Tag 374 - Pickup of our motorhome/RV

Haaaaaallooo everyone!

Today we had quite a bit to do.

We went for breakfast at the hotel, packed everything up, and checked out. Our luggage could still be stored at the reception.

Since we still didn’t have internet, that was our first mission.

We set off and actually found a phone service provider store. Since we had a router with us, we thought it would be relatively simple: buy a SIM card, insert it, and use the internet. So we bought a SIM card, inserted it and nothing happened. When we put it in one of our phones, we realized that it was blocked for hotspots (sharing internet access). But at least we could now use one device for navigation, which was already a huge relief.

The rest of the time we walked along the shore and were really surprised by the different animals we encountered!

We saw some kind of iguana, a parrot, and a crocodile!

On the way back, we stopped at a nice restaurant for a refreshing drink and a portion of fries to share ☺️

Then it was finally time! 2 PM, we picked up our luggage at the reception and ordered an Uber to get to the motorhome rental.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a questionable establishment, with various motorhomes in the yard.

Everything was scattered everywhere, bicycles piled up with various defects, and no one really wanted to assist us. Just as a lady started helping us, two other tourists came in, visibly agitated. Nothing was working in their motorhome, the battery was completely dead, the generator wouldn’t start, water was leaking from underneath the kids' bed, and their mood was obviously in the dumps.

Ufffff…. We want to drive around in a motorhome for a month - what can we expect?

The woman who was assisting us went through a door and shortly returned: with the manager in tow and visibly shaken. The manager addressed the complaint while the other lady continued with our instruction. No sooner had two minutes passed than she burst into tears - her manager was so mean, she explained.

A lot of the instruction went completely over our heads, we were too distracted by the sympathy for the tearful employee.

In the end, she calmed down a bit and we could choose two bicycles to finish up. This proved to be harder than expected, as hardly any bike was functioning, and no, the bicycles were not offered for free, we paid a decent price for the rental.

Eventually, we had everything together and the drive with the three-meter-wide motorhome could begin.

I was very grateful to Kevin when he naturally took the driver's seat to take the first drive.

Now we still had to shop, refuel, and find a camping spot for the first night.

First stop: grocery store. I found a shop that was only 20 minutes away - totally fine, we thought. But then we got stuck in a traffic jam… And what a traffic jam…! Moreover, there were definitely between three and four traffic lights on a one-kilometer stretch - set up so that you had to stop at practically every light!

After about an hour in traffic, the GPS still chirped cheerfully “10 more minutes.”

Then we lost patience and pulled over to one of those small shops, which at least had the essentials. In the meantime, we had landed in a sort of Spanish neighborhood, as hardly anyone spoke English anymore, only Spanish! ☺️

It didn’t seem too common for tourists to venture here either, as we were being curiously observed.

We weren't really satisfied with the shopping, but at least we had something in the fridge now.

Next mission: looking for a campground.

We decided on the nearest one, which was however 1 hour and 10 minutes away.

When we reached the campground, it was already 7 PM and dark.

The reception was already closed, and as we drove slowly onto the campground, the flashing lights of a park ranger vehicle came on behind us. We stopped, rolled down our windows, and soon the campground host came over to us.

She kindly asked if we had made a reservation. When we replied no, she smiled, asked for an ID, and led us to an available spot.

It was raining intermittently, so we made ourselves cozy in our motorhome. We ate some bread, chatted about this and that, and discussed the next day.

So, that's it from us again, and we're already looking forward to tomorrow! ☺️