After a week of entertaining adventures in the East, we are back to Uyuni, and to our own (and most challenging!) adventure with Pepe. Our stand-in mechanic found the evil that blocked the engine: a broken cojinete, a pretty standard part in any VW-respecting country, but unfortunately very scarce good (read: unfindable) in Bolivia.
Pepe's future looks far from bright... and while we are once again reassessing our - by now extremely limited - options, we receive a surprising message from a Dutch couple that is road tripping through South America in their '86 Vanagon T3, and de passage in Uyuni!
We are very excited to meet Pepe's brother from Suriname, and in brotherly T3 spirit, Erik (who happens to be a truly self-made VW man) offers to have a connoisseur look at Pepe as well. A quick stopover lunch turns into a lovely day of sharing experiences, and plenty of empty beers and some severe sunburns later, we decide to embark together on a T3 tour to the world-famous Salar de Uyuni, which (despite being just a stone's throw away!) we still haven't visited :)
After a really fun overnight trip in the breathtaking Salar, our spirits are up and our T3 dream is back alive! Let's get that old bastard back on the road!
“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present. ”
PS. The next day, we receive a sad message from Erik and Geertrui informing us that Pepe's brother broke down on the way to Potosi (i.e., the location where Pepe's engine starting failing!) and that - given the time and cost involved - they will continue the last three weeks of their travels without their beloved van. Our joint Salar tour thus ended up being their last trip... and leaves us wondering if we really have bad T3 karma?
“Maybe karma wouldn’t be so nasty if we stopped calling her a bitch? ”
