Random thoughts from the last month in the RV

"Odin the Winnebago is self-contained:  Water tank, bathroom, stove & fridge work off propane and a generator.  With cooler evenings, we're finally taking advantage of a free night at a WalMart parking lot.  Bought $135 worth of groceries.  Got permission from the manager.  Streaming TV off our phone.  No slide.  No levelers (but we're pretty level!). Two other RV's and several semis are over in the corner with us.  Then we'll be off first thing in the morning!"

I'm WAY behind on the blog.  Although the last month in the Winnebago was fun, it didn't feel "exciting and new".  I didn't feel compelled to put my thoughts down "on paper" for eternity.  However, as I look back through the photos and FaceBook posts, I see some funny moments.  Since I don't trust FaceBook to archive my memories without randomly losing things, I'll do a quick catch up.  (For those who follow along on @svOdinTheWanderer, there's nothing new here.  Check back for a quick post on "Storing the Winnebago!" then we're back to the boat!)

On the road from Colorado back to Missouri:

Twitter:  “Gusting to 30 mph!  I just saw a tumbleweed!  No $h!t #WelcomeToKansas”

Twitter:  Rest Stop Goodland, KS “Two rest stops for The Colonel today.  Windy!”

“Good morning!  I stood in the WalMart parking lot in my pajamas to get this picture.  You're welcome.”

Twitter:  “Topeka here we come!  Winds NW @ 4”

Russell, KS 24/7 Travel Store:  “RainX doesn’t help with the bugs!  Gas & lunch stop…”

FB:  “I never thought I’d utter the words, “Topeka is a nice town!”  Honestly, The Colonel said it first.  What an interesting perspective you get travelling by RV!"  

"Mama is so neglectful."

FB:  “We've taught the cat an unfortunate new morning routine.  She likes to look out the screen door each day before going back to bed.  She doesn't care if it's 50F out, or RAINING like today!  (Luckily, we have an awning over the door).  I'm not sure why, but when I forget or get too busy, I get the "I'm so disappointed in you" face.  Today, in my haste, I neglected the slide the handle cover closed and came back to this!  Hey, where are you going little lady?!”

"Hey, look!  A hole!"

Deer Creek Valley RV Park, Topeka:  “A beautiful Kansas sunset.  Ironically, I had just changed into my jammies after a shower.  Maybe I'm onto something…"

The WalMart stop was partly to justify paying for two nights at Deer Creek, one of our favorite stops.  There was a forecast of rain anyway, so no sense spending the day driving our house in the rain.  The Colonel did get in a bike ride including the epic hill just past the entrance to the RV park.  He discovered Lake Shawnee State Park (originally nixed because it was too far from the highway).  He confirmed "bigger rv’s than us" were there and next year we should "plan a stay for a week..."  Roger, that!

Back on the road again...

FB:  "Saw the aftermath of a terrible accident on I-70.  We were diverted off onto the outer road. A “semi lost his rear axle!  He ended up in the median. Semi behind him was damaged. Several cars in the debris field. I bet the CB chatter is educational. I just learned the rear axles are adjustable at a rest stop the other day!”

Twitter:  “Our new driving games--reporting fuel prices on GasBuddy​ and traffic slowdowns on Waze​!”

St. Louis, MO/IL:

We spent a week at Cahokia RV Parque because we were babysitting the Grandbaby.  It was a little weird.  The Colonel grew up in this area, but it borders on a questionable neighborhood now.  We decided to give it a try since it was a highly rated Good Sam park and our only decent option on the Illinois side.  The staff was nice.  The onsite restaurant was decent.  The wifi was terrible and our T-Mobile was not much better.  I can't quite give it a bad review because we felt safe enough, even wandering to the nearby grocery store a few times.  However, I wasn't comfortable going for a walk. It felt awkward that the other transients (especially arriving after dark!) may not have been aware of their surroundings.

Our first dedicated "rv lane" in Wentzville.  Sweet!

And this is how I got behind on the blog!  Busy, busy...

Reason #62 we love living in Odin the Winnebago:  Leaves we don't have to rake. Score! #WeHateYardWork!

FB:  “Back in our happy place.  LOVE #StateParks.  The windows are open.  The birds are chirping outside our bedroom window.  The leaves are starting to fall.  $23/night to live in a protected wilderness.  Happy, happy.”

