WOW, today was a big day... we just booked one-way tickets to fly from Oakland to Cancun!  We decided to change our plans and leave the Jeep here in California and just fly into Mexico/Central America.  There are a lot of reasons for this decision but they boil down to convenience, cost and security.

After travelling around the country for the last 4 weeks neither of us really wants to spend the next six months in a car, and we're both tired of driving.  Leaving the Jeep will make us stay longer in an area - such as a small diving community in Belize or Honduras - and we'll be able to relax about driving, getting in and out of customs, where we park, where we leave the car etc.  We'll also meet more people who are having similar adventures since we'll be forced to use public transportation.

Cost-wise it's almost a wash when you throw in plane tickets, but we save gas money and a substantial amount in the various auto insurance policies required in each country and customs fees involved in taking the vehicle in and out of the country and storing it when we head to the BAHAMAS! (yahoo!! for Jay and Noel's wedding in May).  But when you factor in the cost of repairs or replacement if - or more likely, when - it's damaged and/or stolen, leaving it is a windfall.

Security was the final nail as we can't keep our belongings safe in the car when it's unattended... since a 4 year old with a coat hanger can defeat the locks.  Also, driving means driving through unknown roads of unknown condition with an unknown group of unknown people who might want to do unknown things to us.  That's certainly part of the adventure but it's also a stressor.  I'd rather be stressed about what kind of eels are going to bite me in the water.  Driving won't exactly let us keep a low profile either as we won't exactly blend in driving a new(ish) Cherokee with Mass plates.

Anyway, we're excited as we'll also bring less stuff and be more portable.  The other thing that's purely psychological is that we now have a hard-and-fast departure date of 12/6/06!!

 

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