day 30 - may 10, 2014

7:30 pm

yeah that's right, there's no day 29. "why?" you ask? because i was too tired and frustrated and demoralized to even want to blog.

however, today i feel much better.

we spent the day yesterday trying to find a scrapyard in selina cruz, with zero luck. we couldn't even find a dump to ditch the camper at. we were trying to find a topper for the pickup, and a tailgate, so that we can make a little indoor bed and storage area.

however, last night, after much wine and commiseration, we decided to head for oaxaca, to the overlander oasis. if you recall, this is the place we stayed in oaxaca previously, run by a spectacular canadian couple, calvin and leanne. calvin used to build baja racers, and does lots of fix-jobs on people's rigs that pass through. so we ended up bringing the camper here - he's going to help us find a tailgate and a box for the truck, and he's also going to cannibalize the camper before we dump it. there are lots of usable parts to it, and the fridge, stove, etc. he will pull out what he wants, and what he thinks will help other people, then we'll take what's left to the dump. i feel really good about our little tragedy having the capacity to help other people who need it. when you live in a truck, finding somebody like calvin who has not only the knowledge and resources, but also the spare parts just laying around to fix your problem, it's a HUGE load off your mind! 

even last night, when we made the decision to come to oaxaca, we felt much better right away. it feels like home here (and when we arrived, leanne hugged us and said "welcome home"! what could be better than feeling safe and cozy when half of your home has just flown off on the highway?), and with calvin and leanne's help, i'm sure we'll have a brand new defiant in no time.

that being said, our plans have changed a little... we are going to head back north. we're not giving up on this trip, but we were planning to park the truck in belize and fly home for the summer, and we've just decided to drive it home instead, since there is obviously some regrouping that needs to be done. in fact, we're excited about the prospect of driving back to canada. when we left in january the weather was so bad that we didn't spend much time in northern mexico, so we can take a bit of time to explore it on our way back! we've also learned SO much from this experience, that we have some great ideas for the future.