Three years after embarking on a journey in his vehicle from his home in Queensland, Australia, Ronald Hof arrived in Guyana last Wednesday.
Hof, a retired print shop proprietor, told Sunday Stabroek that his visit to Guyana is part of his tour of South America. He hopes to conclude his journey at the Antarctic Peninsula, which is 1,238 kilometres south of Ushuaia, Argentina.
According to Hof, his idea to drive to different countries of the world was birthed approximately 20 years ago, when he decided to drive from his second home in the Netherlands back to Australia.
“I have a house in Australia and a house in the Netherlands and instead of flying, I wanted to drive to the Netherlands. One day my brother-in-law and I said I will drive my car from Netherlands to Australia and he said he will bring it back and that is where it started,” Hof related during an interview at the Herdmanston Lodge.
He explained further that after he retired from his job three years ago, he embarked on his present journey. Hof said he first travelled through Asia and Europe before visiting North America, where he visited the North Pole, before embarking on his tour to South America.
He disclosed that in the last three years, he travelled for three months during the spring and summer seasons and two months in the fall. During the breaks, he would return home to spend time with his family.
From Guyana, he had planned to travel to Suriname and wished he had the opportunity to drive across but with the Canawaima Ferry Service not operating, he has had to change his plans. Hof has flown back home to the Netherlands and will continue his tour in October. He is optimistic that the ferry would resume operations and he will have the opportunity to drive across then.
Hof’s ultimate mission is to travel to more than 100 countries and return to his home in the Netherlands in 2021 on his 60th birthday.
After completing his tour of South America in Argentina, he will commence the next leg of his tour in Cape Town, South Africa.
Asked about the challenges encountered during his lengthy drive, he said there have been none. Hof explained that immigration officers in the various countries have been very helpful. Despite the process being slow in some countries, he said, “you have to respect the country and their process if I like it or not…I have been loving this journey.”
He nonetheless pointed out that navigating the trail from Lethem close to the Brazilian border to Georgetown was a challenge due to the deplorable condition it is in.
“The road getting here was challenging. It is in a terrible condition but it slows traffic heading there and preserve nature and I like that. If you put a highway in there, the logging trucks will take away the glorious gift of nature…,” he said.
To date, for this present tour, Hof has travelled with his vehicle, which he calls ‘Mathilda’, to 25 countries.
Hof has travelled to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Canada, the United States of America including Alaska, Mexico, Belize Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Guyana since beginning his trip on October 21, 2016 from his home in Australia. (David Papannah)
