March 8, 2008

Enrique was Rogelio Vazquez Castillo's older brother.

Rogelio was the owner of Geraldo VW's in downtown La Paz on Calle Madero.

It was the Volkswagen dealership that had directed us to Geraldo VW's.

The reason this matters is that it was poor Enrique who, after we had been passed along by the other two, took on the unenviable task of hauling out the van's mini-fridge to assess why we couldn't getting it running on the propane option.

(Enrique also agreed to install the snug-fitting mosquito screen for the van's side sliding door that we had couriered to us - for paying $100, from Go Westy Campers. Why it hadn't dawned on us to buy the screen when we were at the garage a month earlier, we'll never know.)

A fridge that didn't work was, for us, a potential trip-breaker; buying ice every day to load into a cumbersome cooler, or always eating meals at restaurants, was just not going to cut it.

While in theory, running it on propane (which is ubiquitous in Mexico) was the answer, Adrienne and I had not been able to get the pilot light going yet without the assistance of our mechanic in Vancouver or the guys at Go Westy Campers in Los Osos, California.

Not having the van meant not having a home so we checked out of the soon-to-be-permanently-closing Aquamarina RV Park on Bahia de la Paz and into the under-cleaned and over-priced Yeneka Hotel, a few blocks back from the malecon.

While we cooled our heels, the English-speaking Enrique worked on the van at his house-cum-garage. But despite his best efforts, the pilot light still woudn't spark.

We had already changed our ferry tickets once - at a cost of $18.50 - so that Enrique would have an extra day, and with no answer seemingly in sight, we decided to leave La Paz with our fridge fisaco unresolved.

Getting a vehicle to the Mexican mainland is more involved than simply driving to the terminal in Pichilingue, buying a ticket and loading onto the boat.

It is, in fact, a three-step process: (1) make the 30-minute drive out to the terminal to purchase the temporary vehicle permits; (2) return to La Paz to purchase the tickets at the Baja Ferry office, showing them the vehicle permit; and (3) return to the terminal to catch the ferry.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Acquamarina Campsite: $18.50
-Yeneka Hotel: $40/night
-Temporary Vehicle Permit: $55