30 days of planning and 8 hours of work

The patio project was planned well over a month ago!  I changed my mind about 10 times before deciding on the final design.

Before 

and after

After a month of careful planning (procrastination) the actual construction time was only about 8 hours.  I now have just two small projects to complete at my brother's house and hope to have them finished this afternoon.

I still have a couple of upgrades I want to do on Dod but I plan to head for the border no later than Monday, January 2nd which should put me at my final destination of San Blas by the middle of January.  It is 51 degrees outside as I write this and it is 81 degrees right now in San Blas!

I also purchased another piece of medical equipment in an online auction yesterday and need to sell it.  If it hasn't sold by the 2nd I will leave it for my brother to sell.

Is Mexico safe?

When I share my plans to RV all over Mexico, almost everyone has the same advice: Don't go!  Most tell me they have never been there and that they wouldn't even think of going.  I used to explain to them that I lived in Mexico for almost 2 years and that I felt safer there than I would in most big cities in the U.S. but now I just say I will be careful.

The per capita murder rate in Washington, D.C. is eight times higher than in Mexico City and the rate in most large U.S. cities is also higher than Mexico City.  The murder rate for U.S. citizens in Mexico is about 1 per 100,00 or less than one fifth the rate in the U.S.

Anyone who has spent much time in a large U.S. city knows that there are certain areas that you just don't visit.  It is the same in Mexico.  I have been driving all over Mexico since 1972 and have had only two minor incidents.  I had some tools sitting in the back of my Jeep at a hotel in La Paz and they were stolen.  My fault for leaving them there with no top on the Jeep.  In Tijuana, a young Mexican-American, gang-banger type grabbed my cell phone off my belt and ran off.  I chased him down and got my phone back. Pretty dumb move on my part as I was 58 at the time and he was in his early 20s.

I always exercise caution when deciding where to camp for the night and avoid any section of town that does not look safe.  The vast majority of Mexicans are happy to have tourists around as without us their economy would suffer.

Work on Dod progresses

Although nothing was actually wrong with Dod, I wanted to replace the three engine belts and the rear shock absorbers.  I got an estimate of $152.30 to replace the belts and $285.00 to replace the two rear shocks.  I went to a local auto parts store and bought all the parts for less than $140.00 and did the installations with the help of a good friend of my brother's who wouldn't accept any money.  Total time of actual work was about two hours.

Next on the list are a couple of new tires, another solar panel and one or two more house batteries.  I am also thinking about adding the capability of using regular propane bottles in addition to my built-in tank.  I want to be prepared to spend a month in one spot just in case I find my personal paradise.

I also built a shelf unit for the cab-over sleeper area which probably doubled my storage space.  It is filling up fast as I stockpile groceries for Mexico.  I spent $60. today and due to the super bargains and a 5% Senior Discount, my register receipt showed that I had paid about 40% of the normal prices.  While you can get anything you want in Mexican supermarkets, items from the US usually cost much more than you would pay here.  I stocked up on Best Foods Mayo, Ritz crackers,  Rice-a-roni, Betty Crocker side dishes, and Folger's coffee.  I think I probably have enough food on board for well over one month.

I am really getting antsy about heading out!