Trying to Find the Right Car

Yesterday, the reflection that I get from UCC everyday talked about forcing oneself to move on and keep trying even in times of frustration, depression, lack of success. This morning, I woke up feeling rather overwhelmed by our need to get a car but our seeming inability to find the right one. Of course, Glenn is always supportive, but it was hard to get up for the day. Thinking about the reflection, I prayed for help in keeping motivated and help for finding the right car within our budget.

During breakfast, out of the blue, Jairo (the hotel's manager) asked us how things were going and I expressed frustration with our inability to make a decision about the car I found two weeks ago that Victor said is too old and too expensive. After going to Tocagón yesterday, I was reminded how important good wheels are for the cobblestone and dirt roads going up into the indigenous communities. And a four wheel drive isn’t a bad thing to have either. So I was beginning to feel the VW Venta sedan wasn’t necessarily a good choice for what we needed.

Jairo rearranged his schedule and took us along on an errand to Ibarra. On the way back, he spent around 2 hours stopping at different patio de coches so we could look at used cars. We found cars we could afford older than the Venta (it's a 1994) that looked like they were beginning to fall apart; we found high clearance vehicles that had low enough seats for Glenn, but were out of our price range; and then, nearly out of time, we found a four wheel drive that is as old as the Venta with fewer miles (still near 100,000 miles) but within our price range. Jairo said the motor looked good and we’re taking it to a mechanic tomorrow.

Wow! I felt humbled and thankful for the gift Jairo gave us of his time and patience. AND, if we really do get the 4 x 4, Glenn may never want to come back to the US. He has wanted a jeep for years so he could go on the back roads. He may actually get his wish and there are definitely lots of amazing mountains here that have unpaved roads!

--Marilyn Cooper