And today's blog is by Grandbaby, who, when she runs out of hands while reaching for the keyboard...

xydioflwkerngoidysoidg

Working on planes...

The Colonel was fortunate to arrive just in time for a big King Air inspection that was due.  We scheduled our trip to Colorado so that he would be back.  (He wanted to make sure I posted an airplane pic!)

Sneaking the Winnebago onto the airport for the weekend...

And of course, some "boys working on cars & drinking beer"...

Purge #2.  We agreed to revisit our storage unit after a year and reevaluate.  As we plan to return to the boat in Nov and RV life is agreeable, everything that doesn't fit in the RV must go!

 Odin gettin' some love. So shiny I can see myself!

The Colonel takes a pic!  "MAMAMAMAMA!"

"Grandpa, are you really not sharing any more green beans?!"

Last stop--Sundermeier's RV park

AND we're back in historic, downtown St. Charles.  Our second favorite spot after Babler--right on the Katy Trail (The Colonel photobombing my pic--his new hobby…)”

A morning bike ride with family on one of our regular routes.  The Katy Trail from downtown St. Charles & across the Boone Bridge to Creve Couer

“It's been fun to come back & reconnect with family and friends.  When we left Missouri to live on a sailboat over a year ago, a majority of them were positive we had gone "bat-shit crazy" (although most were polite enough not to say it to our face!).  Buying an RV received more support, but still seemed "a little crazy" to some (still polite, but lot's of head shaking!)--until we remind them we don't own a house.  It's not a recreational vehicle we use on the weekend or for vacation--we've lived in it full-time for almost 4 months!  (Other rvers:  "Are you full-time?"  Sit down.  We'll explain!)  It's nice to have a backup plan.  A crash pad when we want/need to come back stateside.  It is our HOME.  We have two actually.  Not that is slightly embarrassing…”

Woo hoo!  I went to the Freightliner Owner's website to buy a t-shirt for The Colonel, and stumbled on the fact they have listed their classes for Camp Freightliner 2017!  

Let me back up (and a reminder, we're nerds...)

When we bought Odin the Winnebago in FL, we learned about chassis classes they teach at the factory in South Carolina--"on our way to Missouri!"  

School?!  Sign us up!  

They were all full for the season.  Boo!  

"Should I call about a wait list?"  We'd have to drive back to SC.  Bummer.  

BUT, now they're doing two classes FOR Winnebago's at the Winnebago factory in IOWA!  Sign us up!  (And the copilot gets to sit in the class for an extra $50--and we get t-shirts!). Score!  

Oops, it's right after the big rally.  I may have accidentally signed us up for the rally also--don't tell him!  He hates crowds!” 

As mentioned in the post, "RV Project, TV", I got some more pics scanned.  In case, your new to our blog, here's the "plane" portion of our life...
1)  Engaged, we flew this C152 from St. Louis to Longmont, CO to break in the engine.  A 6-hour flight ended up taking two days, but we came back still a couple!  (I'm pretty sure they had a pool going on the airport...)

Our 1957 Cessna 310, N212PH (not an "A" model--a Sky King model!)  We both got our multi ratings in it & then built our hours

“You know you live in an rv/boat when extra pantry stuff is stored under the bathroom sink and that doesn't seem weird at all…”

FB:  You know you live in/on a RV/boat, when your Amazon address book is full of marinas, RV parks and family members!  

"Hi.  We're coming to visit.  Is our Amazon package there yet?”

Sunset over Sundermeiers RV Park.  St. Charles, MO

RV Project: Upgrade TV

BEFORE

 The TV in the living room of our RV was an older (but not the original) TV.  The screen wasn't great and it was definitely in the way, considering our tethering setup (See the blog "cheapskates-on-move-tv-movies").  The TV in our bedroom was better!  The Colonel had been considering changing it for awhile, and then just before we get ready to put the RV in storage...

I also have a few little projects going.  
FaceBook post #1:  "The good news?  The storage unit is officially GONE!  Yeah!  The bad news?  Five bins of pics that didn't get scanned before we left.  I'm guessing a bin of airplanes, a bin from high school/college, a bin of my baby pics, a bin of family.  Who knows what's in the last one.  2 1/2 weeks to get this done because these CANNOT stay in the Winnebago.  Wish me luck (I already forgot the printer cord--not a great start...back to the store)"

FaceBook post #2:  The #tinyhouse project has begun.  I managed to condense 4 bins of photos down to 1.5 last night while watching tv (because why take one roll of pics at the botanical gardens/zoo/air show when you can take 4!). 

