Dear Friends of Drive Around the World,

Drive Around the World is excited to introduce our new and improved homepage, located at,

www.drivearoundtheworld.com

An attractive new format makes navigating throughout the site easier and more exciting! The site has a brand new wing that provides up-to-date information on our location, upcoming Parkinson’s and education site visits, and links to recent news stories. CHECK IT OUT!

Greetings from the exciting city of Bangkok, Thailand! Home of the amazing jungles of Asia, booming industry, crowded streets, and oppressive humidity. Reaching this continent means that we can now exchange Australia’s dingos, kangaroos, and camels for elephants, monkeys, and Komodo dragons.

Since reaching Thailand, we have enjoyed five Parkinson’s patient visits, three Parkinson’s research site visits, and managed to give our new Take Me With You! guests, freelance writer, Sue Mead, and Land Rover communications director, Larry Rosinski, a complete Drive Around the World fieldwork experience.

During our visits we learned of the 1st Annual Parkinson’s Disease Association of Malaysia Banquet and, days later in Kuala Lampur, Todd was invited to speak at the event.

It was an amazing evening of information and entertainment that began with a lavish eight-course meal and, to our great surprise, the entertainment featured line dancing and endless karaoke ballads. All had a fantastic time.

The expedition has also encouraged a few sizable donations for our beneficiary, The Parkinson’s Institute. The most recent came from the Carolina Rover Owners Club who dedicated this years Uwharrie National Forest off-road fundraiser to Drive Around the World by sending a $1000 donation to Parkinson’s research. We would also like to recognize a contribution from DATW supporter (and Land Rover Discovery owner) Chris Baumgartner, who made a generous $1000 donation. We offer our sincere thanks to Chris and the members of the Carolina Rover Club for this wonderful showing of support. These gifts to Parkinson’s are what keep our team fired up to complete this challenging project. I continue to be moved by the generosity of our supporters back home and challenge those of you with the means to get behind this project with a per-kilometer donation. Do it because you can win a Land Rover and feel good about it because you’re helping researchers find the cure for Parkinson’s Disease.

Here’s the online donation site:

https://www.parkinsonsinstitute.org/support/drivearoundtheworld

The LONGITUDE Expedition team has successfully transited the Indian Ocean aboard the Walenius Wilhelmsen M/V TARAGO. A massive vessel, capable of holding more than 5000 vehicles, the TARAGO carried our vehicles and team from Australia to Singapore in late May.

After a full day managing paperwork and red tape at Singapore’s transportation and customs offices, the team was able to spring our Discoverys in time to spend a few days working and taking in the sights of this amazing island-city (that is also a country).

Days later we welcomed our anxiously awaited Take Me With You! guests, freelance journalist Sue Mead and Land Rover communications director Larry Rosinski to the expedition. The team was privileged to have the opportunity to kick off the Asian leg of our journey with some new friends and their time with us simply flew by. It was a great pleasure being able to share many new experiences with Sue and Larry.

After a few days of hard work in the city, we departed Singapore and crossed the border into the beautiful country of Malaysia.

There, the team enjoyed cheap fuel, good eats, and breathtaking scenery in Kuala Lampur and the tea plantations located just north of the city in the Cameron Highlands.

In the Highlands, the documentary crew filmed unbelievably picturesque scenes of colorful villages and rolling tea plantations in this amazing mountain hideaway, where countless old Land Rovers work the fields and rule the roads.

After a few memorable days in Malaysia, we braved motorbike-ridden roads and monsoon rainstorms to transit north into Thailand.

Yes, the monsoon season is upon us.

With lightening strikes that last for seconds, these thunderstorms represent some of the most extreme weather the expedition has encountered. Malaysia is also home to some of the cheapest petrol we’ve sourced and the best Tom Yum soup on Earth—all just a small reminder that, even the little things, like a great bowl of soup, have the ability to make a challenging journey a rewarding one.

Add to that a few experiences that managed to raise the little hairs on our backs! During a nighttime hike through the jungles of Malaysia, the team came face to face (within inches!) of a tree viper. Afterward, we counted our mosquito bites and picked plump, sated leeches from our ankles, then headed North to enjoy beautiful beaches and great markets in Phuket.

But perhaps the most harrowing experience of the expedition occurred when some locals with rifles decided they didn’t want us camping near their village… “You go now!” They demanded. And we went now!

