Formal

We bought brand new business passport, which have an extra large amount of blank pages. Maybe we need them when the visa takes up 2 pages each. We didn't need as many pages as we expected because the customs put many stamps on the same page. We even saw some Boliveans who were traveling a lot between Chile and Bolivia with more then 10 stamps per page. Of course the entrance and exit stamps were placed in a random order through their passports, which made the confusion complete.

International certificate of vaccination (Yellow Fever) (2)

See Formalities for more details. Not needed yet though.

Insurance cards (2) 

See Formalities  

Banc cards (2)

1 Cirrus and  1 Maestro. A list of ATM Cirrus, MasterCard, Maestro) all over the world. Both can be used everywhere.

Spare banc cards (3)

We have 1 spare banc account and spare cards from both or normal banc account. 

Credit card (2)

1 MasterCard and 1 Visa card. Only use at the pinch. We never leave the card out of sighted and check always both tickets before signing the receipt. With the visa card we can also get cash money from machines or direct, what we did several times. 

500 dollar in Travel cheques 

American Express. But only 200 Dollar. We used them once, after a border crossing.

300 dollars in cash

Hide in our luggage and bikes, for emergencies. But only 100 dollars. Can be got from the bank automats in Boliva and Peru.

2 Exercise-book with hard covers

One for writing in the route, the distances, and altitudes and one for addresses, tips of other travelers etc.

maps

At home we buy some country overview card. For roughly planning our trip. Detail maps are to expensive and will be bought during the trip, hopefully. We bought detail maps in Argentina and Chile. In Peru we bought an overview map which is more uptodate then ours. In Bolivia and Peru we drive on the map from home.

South American Handbook (Footprint)

This is handbook is preferable above 'The Lonely Planet' and has un update every year. If we continue north, we will by the Middle American Handbook on the way in a bookshop or from other travelers. Lots of budget travelers are selling these books, before they leave. It is not very good. We bought a new guide book in Chile and look in the land-Footprints from others a lot, which are good. We bought a Peru Lonely Planet from an other traveler. Guide books can only be bought in the big tourist towns in Argentina, Chile en Peru. Never saw one in Bolivia.

Dictionary and spanish lesson book.

We took Spanish lessons for one years. Very handy.

Pen

A couple of passport photos.

For permits etc. Did not use them up to now. In every larger town they can make them on the spot.

IAMAT leaflets

Some handy leaflets about Malaria and Chagas disease. Helpfull by checking again wich animal carries Chagas.

IAMAT card

See Formalities

Sleeping

Tent (Lowland Mountain tracker), Repair kit, Footprint

This tent is derived from the North Face  V25, but has a better air circulation system. For this system, the tents gives in at extreme conditions. On the contrary it will perform better in moisture lowlands. The inner tent can stand alone (without outer tent, without tent peg), so it can be used single in warm environments, but can also replace a mosquito net in a hotel. Despite from the zippers it is a perfect tent, but with new runners this is solved quite easy. A bit to heavy for hiking.

• Day 73. A cat climbs in our tent in Coyhaique. Fortunately, the holes are so small that they don't create real problems.

• Day 109. The zippers of the tent have a difficult time. Adjusting the sliders at the side where the closed zipper comes out, helps somewhat.

• Day 210. The zipper doesn't work anymore. We put a new zipper in one side of the tent, by ourselves.

• Day 318. The zipper from the outer tent doesn't work completely anymore. We sew some velcro on it.

• Day 415. We put new runners on all the zippers. It seems to work!

Sleeping bag (2) (North Face, Blue Kazoon , -15 degrees)

It took us half a year to make the decision between synthetic or  down. The package volume and the temperature range covered by a down sleeping bag turned the scale. After 1 year of use, they are not so warm as they used to be.

Sleeping mat (2), foam

The weight of foam mats is less then of inflatable mats. The comfort is much worse, but we are still young. Next time a thermal rest mat, not for the comfort but for the warmth.

Floor cover, foam

A simple solution to our too cold foam mats.

Sheet bag (2), cotton

Used single in topical weather, and in the sleeping bag during cold periods. And many times in a not so clean bed.

Saron (2) 

We use this as legs cover during visits of religious places, as skirt, as under sheet at the head end of a bed (over a dirty pillow-case).

Pillow case (2), cotton

Made of halve a normal pillow cover and can be closed with a rope.

Cooking

Stove, (MSR dragonfly with shaker), Repair kit, Gasoline bottle 1 liter, Wind shield

Because we will only use gasoline the spout mouth will get stuck more often. The shaker will prevent this. A pity is the incredible noise it makes. Extra gasoline can always be taken in a plastic bottle. To protect the burner against wind. But we use it always to have a more efficient heat stream to the pots. Or the Optimus. Had to replace it, because the South-American gazoline is very agressive.

• Day 137. The MSR stove breaks but is soldered and functional again.

• Day 224. The fine tuner of the stove does not work anymore. Only by loosing the fixing screw of the fine tuner the stove works a little bit.

• Day 230. The MSR stove breaks down for good. We make contact with MSR. In the meantime we buy an Optimus Nova stove.

• Day 271. MSR has send us a new stove. Thanks !!!!

Stove, (Optimus Nova with shaker), Gasoline bottle 1 liter, Wind shield

Because we will only use gasoline the spout mouth will get stuck more often. The shaker will prevent this. To protect the burner against wind. But we use it always to have a more efficient heat stream to the pots.Or the MSR.

• Day 484. The fuel filter of the Optimus stove is blocked. We can use the stove without the filter if we use Benzina Blanca. Optimus is going to send us some new filters. Thanks!!!!

2 Lighters

2 Pans (Trangia), Frying pan (Trangia), Handle for pots (MSR)

• Day 286. The trousers we are cycling in are gone. We buy new hippy trousers.

• Day 437. We buy new trousers. 

• Day 361. The stopper of the zipper of Tore's fleece breaks of. A new zipper is put in it in La Paz by one of the many 'we make fleeces for you!' shops.

• Day 437. We buy 2 T-shirts and we dye the other T-shirts.

• Day 58. Some climbing socks are melting, while drying on a too hot stone. We buy new ones in Salta.

• Day 160. The soles of our bike shoes are getting loose. We buy some special sole glue and glue them again.

• Day 270. The soles of Iris shoes don't fix the plastic plate anymore. Duck tape is the temporary solution.

• Day 361. Both our shoes get new soles under our shoes.

• Day 375. Iris here shoes don't hold. We mount new ordinary pedals and Iris has now to cycle with slippers or mountain shoes.

• Day 415. We got new cool Northwave cycling shoes from the Netherlands.
  

• Day 100. Of the film we developed 80 % is failed. The mirror of our second hand camera doesn't flip in time. We buy a new Canon camera, with a nice zoom lens.