THE PRESS - PANAMA

A trip that still does not finish

Susana, Maurizio and Trango have crossed the Andean plateau, the Ecuadorian forest and the Costa Rican coasts.

Most incredible of the history of Susana Milla and Maurizio Binfa it is not that they have crossed more than 7 thousand kilometers in bicycle. Most incredible it is than its dog, a yellow farmer, has done it next to them.

Its trip began the 7 of October of 2002 in the City of Santiago of Chile. Few understood in the beginning why these enamored had seted out to go until the city of Mexico in bicycle. "' At first the family was enough refusal", admits Maurizio, of 35 years. And she is that he and their fiancèe, of 23 years, resigned to their works and their other commitments by this trip that were planning by a year and means. They do not have a clear answer of why they decided to do it, but its history exposes them: they are loving of the adventure. What yes it is clear is that the final destiny of the trip had a symbolic meaning. "We wanted to unite two of the capitals but contaminated of the world, Santiago and city of Mexico, in a nonpolluting vehicle", Maurizio counts.

The preparations for the trip were many. Both worked double turn by long time to be able to save sufficient money. As far as the physical training, both went to the work in bicycle during three months, before the trip. But Marurizio assures that the endurance is single part of the prescription for the success. "What more bond is the mental attitude", it says.

During this time of preparation it arrived to them at his lives Trango, a yellow farmer, who robbed the heart to them. "we never thought about leaving it. We always considered it "', counts Susana. The love that this pair has its dog to him is obvious. Without him, many problems had been saved, but the trip had not been the same one.

Trango is a special dog. Although one of the bicycles hauls a cart where it could go mounted most of the time, Trango runs next to its owners. "We had to take into account many details" ', assures Maurizio. For example, they had to define what temperature of asphalt was appropriate so that it did not burn the legs. But Trango always has known to adapt and just as his owners it has slept more than 300 nights in carp and has known to ration water and food.

The passage began when leaving Santiago. The pair crossed the desert of Atacama in Chile and arrived Soon at La Paz, through the Titicaca river entered Peru. The memory more special than has the pair of Peru is that Trango was the first dog that officially entered Machhu Picchu.

After Peru, they arrived at Ecuador, country that received them very well. But when arriving at Quito they decided that he was very dangerous to pass by Colombia so they took an airplane until Costa Rica, that they crossed almost completely.

Lamentably, when the travellers finished entering Nicaragua, they warned to them from Chile that a small economic reserve whom they had, "by greater force", was not going to be able to be sent. "We thought that more surely it was to begin the return to Chile", Mauricio counts. And now the challenge is different: to arrive at Chile without money.

"they have offered much aid Us in Panama", assures Maurizio. And humble people are the one that plus has aided them. But still they are beached. "Now we are here with a great Cork of the Darién opposite", counts.

In spite of this, Susana and Maurizio follow positives. "At this moment we are enough optimists. We were received very well by a civil employee of Civil defense and by the embassy and the consulate of Chile ", Maurizio counts.

And although they are strange to its family and they do not know how they are going to return, would never change the experience. "Our relation has consolidated through this trip. We have learned to being more human, to appreciate the simple things and to trust that people still are human ", assures east traveller. "We learned much of geography", adds Susana. And Trango probably feels just as they.

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MERCURY - ONLINE - CHILE

Pair wants to arrive at Mexico, but they are beached in Panama
Dog is the star of unusual trip of Chilean cyclists
Mariana Madariaga
Tuesday 24 of June of 2003

Mauricio Binfa and Susana Mile have been nine months pedaleando. Trango, its dog, is the figure in Panamanian newspapers.



The Chileans Maurizio Binfa and Susana Mile could not fulfill their dream to arrive until City of Mexico in their bicycles mountain bike, in company of their farm dog, Trango. The last week they remained without money in the neighborhoods of Panama and had to request aid to the Chilean consular authorities to be able to return to the country.

"It was the worse thing than he could happen to us. We remained without food and the truth, is that by

Trango, I did not have more remedy than to request aid to the embassy ", counted yesterday from a telephone of the consulate of Chile in Panama the cyclist Maurizio Binfa, 35 years, that in 1993 managed to arrive at Mexico, but without woman and dog.

The odyssey of this ecological pair of Ñuñoa and its farm faithful, of 3 years, began the 7 of October of the last year. The trip was planned during a year and means and nothing made foretell that they would remain without money after crossing more than 7 thousand kilometers. One of the bicycles was equipped with a cart in which they transport the quadruped when this one gets tired.

Tomatos and onions

"the goal was to unite two of the contaminated cities more of the world, Santiago of Chile and City of Mexico", commented Binfa. It explained that in spite of all the defenses, the first obstacle was to cross the desert of Atacama. There they remained without food and they had to feed with tomatos and onions that had been left wire drawings in the sand after a wagon accident in the sector. "We arrived at Antofagasta to end of salad to the Chilean", joked.

"It was a risk for all. We have had luck and much people have helped us throughout the way ", added Susana Mile seriously, of 24 years. Both worked in Santiago in a company of height glass cleaning.

To pound Bigas, consul of Chile in Panama, informed that the embassy is making all the proceedings and requesting aid to the resident community so that the young people and the dog can return soon to Santiago.

Trango farmer, who must his name to one of the most important mountains of Pakistan, has caused sensation in his pass by South America and its stay forced in Panama. The dog is famous because it walked more than 6 thousand kilometers.

For one week it has been being reviewed by veterinarians and a food company of mascots supported it with food coats. Even, the local newspapers have dedicated complete pages to count the unusual trip of the Chilean dog.

"It is better than we. It has food, new necklace, people do affection to him and many want to know it. In many countries they wanted to buy it or to change it by ewes ", said Maurizio Binfa.