After fiddling with some settings this morning, I have my new Canon MX490 scanning pics faster than I can create iPhoto albums, email those albums to friends/family, and post random photos to FaceBook.  (They go straight from the "scanner utility" to iPhoto which, according to a Google search, is impossible...). 

A project that previously took months may be down to days (hint:  I thought I had removed them ALL from frames, but alas, I didn't.  Big time & space waster).  I've also discovered many of the photos can be divided into 4 distinct groups so I'm stuffing them in the envelopes (after emailing the scans) and I'll pass them on to those who may want them.  

(And if you know where I can get 7 rolls of 35mm film & 2 disposable cameras developed, let me know!)

I also defrosted the fridge.  But you didn't come here to hear about my projects.

I actually get called to duty to help.  That almost never happens. You may remember from previous posts, it's a big awkward TV in a cabinet above our heads!  Less worried about breaking the TV this time, it still takes awhile to find & loosen all the attachment points.

It's down!  As you can see, this clearly isn't the original TV.  This mounting cabinetry was built to hold one of the older-style tube TVs.

It turned out to be a much thicker steel bracket (1/8th"?) than The Colonel anticipated (WELDED in place!).  Instead of running to the airport to get some tools, he elected to run to the hardware store and buy a cut-off wheel and mandrel.  They weren't quite up to the job, but now he was determined.  (I volunteered to run back to the hardware store for more cut-off wheels!)

"Did you ever buy a step stool?"  No.  Balancing on a plastic milk crate, barefoot with a power tool in his hand.  I barely notice anymore.  (Yes, my delicate boy broke the $4 WalMart crate.)

Success!  A significantly reduced foot print.  Also, easier access to the back of the new TV for all of our gadgets.

The good news:  the old TV cabinetry would have survived a zombie apocalypse.  The bad news:  the old TV cabinetry would have survived a zombie apocalypse!  This thing was built like a Mack truck  Freightliner!  That TV was never coming down!  It took him all day to cut it out.  People may complain about the poor workmanship of newer RV's, but this puppy wasn't just thrown up there.

AFTER

He fabricated a few blanking plates, but for the most part, you can't tell it's not the original TV mount.  The new TV is much more compatible with the laptop resolution.  However, it also turned out our new "smart" tv wasn't so smart.  We tried setting it up to stream directly from the RV parks wifi (one of the few RV parks that actually allow & advertise that!) but as I tried to warn him, our smart tv isn't so smart.  You'll have to come back next June to see how that shakes out.

RV Projects: Solar

This is how I usually become aware of a pending project.  It may have been mentioned in passing during a conversation.  Other times, I see the Director of Maintenance of Odin staring at something.  I can almost see the wheels turning.  Occasionally, I ask.  "What are you thinking about?"  "Nothing."  He's still working it out.

And then one day, after being distracted by FaceBook all morning, I realize he's gone.  I trip over a few tools.  Hmmmm, I better investigate, ie. go take some "before" pictures.

I hear foot steps on the roof, so I head out & up the ladder.  I've never successfully made it all the way onto our roof, but something is happening over there...

We had discussed taking the old King Dome off.  The dealer told us it was disconnected & we had no intention of fixing it.  However, removing it would leave some holes The Colonel wasn't ready to deal with yet.

HOWEVER, it's time. He's decided to put a solar panel in it's place (the exact one that we have four of on our sailboat), in the hopes of keeping our batteries healthy over the winter.  Heck, yeah!  I'm a big fan of alternative energy.

Back inside, on the ceiling of the living room, is the crank for the King Dome.  The most interesting part was discovering when the crank was removed, the foam insulation in our roof is over 3 inches thick!  Nice!  (The Colonel made a nice blanking plate to cover the hole.  You don't even notice.)

The solar panel is here!  The solar panel is here!  We allow airflow underneath our solar panels on the boat, but that's not desirable on an RV doing 60 mph down the road!  He fabricates a custom forward bracket to reduce lift.

Before:  Yes, our RV actually had a little solar panel & it worked!  But not enough oommph for a Missouri Winter.  (Look, I'm wearing jeans.  Brrrrr.)

After:  Yeah!  We have solar!  He was able to run the wires down through existing holes to a forward electrical relay panel.  Easy peasy.  It won't run the a/c but it will charge the batteries, we hope.  Stay tuned.  I'll update next June!

