Reunited with Sherman

We were up at 6:00am Wednesday morning to wave goodbye to the group at their planned 7:00am departure from Oaxaca to Puebla. It's only 360 kms (223 miles), but an early start is better.

They had a Green Angel escort today, and it's a good thing. He arrived right at 7:00am, and I went over the route with him.

We waved goodbye to the group, and as we were doing so Ruth said "it's like watching your children head off on their own!"

Watching this group is an interesting social experiment. Put 12 couples together where they essentially have to spend 86 days together... every day. I mean sure, you have time to yourself when you want to, and you do not have to participate in every outing together. But realistically, you see each other every single day.

Obviously there will be personality clashes. It's unavoidable. But for the most part, you become a big family where everybody looks out for everybody else. And just like a family, while you may not really enjoy your brother or sister's company all the time, they are still your family.

And such as it seems to be with our group. Ruth and I were without our home for the last three days in Oaxaca City and we just had an overnight bag with us that we had quickly thrown together. The place we stayed was basic and while it had a kitchen, there were no utensils. The shower didn't work properly, and on the first day I forgot the soap and shampoo in the campground building.

But everybody stepped up to the plate to help us out. People fed us, and supplied us with beer and  and wine and shampoo and soap and all the other essentials of life! Thanks especially to Michel and Louise, Mike and Linda, and Mark and Barbara, as well as the several others who offered to help. We all made the best of a less than ideal situation, and we appreciate it.

By 8:30am, Ruth and I were out on the main highway flagging down a collectivo taxi to take us to the main ADO bus terminal. We made it to the terminal without a problem, and bought our tickets for the 10:00am bus.

Buses in Mexico are far nicer, cheaper, and more organized than anywhere we've seen in Canada or the U.S. They assigned us our seat when we bought the tickets. Greyhound could learn a thing or two.

We had some time to waste, and we went across the street to a couple of food stands to buy some breakfast and food for the five hour bus ride.

Beautiful ADO bus terminal in Oaxaca.

We bought a big glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, a fresh fruit plate, and three large chicken and green salsa tamales. Total of 110 pesos ($7.75 CAD, $6.00 USD)

Have I mentioned lately that we love Mexico?

While we were waiting for the bus, my phone rang. It was the mechanic in Juchitan. They had received the parts but they were not the correct ones. I was not surprised, despite the fact that I had supplied all of the correct information. 

However, the owner of the shop had discussed the situation with his mechanics, and he was confident that they could do a repair that would enable us to get back to the United States safely. I asked Gabriel to call him and translate so that I knew I was understanding correctly, and Gabriel got back to me with the info that they were very positive they could effect a repair strong enough to do the job.

I gave the go ahead. 

The bus left at exactly 10:00am. Scheduled for 5 hours and 15 minutes to Juchitan, and that's exactly what it took.

Despite the beautiful scenery, we did not take any photos out the bus window. I managed to get some shut eye, although Ruth felt a little queasy from the curvy mountain road.

The five hours went by fast enough, and at 3:15pm we arrived in the dusty hot windy town of Juchitan. We grabbed a taxi and he brought us to the mechanic shop where Sherman was sitting there ready to go.

The right front wheel looked totally normal. I had a quick look underneath and if I had to guess I think they used some of the new parts. Everything looks new, with the exception that there is no boot on the joint to keep it clean. That's not a problem if I keep it well greased over the next four weeks until we get back into the U.S.

For those of you who are being armchair mechanics, of course you wouldn't even think of doing such a thing in Canada or the U.S. where parts are readily available. But here in Mexico, the mechanics are used to dealing with repairing and refurbishing when possible.

Sr. Alejandro Chavez, the owner of the shop asked me to take Sherman for a drive to see how he handles. Of course I was a little concerned about the alignment.

But it was FAR better than I was expecting! The steering wheel is centered, and I did notice a slight pull to the left, but it was also very windy out. 

Nope, it's not a perfect situation. The right front lower ball joint is now "possibly" okay, and the left front lower one has not been changed since the last time the right front one was... and that one is the one that broke. So it is "possibly" not okay, although Sr. Alejandro thinks it is okay.

So we're going to get Sherman up to the U.S. where we will spend some money and get him fixed up properly. In the meantime, I'm confident that he's okay to drive for the time being.

The bill was 2,800 pesos ($200 CAD, $155 USD).

Ruth, happy to be back in our home!

Today, we're doing the long (620 km, 384 mile) drive to Puebla to meet up with the group.

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Nice price drop on the

Black and Decker Lithium Max Pivot Vacuum Cleaner

And in Canada...

Alien 6 Film Collection