The people I’ve met, places I’ve been and memories I have made because of the bus I will always remember.
Nadine Inside the bus.
Name: Nadine Binder
Age: 28
Nationality: Australian
Why are you travelling? Because I love it! I needed to get out of Australia and see more of the world before I regretted not seeing it.
Hot or Not? HOT
What are your talents? Fire twirling and making arepas (Colombian flatbread).
I bought the bus; on 3/5/17 and started travelling on 19/7/17, and still on board.
First impression of the Yellow Submarine With Wheels? Love at first sight.
What was the biggest challenge that surprised you about bus life? Trying to have ‘bus-friendly’ rules without seeming like a party pooper.
Tell us where & how many different places you slept on the bus. Every bed, tent, and hammock. I like to try other people's beds as they give you a different perspective of the bus, but hands down, the fold-out sofa (my bed) is the most spacious and best.
Juyri 30th bus party Nadine during conversion Uyuni Bolvia with bus crew.
Since we don’t have a bathroom, where was your favourite bathroom location? PB (piss bucket) – its name says it all. It’s not my favourite but it is worth a special mention. As horrified as I am, it came to existence when another bus member and I were bed bound with a cold and too weak to find a loo.
What did you sacrifice or gave up during your bus stay? Hot showers and privacy.
What do you contribute to bus life? very bad jokes.
Best bus travel tip? Prepare for the worst and you’ll always be prepared.
What was your favourite bus meal/drink? Now we have an old-fashioned hand-held grinder. I would definitely say fresh coffee with the perculator.
What food/recipe did you learn to cook with us? French toast from my French friends Mel & Alicia! It was so good we even added the recipe to a chocolate croissant with banana and peanut butter!!!
Your favourite feature of the bus? The projector (thanks to the Crab King) - screening movies outside on the side of the bus under the stars with some popcorn is pretty good.
Let's talk about bus breakdowns. Tell us in detail about one experience. The first breakdown ever! A few days into owning the bus, we thought the battery was dead and the bus was not starting. A mechanic came around to test the battery and jump-start it. After many attempts of trying he asked if we had petrol. Clearly not.
How was it fixed, and what you thought at the time? $40 worth of diesel. I thought – jeez, I will need to learn more about vehicles.
In 10 years, I will remember: What a crazy experience it was to buy, convert and create a moving community that’s driving from Chile to Canada!
Nadine & dog First time behind the wheel Roadside lunch, Chile
If you could relive an experience with the bus it would be? Bus parties are always a blast. We start the day with an epic feast; then, we play many games throughout the day depending on the number of many years you now have. So if you're turning 30 – we play 30 drinking and kids games throughout the day.
Anything we should have/do MORE or LESS of? More functional equipment – roof racks, fans, solar panels. Less mosquitoes.
How do we compare with travelling by public transportation and staying in hostels? Bus life is real and raw. When you travel and learn to live with less you appreciate more out of life, such as a hot shower and air-con. I think with hostels you are travelling the typical tourist route where as with buslife we go where we want and learn more about a country and culture.
Would you recommend buslife to others? YES! I'm still here … But I could be biased – I think other people have fun and always want to return. I think it's not for everyone, this way of travelling – but unless you try it .. you don’t know!
When we drive our wheels into Canada, what will you do? Kiss the ground.
Anything you want to tell us? I would like to thank Barney & Leve for being with us from the start. These boys have been my rock and support crew like I’ve been their final ingredient in a Chilean completo (Inside joke). Another huge shout out to all the other people who have travelled with us along the way – without their presence – the Yellow Submarine would not be where it is and I would not be the person I am today without the bus and all of you!
Started 19.7.17 with first crew Thanks to Barney & Leve Danielle (sister) & Me
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