Driving in Puerto Rico

A good old Caribbean traffic jam.  Vieques, Puerto Rico

Another way to experience a new culture is to jump in a car & hit the road (or in the Dominican Republic, a motorbike).  Some places are more hazardous than others but the first rule of thumb is YOU ARE NOT IN THE STATES ANYMORE.  I am always amazed at the preconceived notions that come with a task we used to take for granted in our old day-to-day life.  Yes, it's stressful but we've also had some good laughs when they let the gringos let loose in their homeland with minimal instruction or warning.  "They should make us take a test or something..."

Turks & Caicos rental car with a yellow license plate--"Beware, TOURIST!"
(See blog "valentine-day-in-turks-caicos")

The rules & etiquette will be different.  If you are fortunate enough to be in the Turks & Caicos, they put yellow license plates on the rental cars.  Locals are taught on their driver's test to yield to the tourists (yellow license plates!) especially in their infamous roundabouts ("What if there is more than one tourist in the roundabout?"  "Don't do that.").  Personally, I think this should be adopted worldwide.

4 gringos in Papo's SUV head into the city.
See blog "life-in-luperon"

In the Dominican Republic, we rented a car from our "boat boy" and a well-respected local, Papo.  It took us a few minutes to figure out why all the locals were waving & yielding to us "Are we driving the wrong way down a one-way street?"--because we were in Papo's car of course, but that only lasted until we were out of town.  Then our traffic was motorbikes, horses, dogs, chickens and the occasional truck, driving right down the centerline (they move over when another vehicle is coming) and NO STREET SIGNS!  Again, no Espanol required...I can't even put into words what happened when we got into the city.  Basically, just hold your lane and let everyone pass you on both sides.  Clearly, they had no intention of "yielding to the tourists".  (We also experienced a lot of locals walking past us to the head of a line--any line.  Grocery, restaurant...Apparently, not because we are tourists, just another Dominicanism.)

I read a travel blog by a Puerto Rican that basically said, "We are nice people, except when we're driving...". (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brenda-mejia/puerto-rico-6-things-you-_b_9646680.html)

It's a different culture.  At first, they seem like crazy drivers but in our limited experience, we've never seen an accident (although the road rash on local vehicles seems to disprove this).  In fact, after riding in a car with a local, I'd say they are very good drivers, because they drive fast, switch lanes a lot and again--and we've never seen any accidents (see "Local drivers" below).

We experienced amnesia, and had to relearn the rules of the road all over again after being away for 5 months.  It's a culture shock.  There seems to be an unspoken code we haven't quite cracked yet. So for my own future reference, here is what we've learned so far:

Potholes:  After renting cars from three separate agencies in three different parts of the country, we learned you DEFINITELY want the additional "tire & rim" coverage.  It's usually $2--they pretty much won't let you out of the office without it.  It's not a scam.  You really need it because...

Let's talk pot holes:  You wouldn't think they would have the potholes in Puerto Rico, like we have back in Missouri.  After all, it never snows here!  HOWEVER, sadly, their government has allowed the infrastructure to deteriorate and there are potholes that could swallow a small car.  

It's perfectly normal for a local to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid a pothole (It took us a few days to get used to the epic pot hole obstacle course between our rental & the marina--and also a crest of a hill!  After a few provisioning runs, I was also swerving all over my lane like a local--well not really.  I tried to keep it in my lane (but don't assume that shoulder over there is yours--check your mirror!  See "More tips" below)  Remember, part of the locals erratic driving may be because they know where all the potholes are!

If all else fails, try some handwritten directions...Ponce, PR
(see blog "Puerto Rico Part Dos)

Directions:

• You NEED north (norte), (south) sur, (east) este, (west) oeste!  Yeah, we could have had a viral YouTube video if we'd captured some of that.  Good times.

• Stop signs are the same but smaller & say "Pare". (El Capitan ran a few before he got used to them.  No, he doesn't read the blog.)

• There were a lot of "Lomo" signs along the road outside the marina.  El Capitan assumed it meant caution but that's "cuidado".  "We should probably look that up..."

• Don't rely on phone apps, they will most likely get you lost.  (Google Maps is better than iMaps but only marginally.  The audio is largely unusable since "Bitching Betty" doesn't speak very good Espanol.)  The Ponce area was particularly bad (see link below pic).  San Juan & Fajardo were better.