From Phuket, (pronounce the name of this city wrong and your mom will wash your mouth out with soap) we drove past countless street vendors and villages to reach the booming city of Bangkok, where it seemed like all six million residents were out on a nighttime stroll through the streets.

Now, with vehicles and team secure here in Bangkok, we are busily making preparations for our expedition’s upcoming transit through Myanmar, China, and India. A challenge of a different sort faces us now—paperwork and an intense permit process that requires the diplomacy of a king and the patience of a saint.

We welcome you all to follow this expedition and travel virtually with our team as we make our way North through Asia. Our destination—the Kamchatka peninsula of Russia awaits! Reaching this milestone, another ship will deliver the expedition to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska for the long, home-stretch drive down the Dalton and Alcan Highways. So, bring yourself up to speed with our latest journal entries by visiting our journals page, here:

http://news.drivearoundtheworld.com/

Or, go direct to Australia journals

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/cat_australia_journals.shtml

Singapore journals ,

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/cat_singapore_journals.shtml

Malaysia journals ,

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/cat_malaysia_journals.shtml

and Thailand journals,

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/cat_thailand_journals.shtml .

Here’s a preview of what you will find.
Click the links to read the full story.

June 03

A Second Look at Phuket
Nancy Olson compares and contrasts her recent experience with the Drive Around the World team in Phuket with her 1999 visit to the same city as a young Captain of Marines deployed to the Western Pacific.

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000748.shtml

May 31

You Go NOW! (Don’t shoot)

Neil Dana gives a blow-by-blow account of the team’s harrowing midnight encounter with gun-toting Thai bushmen in a makeshift camp.

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000700.shtml

May 30

Hello, Thailand!
Take Me With You! guest and communications director for Land Rover North America, Larry Rosinski, recounts his experiences as a LONGITUDE Expedition guest through Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000699.shtml

May 28

Ancient Chinese Secret
Colin McAuliffe’s gut-splittingly hilarious account of a fully packed day in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, the height of which included team dabblings into the ancient art of cupping and leeching, as well as the discovery of a new species during a rainforest romp.

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000697.shtml

May 24

Vehicles Sprung
Neil Dana explains the rigors of navigating the customs process in regulation-loving Singapore.

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000693.shtml

May 19

We’re Sailing!
Todd Borgie describes the joys of first-class passage from Australia to Singapore as guests of the Norwegian captain of the M/V TARAGO, the Walenius Wilhelmsen vessel that transported vehicles and crew of the LONGITUDE Expedition across the Indian Ocean.

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000689.shtml

May 18

Headed NNE at 28 knots, Indian Ocean
Adam Burgess’ trip to visit a Coast Guard recruiter as a young man foreshadows his recent experience on Walenius Wilhelmsen vessel M/V TARAGO.

http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000678.shtml

Thank you all for your continuing interest and support and please remind your friends and colleagues to visit our donations page and enter for a chance to win one of our Certified, Pre-Owned, Land Rover Discovery expedition vehicles. A donation of $10 might make you a winner and it will also help us find the cure this debilitating disease!

Please join our team by clicking here,

https://www.parkinsonsinstitute.org/support/drivearoundtheworld

Kindest Regards,

Nick

Title: Drive Around Australia's Outback

Dear Friends of Drive Around the World,

Here's an journal update from Australia!

After two months apart, the LONGITUDE Expedition team has reunited in Brisbane, Australia and resumed their Drive-A-Thon for Parkinson's by heading up the Queensland coast. Our expedition team is once again functioning as a solid unit, on the road, and in the comfort of our Certified Discoverys. It didn't take long for each of us to slip back into the smooth-shifting gears of the well-oiled machine that is Drive Around the World.

Thanks in large part to shipping sponsor, Wallenius Wilhelmsen lines, our team took delivery of the Land Rovers from the Port of Brisbane with nary a hiccup. The most tedious portion was waiting for the diligent quarantine workers to spray a high-pressure hose into every nook and cranny of the vehicles' undercarriages, ensuring no stray seeds or grains of sand will find their way into the Australian Outback. After spending more than two hours on EACH vehicle, we were surprised to see them come out looking dirtier than when they went into the wash! In all sincerity, the folks at the port did an amazing job of getting us in and out smoothly and on schedule, and we are quite grateful for that!

