Search results

We very much enjoy overlanding via motorcycle. It's a completely different way to experience another culture, primarily because the vehicle itself becomes an instant ice-breaker in interacting with the local people. No matter where you are, everybody had a friend or relative who had a scooter...

These scenese are not atypical of developing economies. India's massive population often overwhelms civil services, such as illustrated in the photos. You'll find the same scenes in many, if not most, developing economies. Grinding poverty and total lack of what people from...

When people ask about India, my usual response is: "India is, in a word, intense. It is intense in sound, color, smells, numbers and experiences. Because of that intensity, I find that for most people, India is a love-it or hate-it type of place." For instance, we met a female motorcycle...

As to the traffic, yes, it does require some adjustment. But all in all, I'd rather share the road with camels, cattle and elephants, along with swams of buzzing scooters carrying families of six, roaring Tata trucks and rocketing busses than ride or drive down the 405 dodging commuters...

But overall, they are vastly outnumbered by more common means of travel:

Kerry, Congratulations on your trip and the opportunity to learn about India. Agreed about the traffic there. It is quite an adjustment. Our experiences there mirrored yours. All domestic made, almost all Tatas. We spent most of our time up in the Himalayas, where the typical view of a...

A friend tipped me that TerreStar's 3G / Sat / PDA smartphone form factor Genus phone was well received at CTIS, the big wireless trade show in Vegas. The company quoted $.65 per minute sat time when off the 3G grid. http://www.terrestar.com/ data sheet on the Genus phone...

I put together our photo geolocation system and workflow back in 2006 prior to leaving for a few years of full time overlanding, so things have progressed quite a bit since then. However, this system definitely works, so it might form a baseline / foundation you can adapt using better options...

This a good resource for planning purposes. http://www.gsmworld.com/Roaming/GSMinfo/index.shtml GSM coverage maps are available for global and regional coverage. You can zoom in on the maps for detailed planning. There is also a list of countries and detailed information on...

Year: 2007 Model: FG140 Bought: new Miles: ~30k miles / 48,280 km Use: two years full time overlanding in North and South America Load: elephantine Mitsubishi related failures / repairs: none

Our dealer, Kearny Mesa Truck Center http://www.kmtc1.com/ was willing to ship us parts wherever we were on the planet. We found an RV dealer, Richardson's RV Centers, Inc., with who must be the world's best parts guy, CJ Solitz, who shipped us parts. The same was true when we were overseas...

My advice is, whether you're on a bike or in a truck, is to take along: - known failure components (known engineering / design flaws) - model/market specific normal wear replacement parts (belts, filters) - special service tools required for common maintenance / repair (wrenches, special...

We had no (zero) failures on any Mitsubishi parts that were not the direct result of our own modifications (frame). Like Don and Kim, we deferred maintenance on our front hubs while overseas based on the advice of our service manager in San Diego. We've had no issues with the front bushings...

This is true for every brand and every model. Read through the overlander interviews and you'll see mention of the fact that no matter what brand, you will need to ship in parts from the native market for that truck. This includes MB, which has, by far, the most extensive global dealer, parts...

I second both of those statements.

Universal issues: - The more difficult it is to get the bike on and off the vehicle (especially off) and ready to ride, the less you will use it. - Low utilization. Four-wheel overlanders I've interviewed who carry motorcycles almost always tell me they use the bike(s) much less than they...

We own a 2007 Fuso FG. Mods: Air seats Dynamat soundproofing for cab Lengthened frame Custom spring packs to match weight Bilstein shocks Custom rear sway bar The rest is too much to mention. Definitely the most expensive FG ever built, but I don't think the rest is related to the chassis...

New York Times take on the ideal compact camera: 1. Small enough for a pants pocket. 2. A big sensor. 3. Interchangeable lenses. 4. Simple, well-laid out controls. 5. Full manual controls. 6. Canned scene modes for beginners. 7. Superfast start-up. 8. No shutter lag (the annoying delay...

New York Times review of the GF1 along with the Canon S90, both roundly praised. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/technology/personaltech/12pogue.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=S90&st=cse&scp=1 "With its new Lumix GF1, Panasonic has finally started to exploit the potential of its own camera...

Another good lesson in there... When asked by people outside those groups (pro or advanced amateur), I recommend a fixed mount lens, electronic viewfinder, optical super zoom, image stabilization, small size, and if they prefer it, a move-able rear display. For the typical point and shoot user...