In 2000, Ama Callau and Pablo Rey took the decision of their lives when they decided to load up a Mitsubishi Delica and head out on a world tour. And what an adventure it has been!

From being chased by angry elephants to experiencing the warmth of the Sudanese people despite the turmoil in their country, and now trekking through the jungles of Guyana, Ama and Pablo have soaked up world culture in a way they could never have imagined.

Anna, from Barcelona, and Pablo, from Beunos Aires, are now on their way to see the magnificent Kaieteur Falls, thanks to the generous support of Rainforest Tours, the Guyana Tourism Authority, and the Guyana Oil Company.

Guyana was not really listed as one of their destinations, but since they were just next door, in Venezuela, they decided to head down to Guyana, a country they had heard little about, and a place that people around the world didn’t seem to know, even in Venezuela.

From Lethem, they travelled through the Savannahs, observing the giant anthills and the endangered giant anteater. Before heading to Georgetown, they visited the Iwokrama Rainforest.

From Georgetown, they headed to New Amsterdam and all the way to Moleson Creek at the border with Suriname.

They returned to Georgetown and, yesterday, set out on a journey through the jungle to see Kaieteur Falls.

When the couple started out on their world tour in 2000, they thought it would take them just four years.

“We soon realized that the world is not so small,” Pablo told Kaieteur News yesterday in Georgetown.

When they left Barcelona, their plan was to travel through Southern Europe, then to the Middle East, then to Africa (going from North to South), then to America (travelling South to North), and then making their way back home through Asia, starting from Siberia.

What triggered their decision to embark on a world tour in a sports utility vehicle?

“We were both working (Pablo is a writer, and Ama was in public relations) but then we asked ourselves is that is what we really wanted to do till we reached 65,” Ama related. They decided that they wanted to see the world, and their journey began.

“We betted our life on our dream,” said Ama.

At first, they started out depending on their savings, but worked as they travelled. Pablo has since written a book on Africa and has been selling it along the way.

The one thing that is common in people around the world, the couple says, is their goodness.

“People are good around the world; people are nice. It is politicians who don’t know how to solve problems,” Ama declared.

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READ MORE PABLO AND ANNA REAL TRAVEL STORIES IN THIS LINK

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“The Book of Independence works its magic like a bellows on the embers of wanderlust, inspiring us to break away from the norm, to slow down and smell the proverbial roses… or cow or elephant dung. It’s not about what you’ll do after you retire, it’s about what you do before you die.”
Chris Collard, Chief Editor, Overland Journal Magazine