Our drive through Australia began with a visit to Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's 'pet' project--the Australia Zoo. Our team agreed that it was the most amazing zoo experience we've had, and you can read about our adventures in the journal section of drivearoundtheworld.com. Continuing north, we arrived in the small town of Miriam Vale to spend the night on an Australian cattle ranch belonging to new friends Steve and Suzanne Dougall. There, we spent the following day exploring a 5000 acre cattle station and capped it off with an authentic Aussie BBQ. Departing the ranch, our convoy bee-lined for the city of Cairns to dive the Great Barrier Reef and also to begin preparing the vehicles for the hard off-road journey across Australia's Gunbarrel Highway.

The following week, near Ayers Rock, the team welcomed the ninth guest in their Take Me With You! program--a journalist from Overlander Magazine--Gregor Stronach.

The drive across Australia was an epic one, consisting of off-road adventures and interesting research site visits for our Parkinson's and education programs. Each day has been shared with you, online. You can catch up on the journey in the newest journal category, "Australia journals!"
http://news.drivearoundtheworld.com

And if you haven't done so already, don't forget to watch Drive Around the World, The Movie, by using the appropriate link below:

Download movie - Windows Media users:
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/movie/DATW-LONGITUDE.wmv
Download movie - Apple QuickTime users:
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/movie/DATW-LONGITUDE.mp4

JOURNAL TEASERS:
[Click on the links to read the full journals from the latest batch.]

28 April
The Great Barrier Reef...SHARK!!!
A blow-by-blow account of the team's first experience together on the Great Barrier Reef.
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000608.shtml

27 April
To the bat cave.
Adam's hilarious account of what happens when a group of explorers meets a group of flying foxes at eye-level.
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000609.shtml

23 April
The team visits the Dougall cattle station
Colin McAuliffe explains the trick to raising happy cows while describing the team's adventures on a true Australian cattle property.
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000584.shtml

22 April
Harriet, Sweet Harriet.
Nancy Olson describes the day the team left Brisbane, beginning with a run through the Botanical Garden, followed by a trip to Land Rover, highlighted by a visit with Charles Darwin's pet tortoise at the Crocodile Hunter's zoo, and ending with a night of eager anticipation on a true Australian cattle station.
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000585.shtml

April 19, 2004
Brisbane, Baby, Brisbane!
See some beautiful pictures of the city and read Neil's description of his first impressions of Brisbane.
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000575.shtml

April 16, 2004
Team arrival day!
Nancy Olson's account of the team's reunion after nearly two months apart.
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000546.shtml

April 12, 2004
Back in Oz
Neil Dana describes the horrors of sticker shock upon arrival in expensive Australia.
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000574.shtml

And now, just sit back, read, and leave the driving to us!

Until next time,

Nancy

Dear Friends of Drive Around the World,

Greetings from South America and Australia!

As March comes to a close, the LONGITUDE Expedition crew anxiously anticipates a happy reunion with teammates and vehicles in Brisbane, Australia, in about a fortnight.

A Wallenius Willhelmsen freighter, carrying all four Land Rover Certified Discoverys within its iron berths, will gently offload our precious cargo onto the shores of Oz on or about April 17. There, they will be greeted by a newly reunited expedition team for customs processing before we hit the road again. Until then, the team is spread out in clumps from Brazil, to Argentina, to Oz. Meanwhile, our film crew has just completed a fabulous 5-minute video production that is now available for downloading from the new-and-improved team website, www.drivearoundtheworld.com

NEW MOVIE
--------------
Download movie - Windows Media users:
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/movie/DATW-LONGITUDE.wmv

Download movie - Apple QuickTime users:
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/movie/DATW-LONGITUDE.mp4

EXPEDITION UPDATE
-------------------------
Now, Nick, Chanda, and Todd are hard at work on the LONGITUDE web page in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Adam and Neil are on surfing holiday in Brazil while Colin is having a well-deserved rest a bit north of them. Justin has found time to play hard in Rio and I am doing some writing, journal posting, and forward reconnaissance while riding my Santa Cruz bicycle from Cairns to Brisbane in Australia.

A lot of hard work has gone into improving and updating the team's website with more educational items, the new video, valuable sponsorship information and materials, exciting new photos, and, of course, new journals.

