Many of you have probably heard Andrew or I talk about our plans for this July and August. I wanted to carve out a place to capture some ideas and chatter prior to departure. The same space is designed to house updates of progress and adventure. We've got a lot of driving ahead of us and while one adventurer needs to keep eyes fixed to the road and hands gripping the wheel, the other will be free to tap out stories to loved ones back home.
In case you haven't heard:
THE PLAN: Drive south from Washington, DC journeying to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
THE DATES: JULY 8th, 2012-August 5th 2012
THE SUPPLIES: 1991 Dodge Spirit, Macbook, GoPro, Satellite Phone, Tank tops, Swimsuits
THE ABSTRACT: All of our lives we constantly discover, create, and cross borders both tangible and intangible. From wide rivers to the boundaries that prevent two contrasting ideas from being weighed earnestly, many of the borders can be traversed. Indeed Andrew makes crossing borders routine every time he crossed the Delaware to follow his favorite sports team or the Anacostia to mentor DC youth. My border crossing tripped man-made borders working in Iraq and physical ones taken a step at a time in the mountains of Morogoro, Appalachia, or Jura.
Life in the United States has provided opportunity for many of these border crossings. This adventure is similar. How close are the borders with Mexico and the countries of Central America? How is it that they've gone uncrossed by so many? A 36 hour car ride may seem distant, but given the car parked out in front of my house, I can't help but wonder how I haven't already spent a mere 36 hours on this pursuit. I routinely spend 36 hours or more socializing with friends, putting in time at work, or playing sports. It seems like a very low cost to experience different cultures, strange foods, and challenging ideas. Upon realizing this math, I find no other recourse than to make a break for the border.
Way to put things into perspective! Border and culture crossing powered by four wheels and bro-ship sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteSafe driving and sweet sights!
Salud!
Before I place any bets on Randall's "final resting place," I need to know how committed you are to the car. Will you give up if Randall gets a flat tire? If the air conditioning goes out? If you need to replace the brakes? The transmission? Give me a $$ amount of repairs for which you will abandon the car and head back home.
ReplyDeleteGreat question, Emily! Also great use of the communal forum to allow everyone to benefit from your inquisitive mind.
ReplyDeleteI'll start by answering each scenario you provide and then offer, as best I can, the abstract to what car repairs 'ain't no thang' versus 'deal-breakers'.
Flat tires and air conditioning malfuctions won't stop us. These are items that I feel realtively comfortable fixing or should take nominal fees to repair. The transmission on the other hand would be a joruney ender. Randal lands where the transmission gives out. The brakes are a bit of a grey area. Replacing the break pads would probably fly, while anything more serious like wear down to the brake discs or air seeping into the brake lines will probably end the trip.
To summarize, the price point for repairs is probably roughly the cost of auto security deposits in most of the countries we are visiting or approximately 200 USD. If I enter Mexico with a car, but leave without that car, I will owe $200 in fines. This sort of system holds true for many of the countries we are visiting, although not all of them. Regardless, the price point remains the same: If we can get the car back on the road for under 200 bucks, we'll probably try to make it happen.
Hopefully this helps. Happy betting!