A year in review 2018

Comfortable parked at a campsite in Brazil

Comfortable parked at a campsite in Brazil

Somewhere in Gramado, Brazil

Somewhere in Gramado, Brazil

What a year. What a crazy year!

I started the year in Peru with a short flight from Lima to Tumbes. I took a bus to Zorritos and grab the Jeep at my friend’s place. I drove trough the entire country, then to Chile, to Bolivia, to Brazil, and then went right in the pantanal (the best wildlife spot in Brazil), then up to Rio de Janeiro, then down to Paraty Mirim (that’s where I almost lost the Jeep in a river, trying to rescue some fellow Canadians…story below.) I drove down to Floripa, Gramado, Rio Grande, to reach Montevideo in Uruguay. From there, I drove to Mendoza, Argentina and went down to the Patagonia on ruta 40, then crossed to the Chilean side of the carretera austral, then to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina side. I went to the very bottom of the road. I went to take some pictures of King Penguins somewhere lost on the Land of Fire, then went back up to Argentina, up to Montevideo, where I stored the Jeep. I left Uruguay in May to go in Canada. I flew to Montreal. We had a family party there, and another time in Quebec City. I drove a Jetta with my little sister Amelie from Montreal to Whitehorse, worked up North for a few months, then flew to Toronto for a week with Allison to tour the region. We took limousines and ate like king and queen because, well, we could. We went to Quebec City, Toronto, London, Montreal and Kitcherner, in six days. We flew back. I worked some more. Then drove to Tuktoyaktuk with Allison. We did the Dempster Highway with summer tires and had to get pushed by a pick-up to make some snowy hills. I stayed one month in Dawson City, then flew to Singapore and stayed there for month. I did some weddings and wildlife photography. Allison joined me in Southeast-Asia and we went to Malaysia, on Borneo island. Came back to Singapore, and left for South Africa. I did Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Addo National Park, in 12 days, then flew to Montevideo, Uruguay, to grab the Jeep. I then drove back up to Gramado to enjoy some fine chocolate and to celebrate the most amazing year of my life.


But it’s not even done yet.
I drove back from Gramado to Montevideo, to park the Jeep. I took an expensive cab to an expensive hotel with a rooftop pool, then board the next day a cheap shuttle to the airport. I did Montevideo airport to Santiago de Chile, then to Lima, then to New York, then to Montreal, then a bus from Montreal airport to Quebec City’s airport. I met with Allison at midnight on the 25th. The next day we got pick up by my father and we drove to Gaspesie.


I must have spent over $20k CAD this year on travelling alone. Worth it.

Gramado, Brazil

Gramado, Brazil

Local beer from Florionapolis

Local beer from Florionapolis

Driving on Uruguayense highways.

Driving on Uruguayense highways.

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Andes in Peru.

Andes in Peru.

Mud pit in Bolivia

Mud pit in Bolivia


My 26th birthday in Bolivia.

My 26th birthday in Bolivia.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the capital of Bolivia, or something like that. Still unsure if it is La Paz or SCS, let’s pretend it is. What a fun town! I absolutely loved Bolivia: The people are exceptionally kind and helpful.

Rio de Janeiro with friends.

Rio de Janeiro with friends.

I had the best time of my life in Rio de Janeiro, with Hazem. Talk about a blessing: A Syrian (him) took a Canadian refugee for a month, free of charge. I still cannot believe how blessed I have been. You know, I paid well over 100k of taxes to the Canadian goverment and quite a percentage goes into refugee programs and immigrations things…sometimes you wonder if you’ll ever get that back…Well, I cannot ever complain again about paying too much taxes! The Syrian people are the kindest on Earth: They go above and beyond what is reasonable to offer. Hazem is the best man on the planet, one of the finest gem and a rare kind of person. I wish him all the best and already look forward to pay it back forward to him, in a way.

The end of the road in Argentina!

The end of the road in Argentina!

Gramado! Brazil.

Gramado! Brazil.

Driving on the highway in Brazil.

Driving on the highway in Brazil.

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Carnaval in Santa Cruz de la Sierra!

Carnaval in Santa Cruz de la Sierra!

Carretera 40 in Argentina!

Carretera 40 in Argentina!

A nice resort in the middle of nowhere in eastern Bolivia.

A nice resort in the middle of nowhere in eastern Bolivia.

South of Paraty Trinidad in Brazil, one the nicest place on Earth.

South of Paraty Trinidad in Brazil, one the nicest place on Earth.

A blue macaw.

A blue macaw.

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Home in Atlin, British Columbia.

Home in Atlin, British Columbia.

Building my dream studio in Atlin, British Columbia.

Building my dream studio in Atlin, British Columbia.

Dad with my/his S320

Dad with my/his S320

Making buckwheat pancake by the arctic ocean.

Making buckwheat pancake by the arctic ocean.

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A small town by the Arctic Ocean.

A small town by the Arctic Ocean.

Brazil.

Brazil.

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In Bolivia.

In Bolivia.

Alley in the cat capital of the world.

Alley in the cat capital of the world.

Zebra in South Africa

Zebra in South Africa

Brazil.

Brazil.

The Jeep with a 600mm mounted gun.

The Jeep with a 600mm mounted gun.

On Borneo Island.

On Borneo Island.

Finishing the year in Montevideo.

Finishing the year in Montevideo.

In Addo National Park

In Addo National Park

Fun with some locals in South Africa.

Fun with some locals in South Africa.

South African braii.

South African braii.

In Singapore

In Singapore

Tough decision to make.

Tough decision to make.

Limo ride.

Limo ride.

The best people in Toronto.

The best people in Toronto.

Making music in Atlin, British Colombia.

Making music in Atlin, British Colombia.

At work.

At work.

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Lungile in Port Elizabeth. One of my all time favorite hostel.

Lungile in Port Elizabeth. One of my all time favorite hostel.

King Penguins in Chile’s side of Tierra del Fuego.

King Penguins in Chile’s side of Tierra del Fuego.

Our shack on Borneo island, Malaysia.

Our shack on Borneo island, Malaysia.

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Doing wildlife photography like a pro.

Doing wildlife photography like a pro.

In Uyuni, the salt flat.

In Uyuni, the salt flat.

Crossing Canada!

Crossing Canada!

Fun fact; A 300mm f/2.8 case will hold three smalls bottle of bubbly.

Fun fact; A 300mm f/2.8 case will hold three smalls bottle of bubbly.

Changing tires in Bolivia

Changing tires in Bolivia

Carretera 40 in Argentina, near Torres del paine.

Carretera 40 in Argentina, near Torres del paine.

With loce loce in Dawson City.

With loce loce in Dawson City.