The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has to offer, all in one place.
The sun hadn't even come out yet on May 17 when Kent Samaio and Henry Urrunaga Diaz -- both 31 years of age -- woke up, packed their bags and said goodbye to the ones that woke up to see them. It was almost 4:00 a.m. when they closed the car's doors and went on a quest: to cross South America on their way to Brazil.
The goal was to go to Brazil and watch Peru play the first matches of the Copa America. The first one was going to be in Porto Alegre on July 15 and three days later in Rio de Janeiro, almost a thousand miles away from the first venue.
After hundreds of roads and lots of mishaps, the mission was accomplished.
"We didn't have anything in the beginning -- not even the car and the cash. But we manage ourselves to it," Kent said. "We saved some money, bought the car and learned to drive on the road. It was like 250 miles per day."
They cultivated this friendship that began in 2014 in Rio, when they met for the World Cup and swore to come back to Brazil and watch the Copa America -- and Peru, obviously.
"We had nothing, but [Kent] liked the idea and we started this project," Henry said. "We created a profile on social media and started a YouTube channel."
The story on their Volkswagen Beetle, however, is different. It came a little later on down the road. They bought a white 1976 model; it was almost abandoned. They made some improvements on the car and the journey began.
"It is more economical, reliable and mechanically simpler," said Henry. "It was perfect for us -- who knew almost nothing. Its nickname is 'Concho'."
What they went through
Day 1 of the journey was on May 17. They passed through the whole Peruvian coast and got to Chile three days later. The first mishap, however, didn't take long to show up.
"The Beetle is a peculiar car. It depends on the day, the conditions, the weather and everything else so the engine won't get overheated," Henry explained. "There's no water in the engine. It depends on the air. If you drive too fast in a hot day, the engine could 'explode'."
That's exactly what happened when they were going through the Huara desert, one of the hottest and driest places in the world.
"We had to call a towing service, to return to the border, in the Peruvian city of Tacna, for repairs. We lost six days of our trip," Kent said. "We actually got six days' experience," Henry joked. And they laughed.
With the car good to go, they hit the road once again. They passed by Iquique, Tocopilla and La Calera. After that, they began the ferry through the Andes -- one of the world's biggest mountain ranges. Then came Argentina: Mendoza, Cordoba, Santa Fe, Parana and Corrientes.
"We actually got to Brazil by Uruguaiana. We got to Porto Alegre one day before Peru's debut. We bought the tickets and watched the draw against Venezuela," Henry said.
When they finally got to Rio, they bought the tickets from some friends and watched Peru's 3-1 win against Bolivia in the Maracana Stadium.
They didn't expect Peru to reach the final. But the mishaps kept coming and coming.
"We left the 'Concho' in the Lapa street and slept in a hotel nearby. The next day, we found out that someone broke the glass and stole our IDs, some clothes, our reserve tyre and even our drinks," Kent said.
Henry, on the other hand, likes to remember the trip for the good times they had. "So many people helped us with food, gas and places to sleep," he said. "To imagine a trip like that can be stressful, but when you receive that much help, things get a little easier."
Their adventure is coming to an end. Actually, it will be done by Sunday, when Brazil and Peru face off in the Maracana.
"Peru got to the final against all odds," Henry said. "If we win, it will be wonderful. If we lose, it is OK. We'll have a party anyway. Then we will go back to Lima, Peru, and get some rest for a couple of months. But a new project is on the way: to drive 'Concho' all the way to the USA."