Around The World In 80 Waves

The mystery man, whose name I never got, takes me in his car all over town until we find Angel the son of the mechanic, and he eventually leads us both to Chico who is sure he can sort out my car. I then jump in his truck with his son in the back and we bounce all the way back to Punta Rosalito when a quick check of my car and they tell me I have split the sump wide open and there is a three inch gash in it. Now if I thought I was Terry F##kwit getting stuck on the sand last night, I know I am he today.

They tow me all the way out through the various desert ravines, dirt tracks, etc I had traversed on the way in without further incident, and drag my sorry self and the motor all the way to his ‘workshop’. I use the term loosely because it was a patch of ground next to Chico’s old caravan.

While they set to work on my car I play with Chico’s dogs wondering if I am going to get handed a huge bill for their efforts, which I have to say would be justified. They get the sump pan off, hammer the dents as flat as they can and then fill the tiny gap remaining with some sort of polymer bond that myself and Angel take a trip to the shop to buy. There is a police car outside the shop and on the way back to Chico’s place Angel and I muddle through a conversation in which he tells me to watch out for them because they are ‘corrupto’ and in on the drug trade in town. He even points out where it is going on, so everybody in town must know about it.

Angel and Chico spend all afternoon and into the early evening working on the car but just as the sun goes down I am good to go and frankly amazed that I have got off so lightly. Things could easily have been so much worse. When I ask what the bill is. Chico only wants 300 pesos which is about £15. I gave him £20 say ‘Adios’ and am wished well for the journey, but also told to watch out for rocks, before being on my way again.

I have to break my rule about not driving at night because there is nowhere to stay in town and the next hotel is 80km away. It passes without any real incident but there is an annoying habit of placing speed bumps without warning on the edge of towns in Baja, and I take air off on one, petrified that I might damage the sump on either take-off or landing! The car and I get to Guerrero Negro in one piece though I’m glad to say