IN THE NEWS
----------------
Here's a news release from the 'End of the World', published on Ford's website
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=17767

Full story is here:
http://www.drivearoundtheworld.com/aboutus/news/news_DATW0034_TurningPoint.doc

An article from team travel writer, Rolf Potts--published in last Sunday's SF Chronicle Magazine.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/03/28/CMGS25C6D723.DTL&type=news

JOURNAL UPDATE
-----------------------
Our team shares every single day of this expedition online. Here are just a few journal highlights from the last month.
Visit our new "From the Field" journal category and read about what happens when the team is left to their own devices.
From the Field" Part I:
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/cat_from_the_field_journals.shtml

From the Field" Part II:
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/cat_from_the_field_journals_ii.shtml

Nancy's daily bicycling trials and tribulations can be found in Parts I, II, and III of "Nancy's East Coast of Oz Bike Trip" journals here:
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/cat_nancys_east_coast_of_oz_bike_trip.shtml

15 March
They Left Colin Alone...
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000445.shtml
Find out what Colin gets up to when he is separated from his film-crew buds.

22 March
It's Only a Flesh Wound !
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000490.shtml
Neil Dana describes surfing Brazil's awesome waves. You must see these photos!

14 March
Last Good Town Before the Long Haul
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000490.shtml
Nancy decides to venture into the vast unknown in a 300+ km stretch of highway down Australia's wild coastline.

11 March
Neil Reports From Iguazu Falls
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000442.shtml
Photographer Neil Dana shares some of his perspectives from the incredible Iguazu Falls of Brazil, both in words and photos. He went there with his folks to take in the sights.

03 March
Todd Experiences a Parkinson's Support-Group Meeting From the Inside
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000446.shtml
Read about Todd Borgie's experiences in Chile as he visits with a support group for patients and family members coping with Parkinson's disease. What is their perspective, what sort of questions do they need answered, and what advice do they have for others?

So, refresh your browsers, grab some popcorn and snacks, and put on your reading glasses! Drive Around the World has your entertainment packaged and ready.

Until next time,

Nancy

[DATW TEAM] New expedition journals (and Happy 2004, from Peru!)

Dear friends of Drive Around the World,

Our expedition has currently reached Nazca, Peru, home of the mysterious
Nazca Lines, and -- after several days of driving south on the coastal
Panamerican Highway -- we plan to turn inland and head into the Andes
tomorrow. A big destination will be Cusco, which is an ancient Incan
capital, and a staging area for exploring the city of Machu Picchu.
Reports on this experience to come soon.

For now, however, please enjoy the latest DATW journals -- including a
dispatch about today's adventure of flying over the Nazca lines!

Here they are:

"Flying over the mysterious desert-lines of Nazca"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000349.shtml
Neil Dana reports from the seat of a Cessna airplane as he flies over the
haunting Nazca Lines in the deserts of Peru, filming the DATW Land Rovers
from the sky!

"In Peru: The middle of nowhere?"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000348.shtml
In places, the sprawling desert of the Peruvian coast feels like the
middle of nowhere, but -- as Justin Mounts observes -- it certainly isn't
"nowhere" for the people that live there!

"An on-the-road New Year's; back to Peru for Nancy"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000347.shtml
Nancy Olson trekked into Peru in 1999. How will her perceptions change as
she returns to the country nearly five years later?

"Explosions and melancholy on New Year's Eve"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000346.shtml
As celebratory effigies go up in flames all over Guayaquil, Ecuador, Todd
Borgie reflects on the end of 2003.

For the very latest on any given day, surf to:

http://news.drivearoundtheworld.com

Until the next update, cheers from Peru!

Rolf Potts

[DATW TEAM] Holiday dispatches from Ecuador!

Dear friends of Drive Around the World,

New Year's Eve 2003 finds us in the port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, where
we have just unloaded our Land Rovers from the Panama ship, and prepared
them for the south-bound drive across Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and
Argentina. Tonight is a holiday, of course, and Ecuadorians across the
city are preparing to light off fireworks and burn colorful effigies in
honor of the year gone by -- and the New Year to come. It should be
plenty noisy, and we'll be writing about this occasion soon in our
expedition journals. (A preview hint: The Drive Around the World team has
built an "effigy" of Parkinson's Disease, which we will symbolically burn
at midnight!)

While you're waiting for a New Year's report, we invite you to get "up to
speed" with our latest journal dispatches from Panama City, Quito, and
Guayaquil. Included are tales (and photos) from our very successful
Christmas dinner in the Taxo Hostel of Quito, Ecuador.

Here they are:

"New Year's anticipation (and stomach sickness) in Ecuador"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000345.shtml
Adam Burgess (who is unfortunately suffering from a stomach bug) reports
on his adventures on the beaches on Montanita and in the streets of
Guayaquil in the days leading up to Ecuador's New Year's celebration.

