During our two weeks at El Rancho RV Park in Oaxaca we have been planning our way forward. When we leave Mexico and enter Belize in a couple of weeks we will be leaving behind the world of Promaster vans so we went by the dealer and bought brake shoes just in case…The South American Andes is a vast mountain range with roads that require dependable braking!
We are hoping to replace and repair bodywork using Fiat and Peugeot parts which are identical in Ducato and Jumper vans. The engine is a Jeep six cylinder and the transmission is a standard six speed Dodge minivan part. It’s all a bit of a pastiche…but a breakdown will require time and patience to repair. Intellectually we have come to terms with this, though if we are stopped by a van failure it will be frustrating, that I know. There aren’t very many vehicles sold around the world as one model. The Sprinter van is but diesel is not what I wanted to drive for a number of reasons.
Marcus fixed my winch so I was free to test the spare wheel system under the van. I checked all five tire pressures, I greased the aftermarket oversized u-joints we installed in Ohio. GANNET2 is as ready as she can be for what is to come.
Our plan is to be in Belize in three weeks and arrive in Panama no later than June 1st to try to beat the summer rainy season. Panama is the wettest spot in the Americas when it rains. I’ve seen it and it’s impressive. In El Rancho we talk to other travelers, Greg and Duan who have been waiting five weeks for their Ford Transit transmission to be fixed. Omar and his wife Angelica live outside Mexico City and they are figuring out their entry to van life. All of us would like to drive to Argentina one day. We hope our day has come.
Mexico is its own country, huge populated and full of issues. It’s the separator between travelers who seek out the Latin American experience and those who don’t. To not want to travel here is no mark of dishonor in my book. There is much to see and enjoy in the US and Canada where there is a lot less uncertainty. Layne and I just want to stretch our wings while we have the life and energy to try.
This is, below, a crude representation of our proposed journey passing through each country in the isthmus all the way to the dreaded Darien Gap.
In 1998-2000 we sailed from San Francisco to Panama, passed through the canal and sailed to Key West and there we sold the boat and settled. Now we want to explore the interiors, places we glimpsed when we left the boat for a rental car and took the dogs inland to explore. In retrospect those drives were memorable beyond their short distances so taking the van should be an exciting addition to those glimpses of countryside 25 years ago. Miraflores in the canal a few months before the US handover in 1999, we four onboard our Gemini 105 catamaran:
There are known difficulties ahead in addition to all the surprises good and bad. Nicaragua is slipping into a Stalinist dictatorship fearful of outsiders with a government fomenting fear of foreigners. What this means is we can expect a probing encounter with border officials. A journalist friend of mine says reporters are banned if their work isn’t approved. For civilians like us with no public personas to defend the ban is on cameras. No “professional” photo gear is allowed. No drones, no binoculars and all such objects are subject to confiscation. Hmmm. Our plan? Fly Layne and our electronics over Nicaragua to Costa Rica leaving me to drive Nicaragua alone. It may not come to that (I hope) but we have that plan in mind. Northbound travelers will keep us informed as we approach.
The Darien Gap is the famous road block. It’s a sixty mile jungle where there is no road because US cattle interests don’t want a road connecting the two continents. The fear is diseases endemic in South America could easily be brought north to infect cows in the US whereas forcing the animals to go by ship makes their health status easier to check and control. So we have to ship our van because they won’t allow a road. If there were a road through the Gap the drive might take a couple of hours and Colombia would see a lot more tourism.
A Panamanian overland couple have made a name for themselves sorting out vehicle breakdowns and packaging motorcycles cars and RVs to ship to Colombia. If you are interested in how travelers cross the Gap go to their link and see for yourself:
We don’t want to Roll On/Roll Off (“RORO”) because the van rides on a ship unprotected from the depredations of bored seamen who have a habit, unchecked, of breaking into vehicles in transit. If we can fit in a container it’s more expensive but safer for GANNET2. For ourselves we take an hour flight from Panama City to Cartagena Colombia and we hope Rusty rides in the cabin with us. Many unknowns and a bill we have budgeted at $5,000 and no expectations that will be enough.
Finally we have Layne’s two dental implants. Originally she was going to fly back to Los Algodones on the US border but in talking to travelers we now plan to have the work completed as we travel south. There are first class medical facilities that do excellent work at a fraction of the cost in the US. We will be looking for them in the capital cities as we go. This way we get going as we continue to try to travel in dry season. Weather is always a consideration for travelers but for road travelers rain is the cause of many problems. Mud, floods and being forced to live inside your vehicle are all reasons to avoid rain when possible.
That in rough outline is the plan and we start on Sunday (…or maybe Monday…) or when we finally leave the comfort of El Rancho and wrap up Mexico over the next two weeks or so. We plan to travel purposefully but not in a rush. Oh and we have to email the Department of Agriculture in Belmopan to get a permit to import Rusty to Belize. Why? Haven’t a clue. It’s just a typical traveler’s imponderable. Many more of those to come.
Wish us luck!
Birthday Piñata in El Tule village.
Oaxacan Tlayuda.
Florida wild camping. Happy memories.
Monument Valley Arizona July 2022
