Mex 186 east from

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Day 7 – 21st January – Mexico to Villahermosa

Day 7 – 21st January – Mexico to Villahermosa

  Before hitting the road to Villahermosa the boys went to a Toyota garage in Mexico City to see whether they could assist in replacing the ignition switch in Lipstick. Unfortunately they were told that such a part is not

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Day 6 – 20th January – San Luis Potosi to Mexico City

Day 6 – 20th January – San Luis Potosi to Mexico City

By 8 am the boys were on the road again trying to reach Mexico City by early afternoon and whilst traffic was mild at the beginning it became thicker as they reached about 120km not of Mexico’s capital.    

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Day 5 – 19th January – Camago to San Luis Potosi

Day 5 – 19th January – Camago to San Luis Potosi

It was freezing cold this morning when the boys left their hotel at about 8 am and remembering that their good friends back home would now assemble at the meeting points of T58 – so quick picture was taken to

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Day 4 – 18th January – El Paso (USA) to Camargo (Mexico)

Day 4 – 18th January – El Paso (USA) to Camargo (Mexico)

During yesterday’s trip the boys discovered that their DELORME INREACH tracker stopped working all together despite attempts to charge the battery overnight so the first stop today was a battery shop on the way to the Mexican Border. The extremely

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Day 3 -17th January – San Diego to EL Paso

Day 3 -17th January – San Diego to EL Paso

After a solid sleep and a nice American breakfast the boys hit the road for a long haul today which would take them through 4 American states – California –New Mexico –Arizona and Texas. The way out of San Diego

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Day 1 & 2 – 15th – 16th January – New York to San Diego

Day 1 & 2 – 15th – 16th January – New York to San Diego

Lipstick doing the Americas Central and Southers States After a lot of planning the boys took off in East London today and boarded the flight from Johanneburg to New York – unfortunately there was a severe thunderstorm in Johannesburg forcing

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The ELAO Expedition: Going Down Under 2019

Having driven through 5 of the bigger continents on earth it was just a matter of time for Team Lipstick to complete their world tour and explore the smallest of the 6 continents -AUSTRALIA. Read More..

The ELAO Expedition: Going East 2017


Having completed the Silkroad from China to Europe , going North and South on the African continent it seem only logical that the Americas should become the next adventure for team Lipstick.Lipstick was shipped out to New York in July 2017 fromwhere Andre and Willy
will join the well travelled Landcruiser and go on tour through Canada and up to Alaska before turning South again until they reach the bottom end of South America and then finally ship the car back to South Africa from Argentine or Brazil.
Read more

The ELAO Expedition: Going West 2016


Inspired by Marco Polo the great adventurer who traveled from Europe to Asia -dating 1271 to 1295-it was decided to follow his footsteps on this journey which is known as the Silk Road. The main travelers of the Silk Road at that time were merchants who organized various caravans to cross the Gobi Deserts. Overcoming all kinds of hardships.... Read more

The ELAO Expedition: Going South 2014

3 years have passed since team Lipstick went up north along the East Coast of Africa through Europe to Germany. During our return to East London the idea to complete the return trip from Europe down south along the west coast of Africa was born...Read more

The ELAO Expedition: Going North 2011

A trip through Africa…. Ever since Willy Gauss arrived by plane in 1974 in South Africa it was his dream to one day drive back through Africa by car. Dreams don’t come easy however and the time required is not...Read more

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