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Heidi in Africa: driving more than 2 years, now on 5th continent of her voyage
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After travelling around the world for two years, Heidi is now on the next to last leg of her journey. She will release her 1930 Hudson “Hudo” from the container port in Cape Town shortly and beginn her drive around Southern Africa. Heidi posts current photos almost daily on her Instagram account. You may follow her movement on the GPS tracker. Heidi likes to meet people on the way, so if you see her, please don’t hesitate to stop, chat, give her a wave at least.
3 Days ago near Santiago, Chile
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Thanks to Oliver for this video. Now we can watch Heidi on a typical encounter on her travels.
Onwards through Chile
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Heidi writes that Hudo performed well on his first outing. She is happy to finally have brakes again. The rattling noise in the engine that persisted since Charlotte, USA is gone.
All this is thanks to the generous and expert help of the members of the Club de Automoviles Antiguos in Vina del Mar, who took Heidi and Hudo under their wing and made the next part of her journey possible.
Altitude Sickness in the Andes
After the cancer scare and successful surgery in Germany last month, Heidi is back on the road with Hudo and her new companion Lili, a wonderful photographer and useful spanish interpretor. The last two weeks were spent finding the exact roads and locations Clärenore Stinnes and Carl Söderstrom passed and photographed almost 90 years ago on their voyage around the world.
Currently very high in the Andes, Heidi is suffering from bad headaches but having the time of her life all the same, she says. See her current location on Google Earth and current photos on Instagram.com/heidihetzer .
If you wish, leave Heidi a public comment here.
Why is Heidi still in Lima?
If others can do it, so can Heidi, so don’t worry!
The New Year begins in Lima, Peru
Post by Heidi on December 31st
The Cap Ines was docked in Lima’s port at 6 a.m. and I was already aboard by 10 to talk with the captain and crew, whom I got to know well during our voyage from Miami through the Panama Canal to Columbia. I had made the decision to leave Hudo aboard in his container, to take a bus through Columbia and Peru to Lima, rather than spend Christmas aboard. They told me they missed me at their barbecue for Christmas. It’s amazing that such friendships can arise within a week.
Unfortunately, Daniel of the port agency Cosmos does not have any time before the New Year tonight, so I leave with my luggage but without Hudo. People don’t work here during the holidays and monday’s numbers have all been taken. Not even not a sad batting of my eyelashes helped. So on Tuesday I will arrive early to get Hudo out of customs. Cap Ines leaves port at 8 p.m. tonight. Bye, Bye.
This afternoon I will be busy. A Peruvian local, Jorge and his cousin picked me up. They are from the Peruvian Automobile Association and contacted me through this blog. In English we get along. They advise me which roads to take, since many are not passable without 4WD. Should I just go the route of Claerenore (if I can even find it) or should I listen to the advice of the locals? I must discuss this with Lili, who is just now arriving from Germany. She is a young photographer, speaks spanish and will accompany me for 3 months. I have met her electronically and will now meet her face to face. Then we have a further 4 hours until midnight and then we can say we’ve known each other a year.
There is something weighing heavily on my mind. I want to sincerely thank all of you, all friends, acquaintances, strangers in Germany and in the world for the incredible help in every way, giving comfort, worrying, sharing their homes, giving good advice, kind words, a good laugh, giving me a kick in the ass, praising me or criticizing, and sending your guardian angels. And I also thank the many people who say nothing on the blog, but I see the numbers of the many silent followers. I especially thank the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club which already began in to help me in New Zealand and throughout America and Canada. There is a member, Jon Battle, he knows all the club members and now makes again contacts for me in Chile. And this Hudson Club sticks together so well. Without it’s help I would have taken much longer through the USA. It is an honor to drive a Hudson. The other big help is Hamburg Süd with its employees worldwide. I would have gotten sore feet walking from office to office at all the ports. Frankly, I would not have know where to start at all! And that I may ride with container ships, is just fantastic. Now I will conclude this post, or else it will be as long as a book.
Happy New Year Everyone,
Heidi
