It took only 4 days for the clutch to arrive at Mexico City airport and then another 6 days for it to finally arrive at the garage, on Friday 25/11. We tried all types of techniques to speed up customs clearance. Unfortunately DHL was not communicating with us what was required. When we finally got the right e-mail address to communicate with them, everything went quick after that. Pavel (the camp host/owner) paid (on our behalf) for the custom clearance before 16:00 hrs and the following day the package arrived here in La Paz. Rudy went to the garage in the hope that they would stay open long enough to receive the package. Fortunately it arrived few minutes before their closing time. They were also surprised. The next day, Saturday, the mechanics worked as long as required to get the camper back on the road again. At 15:00 hrs Rudy loaded the borrowed bicycle in the camper and drove to the guesthouse with a big smile on his face. Needles to say that to celebrate this, we had a nice Mexican meal at the restaurant around the corner which we had walked past many times on our way to the bank or supermarket and to the garage.
Life at the guesthouse had settled in to a routine. We had our own room with toilet and shower. The internet connection was good enough to watch Netflix movies or Dutch TV programs. Mostly we slept late and also got out of bed later than the others. Breakfast (cereal and coffee) was taken in the communal open air area, called palapa here. In the afternoon we made a walk to the beach, bank or supermarket. Rudy also made several trips to the garage to pick up clothes and food out of the camper. There were always other “Overlanders” to talk to and share travel/live experience stories. If we did not have a lunch when walking around in the afternoon, Jamaliah cooked meals which she shared with others in the evening. Anna and Pavel (the owners) are forever trying to improve the quality of their guesthouse/camping. They are very easy going and a great source of information about life in Mexico. Finally on Sunday, we packed everything back into the camper and said goodbye to all the occupants of the Peace Center (name of the guesthouse). We wanted to try out the camper a bit and therefore drove to another camping (Maranatha) just some 10km outside town. This camping caters for large campers who spend the winter months here. There are however also quite a few world travellers in van campers. Mostly German, Swiss and French.
Rudy Welling's Travels 