I'm in he very early stages of a "dream trip" to South America. Right now I'm thinking of leaving next fall, because then by the time I get to the place it should be their summer.
Plan is to leave from here. Drive through central america, take a left and go down the atlantic coast to Cape Point (The pointy piece on the Cape of Good Hope)then come back up the pacific coast through central america and back home.
I expect the trip to take at least 4 months- Maybe 6 months.. Hell maybe even a year. It's not like I have anything pressing to come back to- And I get "paid" no matter what I'm doing- Sitting on my ass or traveling.. And traveling is something I have *ALWAYS* wanted to do. Not just the odd road trip here in the U.S. but a REAL road trip- Just like this one.

I want to check out the native folks there, see the strange animals.. And really one of the *BIG* reasons to go is check out the plant life. If you've spent any time here at all you know I grow a shitload of exotic plants- I really want to see Passiflora Cirrhiflora in it's native enviornment (Shhhh... And maybe collect some seeds...) But in order to do that I have to go to Guyana. But no worries- It's on the way.

Another reason for doing the trip is to be one of Those Crazy Bastards- A paraplegic who just dropps everything & goes traveling in The Wilds? C'mon.. No Way.
I will of cource write of my adventures & publish them here as I go along- Updates whenever I can connect to the World Wide Library & upload.. Expect many pictures.
Maybe I can even get a sponsorship from a few cripple suppliers (wheelchair companies, etc) or maybe even Discovery will send a camera guy along. Who knows.. But I want to get my plan solidified a bit more (Ok alot more) before I stary pim[pin Anyone- Coz if it looks like a 1/2 baked not-thought-out idea nobody will want their name on my failure.

So I'm building a list of things I think I'll need to get & do before I go- If you think of anything feel free to tell me about it Ok? I cannot think of everything!

I've been emailing Mauro Peixoto of Brazil- He's a plant expert there & a guide in his spare time. He's been a great help with "places to stay away from" ideas & travel plans..

Things I need to figure out for the south america trip:

Leaded gas?
     Will the van get screwed if I feed it leaded? How do I get it in?

Traveler's insurance
     What about medical? WHat if I get a UTI?

Meds / catheters
     How the hell? No way the OWCP Bastards are gonna approve 6 months of stuff at once- Hell they'll barely buy me a replacement wheelchair tire!

How to get around the Darien Gap and across the Amazon river.. Things I need to take:
2 spare tires for van, 4 ot 5 sets for the chair- plus the spare wheels.
Spare belts for van
Spare fuel filters