After a little more than two weeks, a few thousand dollars, and countless hours of hard work, Chimera is purring like a kitten and we’re back on the road! We are now moving on to new adventures with a nearly-rebuilt engine. A big thanks to our attractive mule, Elizabeth, who managed to sneak into Colombia with two large, very heavy bags from the US full of auto parts. We are also thankful for all of the extremely friendly and helpful people in El Cocuy who not only loaned us tools and offered assistance, but were also very kind and hospitable and made our extended stay quite enjoyable.
Tag Archives: Mechanical
El Cocuy Strikes Again
We realize that this post is out of order, but we are putting it up now to fill everyone in on our current situation. Don’t worry, we’re all safe and sound, and Chimera will be ok eventually…but for now the van has had a major engine failure and we are stuck in the little mountain town of El Cocuy, Colombia.
Pupusas, Caravanagoning, and New Friends in El Salvador
We tend to make travel plans only a few days ahead of time. We like the freedom and sense of adventure that comes with an open itinerary. Thus, somewhat intimidated by the very high crime statistics, we weren’t sure whether we were going to even set foot in El Salvador until a day or two before we crossed the border. It turns out that our ten days in the smallest country in Central America were full of beautiful scenery, delicious food, and incredibly kind and generous people. El Salvador delighted us with mounds of delicious pupusas, a VW parade through the capitol city, and wonderful new friends.
San Pedro La Laguna
As we departed Lanquin we discovered that all of the rough roads throughout Baja, mainland Mexico, and Guatemala took a toll on Chimera’s suspension. We made a temporary repair with a frisbee and headed to lovely San Pedro La Laguna for some Spanish school and to await new parts ordered from the U.S.