Day 349 - Bogotá

April 9th -14th
We spent the entire week working on Gregor's engine overhaul. The piston rings were badly worn, and slag had accumulated on the valves and around the valve seats. Carefully scraping and cleaning these areas by hand took considerable time and effort. Eventually, the engine was fully reassembled and reinstalled.

This morning we started it up. After a bit of initial stuttering, it ran well, noticeably quieter, and looked great. The clutch was replaced at the same time, along with new front brake pads.

Meanwhile, Ursula and Ellen became true knitting experts. They also took excellent care of us, serving delicious meals every day. The mechanics were always hungry. Thankfully, the weather was on our side, with not a single drop of rain all week.

On Monday, we picked up the developed films and slides from Kodak. Overall, they turned out well, with only a slight shadow on the right side of some of the diapositives.

On Tuesday, I faxed AAA in Washington, D.C., to request an extension of our Carnet de Passages en Douane. We hope it will be approved soon.

We are now back at the Colegio Andino.

The school principal asked if I would like to give a slide presentation in the auditorium about our travels. I was very excited by the idea and immediately began preparing, hoping that many people would come to watch.

Stats: Miles 12, Expenses $21.35Read more