Bernadette and Jacky Chevillon are a couple of young French retirees who are passionate about trips and old vehicles. In the fall of 2016 they united these two passions to make a journey of about 20,000 km in their 1973 DS20 Break through the roads of Latin America. No strangers to travel they had made a trip to Shanghai crossing Europe, Russia, Mongolia and China in the summer of 2013.
The Latin American journey began almost immediately after Jacky’s speech at ICCCR 2016 in Holland in mid-August 2016. There they participated with the DS20 next to the club DS in Provence (an institution to which they belong and in which they actively collaborate ). At the end of the international meeting, the DS was taken to the port of Antwerp (Belgium), where a ship would transfer it to the port of Rio de Janeiro, arriving on October 4, 2016.
Meanwhile, Bernadette and Jacky landed at the Rio de Janeiro airport on September 23 and from that moment until the arrival of the DS20, they had to “sacrifice themselves” by waiting on the beautiful beaches of Rio.
As the DS was driven off the boat, a bad maneuver broke the exhaust system. This setback was quickly solved in a workshop in the area and from there the trip was undertaken in the direction of the Iguazú Falls. Day by day the DS20 devoured the miles and they visited different cities and discovered the different cultures, customs and geographies of South America.
A brief incursion into Paraguay they were acquainted with the ruins of the Jesuit missions and, after their passage through Bolivia, discovered the Uyuni Salt Flat, the cities of Potosí and La Paz. Heading north and passing by the edge of Lake Titicaca, they arrived at the mythical Machu Picchu.
Continuing towards the southern end, initially along the Pacific coast, they crossed the Atacama desert in Chile and then made an incursion through Argentina passing through Dakar: Humahuaca, Salta, Belén, and Mendoza. Passing through the famous Paso de Los Libertadores, they returned to Chile and visited the regions from Santiago to Puerto Montt.
They returned to Argentina through the Andes, crossing San Carlos de Bariloche and the region of the lakes of Patagonia. Their course continued south to Tierra del Fuego, crossing the Strait of Magellan, seeing Punta Arenas and Ushuaia and celebrating a Laitn Christmas there.
From the end of the world, at Atlantic Patagonia, they travelled north through the Valdes Peninsula and arrived in Buenos Aires just in the week of the arrival of the 2017 Dakar.
Once in Buenos Aires their schedule was very tight, as they divided their time between touring the most picturesque places of the city and the itinerary organized by the Citroën Club Bs As. On Saturday 14 January, they were able to visit the official Citroën Lyon office, where they were very well received. After lunch, the start of the Dakar was the main attraction of the afternoon where Bernadette and Jacky were able to greet two of their compatriots: Stephane Peterhansel and Sebastien Loeb, who posed for a souvenir photo.
On Sunday morning they drove to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay and a day later Montevideo, arriving on January 18 at the port where they would ship the DS in March back to Antwerp.
A few days later Bernadette and Jacky would take a plane in Rio de Janeiro that would take them back to France.
They 4 month adventure gave them a opportunity to see incredible geography, many old cars, legendary cities and wonderful people. It was an unforgettable experience and invaluable for the rest of their lives.
Check out the incredible journey Bernadette and Jacky experienced at this extensive photo gallery: https://latinods20.baf.re.