So this is for your information.
The motorhome is a Vista Winnebego. It is 24ft. long and has a slide-out for the dinette.
This helps traffic control when two people are living in this confined space for any length of time. There is a refrigerator with a small freezer compartment that runs on gas and electricity. We also cook with propane gas and our water is heated with gas or electricity. We have had electricity one time since we left the states and gas is a bit difficult to find so we are VERY conservative about heating water or running our gas generator which sucks up the propane. We rely on a solar panel which is mounted on the roof to keep two large house batteries charged and it does a terrific job. These batteries also charge as we drive down the road. Bill devised a “charging” station that has a invertor. We can charge our phone, camera, lap top and my Nook.
We have a 30 gallon water tank and our drinking water goes through a state of the art filter but good water is hard to come by. We are also very conservative with it’s use.
One of the important aspects, if not the most important, is the Baño (Bathroom). It is small but has a good shower. Having your own facilities is a BIG plus.
Bill also mounted two 12 volt fans. One is over the bed and the other over the eating area. These make all the difference on these hot, muggy days.
We also have a 12 volt TV and DVD player. Since it is dark by 6:30 we watch some movies. I love my e-reader. I had downloaded some books before we left and it is great to have.
Since there isn’t any electricity, coffee is made every morning by the old fashioned percolator on the stove.
Washing clothes is done several ways. The best is the lady who wants to earn some money. She washes them on a stone, dries them and brings them back folded. They are clean as can be. The bigger cities offer lavanderia service. You drop off the clothes and pick them up later. Then there’s also the Mobile Maytag washer that we carry with us. It consists of a 5 gallon bucket. You put the dirty clothes in the morning with water and soap. They slosh around all day. When you arrive at your destination you rinse them and hang to dry.
Shopping:
The shopping centers in the cities are large and modern and have anything you want.
Super Markets are common. The choice of meat is limited and usually cut to order. One must learn how much a kilo is. The local markets have wonderful vegetables-some we don’t recognize. Fruits are abundant and so good. Most are new to us and we try them. The rule is you can eat what you can peel. Some we like. Others take a back seat. Meals eaten out are always an experience. Arroz (Rice) is always served unless you say NO ARROZ. Papas (Potatoes) are served with rice. There’s a small salad on the same plate. It is usually very good. The meat can vary from pollo (chicken), carne (meat) to piscado (fish). The seafood is the best. We left the big chains, such as Ky. Fried Chicken in Central America. We did come across a restaurant called Pollo Kentuky. We didn’t try it.
The Road:
We have a travel log that you go by. You set your odometer to 0 and the log tells you what’s there at a certain point. This is important for directions, stops, and turns It’s not always correct but makes travel interesting.
Our leader has a travel meeting the afternoon before we travel or the morning of. He goes over the log and any other information we might need.
There are many tolls. Major roads in Columbia and Ecuador have tolls about every 50 miles. This does not mean it is a toll road as we know it. You just pay a fee for using the roads.
Check points are common. In Columbia you usually just got big smiles and thumbs up. Sometimes they will check papers and just want to see inside the motorhome.
Fuel is easily found. Columbia stations were Texaco, Esso and others. Diesel was $2.70 a gallon in Columbia and Ecuador it is $1.03.7. We couldn’t believe it!! There is always an attendant to pump the gas.
One big point---There aren’t any campgrounds in South America. We park in some strange places. Hotel parking lots, shopping centers, national parks, service stations etc. There are always guards and safety is of most importance.
We hope this clears up questions on how we manage. Certainly one must always adjust to changing conditions. No one ever said travel was easy. To us it is a necessity and well worth the trouble.
Gerry and Bill
Bath Room
Bedroom
Kitchen
Good Location
Make-up Station
Men Only
Work Station
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