"Unloading Land Rovers (and an unexpected Parkinson's connection) in
Guayaquil"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000344.shtml
Drive Around the World translator extraordinaire Neil Dana gives a
detailed description of the bureaucratic process at the ship-docks of
Ecuador -- and has an unexpected encounter with an Ecuadorian Parkinson's
patient in Guayaquil.

"Perception vs. Reality in Ecuador"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000343.shtml
Reflecting on a day-trip to the equator and an Ecuadorian ballet, Justin
Mounts shows how what you expect is not always what you get when you
travel.

"Post-Christmas DVD haze in Quito"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000342.shtml
Colin McAuliffe chose to recover from his Christmas holiday with a very
special hobby -- watching movies (six of them, to be exact).

"Christmas Day in the El Taxo Hostel, Ecuador"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000340.shtml
The Drive Around the World had a very special Christmas celebration --
complete with turkey and the fixings -- at a homey hostel in Quito,
Ecuador. Nancy Olson reports from the depths of the communal kitchen and
the "Secret Santa" stockings.

"A Drive Around the World Christmas photo album"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000341.shtml
This is a special photo feature from our DATW Christmas celebration.
Click each description to get a large "pop-up" photo.

"Last-minute Christmas Eve shopping in Quito"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000339.shtml
Todd Borgie reports on the lengths our team members went in order to make
our Christmas feast special.

"Quito, Ecuador: Altitude and airplane arrivals (and a few words about
fireworks)"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000338.shtml
Adam Burgess shares tales (some of them explosive) from our Panama to
Ecuador transit.

A humid Christmas season in Panama
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000336.shtml
>From Panama, Chanda Baggarly describes the scene as locals prepare for the
Christmas holiday.

For the latest news from the Drive Around the World team on any given day,
surf to our main journal page at:

http://news.drivearoundtheworld.com/

...We are trying to keep it updated at quickly as possible!

From the southern hemisphere, we send you our love and best wishes for
2004...

Best, on behalf of the whole DATW team,

Rolf Potts

Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 11:57 AM

Dear friends of Drive Around the World,

Greetings from Panama City! In a matter of hours, we will board a Copa
airliner bound for Quito, Ecuador, to begin the South American leg of our
expedition.

For now, a new set of expedition journals has been completed and posted
online! For individual stories, follow the links below. To catch up on
the very latest from the road, surf to (and bookmark):

http://news.drivearoundtheworld.com/

Here are our newest road dispatches:

"The waiting is the hardest part"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000334.shtml
Justin Mounts reflects on the art -- and joy -- of waiting in Panama City.

"A report from Isla Grande"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000332.shtml
Colin McAuliffe reports on a "Rest and Relaxation" run to the surprisingly
small getaway of Isla Grande.

"Ship's Ahoy!"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000333.shtml
Nancy Olson loses her ATM card, stocks up on Red Bull, loads the Land
Rovers into shipping containers, and heads for the islands in Panama.

"Monkey business on Isla Barro Colorado"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000335.shtml
At a research station in the middle of the Panama Canal, Todd Borgie
experiences the wild life.

"Rolling on to Panama City"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000330.shtml
Neil Dana observes daily life on the roadside at the Drive Around the
World team heads into Panama's capital.

"A big blowout in Panama"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000316.shtml
When Adam Burgess drove into a Panamanian construction zone, little did he
know that the real repairs would come to his vehicle!

"Exploring the wilderness of the Osa Peninsula"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000328.shtml
Justin Mounts stalks crocodiles in the dark on Costa Rica's beautiful Osa
Peninsula.

"A Land Rover reunion in San Jose (Costa Rica)"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000326.shtml
Nancy Olson reports from our reception at the Costa Rica Land Rover
dealership.

"Life on the coffee plantation"
http://www.bootsnall.org/datw/archives/000325.shtml
In Costa Rica, the Drive Around the World team discovers that drinking
coffee is a lot easier than picking coffee. A report by Todd Borgie.

And, elsewhere online, my own Drive Around the World series has been
completed at Slate.com. It is entitled "Virgin Trail: Travels in the
Other Central America", and can be found here (be sure to click back and
read the "Monday" entry first):

http://slate.msn.com/id/2092474/entry/0/

From the Drive Around the World team, happy holidays -- and look for us
in South America!

Best,

Rolf Potts