An inquisitive old fart with a camera
I saw this crazy-looking vehicle parked at our little local zoo today. There is one very subtle clue of the brand in this view.
Can you guess? And hey, where’s the driver-side door?
It’s a 1959 BMW? The whole front opens?
And then there’s a little door for the passengers in back? I didn’t notice the door arrangements until just now, looking at the photos. I would have sought out the owner and asked for a demonstration….
Taxi, airport: La Paz, Bolivia.
Hopefully I will have freetime and decent internet next short while to catch up on other notable observations.
By which I mean, of course, what’s wrong with putting wheels on a totally burned-out VW Fusca and towing it home instead of writing it off?
Who knows, maybe it’s a collectible.
“IDEAL PARA LAS VACACIONES//INTEGRARLO A COLECCIÓN//CLUBES DE AUTOMOVILES CLASICOS. HAY QUE VERLO!!” (You have to see it!)
Someone’s going to pay USD 12,500 for a 39 year old VW Beetle to take on vacation?
See for yourself. They’re not all that ridiculous, but the prices are still pretty horrific.
A white truck called “colorado.”
I took a picture of this truck over a year ago. I marvel at ancient trucks here much as I marvel at German touring vehicles. See Leñero, Flete.
Saw this at the féria (market) today.
Since I was thinking more about cheese, bananas, and nuts than geography, and despite the fact that I’m sorta-planning a trip there, I had to think exactly how far away that was.
Almost the distance from New York to Los Angeles. And there are no interstate highways in northern Argentina, Paraguay. Bolivia, and Peru. OBTW.
I love that it’s a garden-variety car: Renault Duster. They braved the wilds of South America without something like this or this!
Revelation or anathema?
Welcome to another season of German one-bag travelers. The one bag, of course, has to have four monstrous wheels, weigh several tons, consume lots of fuel, and be prepared to assault any terrain.
If this looks familiar, perhaps it’s because you saw this post, or this post, or this post.
If you wonder why I even pay attention, consider the last time I was in Germany (2008). We spent several weeks in Europe. I bought a couple of paperback books in Paris, which added to the weight I was carrying. For the flight home, my luggage was up to 6.5 kg (14.3 pounds) … probably the weight of the taillights of this monster.
À chacun son goût.*
*Jedem das Seine, the German version, goes back centuries, but doesn’t play well now due to its incorporation in the entrance sign to Buchenwald concentration camp from WW II.
Doesn’t play well to my ear, even (or especially) knowing (which I didn’t) its Urban Dictionary definition: an obnoxiously enthusiastic US Marine. Another definition: Un motard, ou motocycliste, est un conducteur de motocyclette. Les conducteurs de side-car, de trike et les pilotes de compétition peuvent également porter ce nom. The funny thing about that definition is that I got to the end of the second sentence before I realized it was in French. Up until then it’s just a couple of letter-changes away from Spanish.