AFTER A CAMARO, AUDI A5 & 4×4 IT’S TIME FOR SOMETHING BIGGER
Though we were sad to sell UZ, we could not have wished for a better new owner; musician and psychologist Gareth Edwards, who now uses UZ not only for holidays, but also for music festivals, laughter yoga and Positive Thinking sessions.
We had no choice but to leave UZ in New Zealand in order to continue our world trip. Though we also happily used scooters and busses in Asia, rental cars, a Camaro, an Audi A5 and planes on Hawaii and a 4×4 in Costa Rica, we were extremely excited to get ourselves another camper in South America. Having done some research, Chile seemed the best place to buy a motor home, so there we went. After a short but impressive visit to Bogota, we arrived in Santiago de Chile.
FROM CLASSIC TRUCK TO LUXURY V8
As we were so distracted by amazing Chileans who took us to Matanzas for New Year and for surfing, to Pucon on their two week sporty holiday and to all the places in and around Santiago, it took us a few months till we found our new beast; a 1997 Chevrolet Silverado with a 7.4 litre V8 engine and a 2007 luxury home on it. It was complete with bathroom, hot shower, air-conditioning, power generator, fridge, freezer, oven and a giant king size bed. This camper sleeps four and the car fits six people. We saw this beauty on www.drivetheamericas.com for months already and were waiting for the travellers to sell it. When we heard the sound of the motor and felt the acceleration, we were sold. Of course, we performed our usual mechanical check and went for a full service, which showed that both the car and the home were in excellent state. Quite a different vehicle with many more facilities than our first camper, but both totally our thing.
GIVING UZ2 OUR SIGNATURE STYLE
Just like UZ, we gave this ‘casa rondante’ our signature style and named it UZ2 (Unsaturated Zone 2 and it’s like us too). Immediately, we invested in solar panels, new batteries and our self-invented charging system, so we could always charge our cameras, GoPro and MacBook. After removing all the ugly stickers off the camper and a good car wash, we worked throughout the night on the street in Santiago, rushing to get the paint work ready for our first outing; a trip to Puclaro to learn kite surfing. Though there were security guards at work, this was not the place to leave the car open like we did in New Zealand, but to use an extra steering wheel lock instead!
PARENTS FIRST, INTERIOR LATER
Right after Puclaro, our parents flew over to Santiago to join us for a five week holiday through Argentina and Atacama Region. What amazing to share our new lifestyle with our parents and especially to spend time with them again! We are so proud that they enjoyed our impulsive, unpredictable travelling style with us in our camper!
Unfortunately, we did not have time to refurbish the interior before their arrival. Though the interior was super neat, after a few months of travelling we felt the need to personalise it and upgraded the camper with a modern black and white look. What better place to do this, than in The Pantanal in Brazil.
GEZELLIGHEID
(n.) the coziness, warmth and comfort of being at home, or being together with friends or loved ones sharing time in a pleasant and nice atmosphere.
The best Dutch word to describe the atmosphere in our camper by night.
