Ready To Roll!

Jerry bought tires for our Land Rover yesterday!!!

That means we'll be mobile soon...I think.

We bought this truck in June

after looking for a couple weeks at this one and that one but
 
we don't actually own it yet.

It's a 1978 Land Rover which is something Jerry has always liked and I love it. And it was born the same year we met and married. :) And it reminds me of Square Tires which is the truck Jerry owned when we met.

In Colombia, paperwork - or any type of business conducting - takes time. 

Lots of time. 

And lots of patience. 

I've been challenged with patience learning all my life. 

When do you think I'm ever gonna get it?

It's been four months now - FOUR MONTHS - and the paperwork still isn't complete.
 
I'm not sure I have the story straight because when I think about it, I just get uptight and impatient and don't listen...but it goes something like this...

Back when it was born, the truck didn't have to be "put into" the transportation system. 

That system has changed. 

I suppose people that didn't choose to do the paperwork were not penalized so the owner never had it done. 

Now - if you buy an automobile it's automatically "put in" the system. 


The truck was originally sold and lived in another city - Yarumal - which is just north of Medellin and a few hours south and a little west of us.


None of the mapping programs could calculate directions from here to there so I gave up trying to figure out how far away it actually is.

The lady who owned the truck moved to Barranquilla - from Yarumal - but chose not to register it here - which is ok - but it meant that she had to return (physically) to Yarumal to pay the taxes every year. Or have her family do it. Which is also ok because she has family there.

Unless you choose to change it, automobiles stay registered in the city where the paperwork was first done.


So...we are now at the mercy of her brother in Yaramul who doesn't really have a vested interest in getting the paperwork done to have the truck 'put into' the system. (She's getting on in age and doesn't want to make the trip south). 


We're also at the mercy of ...the DMV - which is a ridiculous thing to call it here, but for lack of a better word...the DMV figures - if she didn't worry about getting the paperwork done way back when, then why should they be in any hurry now.


The man that we actually bought the truck from never had it registered in his name (but knew the original owner) so he didn't worry about all this stuff. He just drove the truck as though he'd borrowed it.

When he sold it to us, we had our attorney friend Shirlley write up a contract with specifics because:

The owner wanted half down - with us taking possession - and the other half paid when the paperwork was complete. 

We figured a couple weeks.

Go figure.


So...we've had this cute little truck in the garage for four months - FOUR MONTHS - but haven't wanted to put any money into until it's legally in our name.

It needed a fuel pump so we gave in and bought a Universal pump back in August just to be able to start it up.

It has totally dry rotted tires that my dear, safe hubby (he's a little obsessive compulsive about safety these days) didn't want to go to the end of the block on.


But yesterday we caved.


Jerry went out to buy tires and rims and he is at this moment happily working in his el garaje.

And he proudly bought tail lights today on his way home from a doctor appointment - all by himself!

We're gonna be ready to roll any time now.


WOO HOO and WHOOP DE DOO!!!

Now to work on that patience thing because traffic here is CRAZY!!! 

The buses facing us have the green light.