• "Which means you should ask for directions right?" but don't be surprised if you don't get any, since many people don't live near where they work (I asked at West Marine where a good grocery store was.  It took three employees to come up with Econo across the street, and by far the most popular of the three in Fajardo!)

• We actually received written directions from a vet in Ponce (see pic & link above.  I was in tears).  We got even MORE lost, although a local said they made perfect sense.  SO, we asked the rental car agency if they could drive us to pic up Amelia's prescription before turning in the car--See "Local drivers" below!

Street Signs (What street signs?!):  

• They are very stingy with their signage (see "Potholes" above).  There are a few street signs, but never for the street you are looking for and RARELY at intersections.

• Speed limit in MPH, distance in KM (Google Maps automatically switched to KM so I switched it back to miles.  El Capitan wanted it back on KM.  I'm not sure which is worse.  Driving or being the navigator.  "What did it say?"  "I don't know!  I'm trying to switch back to km!").  Oh, and gas in Litres but the gauge is in gallons.  Stopping at a gas station is a whole other experience.

Local drivers:

• El Capitan's observation is there are two speeds in Puerto Rico:  "Drive it like you stole it" and "Grandma (Abuela)".  It makes it hard to blend in.  (According to the articles below, there is no "passing lane".  You are supposed to hold your line & let people pass you.  See "Cutting" in "More Rules of Thumb").  And don't assume grandma isn't driving like she stole it and the loud hip hop car isn't driving like a grandma.  Breath.  "Was that our street?"  "I don't know.  It didn't have a sign".

• In Ponce, the rental car agent graciously agreed to drove us back to pick Amelia the Kitty's prescription after a day of being hopelessly lost.  "No problem.  I just have to stop and pick up an employee on the way back."  It started out normally.  Then as we started chatting about their culture, particularly their love of music, his speed & lane changing increased.  When he picked up his employee and they began to speak Spanish, we reached terminal velocity.  Wow.

• We see policia but never pulling anyone over.

More rules of thumb:

• Red lights are optional.  Look both ways.  We've seen three cars pass through a red light!

• Two lanes can become three lanes (shoulder) in a congested area which results in...

• Cutting.  Getting passed (on the shoulder!) and having someone dive in front of you is par for the course especially in busy areas.  Don't bother with road rage.  You won't win the, "I'm-NOT-letting-this-guy-in" competition.  El Capitan tried. Get used to it.  No, they don't use turn signals either.

• If you are in the right hand lane to turn right, don't be shocked if the person in the center lane decides to turn right also.  This applies to major intersections all the way down to the grocery store parking lot (Also applies to left-hand turns).

• Note:  Rental agencies suggest the Toll Pass.  We definitely used it from San Juan to Fajardo but I thought I could get by without for the 2 mile trip from the ferry to the vet.  WRONG!

Summary:

My previous rule of thumb was, I don't drive outside of the US.  However, I thought I could handle PR.  "We're in the States, right?  They drive on the right side of the road!"  I got behind the wheel in Fajardo after having not driven for 14 months.  It took me two days to get over 45 mph.  Some of the above are generalizations & our own experiences, so there are more resources below (apparently, I'm too kind...).

Whatever you do, don't think you can "swing through PetSmart on the way out of San Juan" and still beat rush hour, like we did last time.  We ended up in traffic hell, gridlock & one way streets.  (It turned out we would pass a PetSmart on the way into Fajardo--my bad).

Should you drive in Puerto Rico?  Absolutely!  Keep the days short.  Have a navigator if possible, and look at the map before you roll.  It's all a part of the experience.

References:

• Trip Advisor: Rental Cars & Driving
• Worldnomads: Driving in Puerto Rico
• PuertoRicoDayTrips.com Driving in Puerto Rico

Living in a Spanish speaking country

Life in Luperon, Dominican Republic

We're meeting a lot of cruisers headed west through Puerto Rico & onto the Dominican Republic.  This is the advice we share.  (Forgive my poor Espanol.  Look up all the proper words in case I'm LOCO!)

I took four years of Spanish in high school but never put it to use (Nada for El Capitan, but it quickly became a competition).  I made several visits to Mexico for work, but my "Hola" was always greeted with something I couldn't understand, so intimidated, I quit trying.  As we headed south from the Bahamas, I started brushing up.  Even using Rosetta Stone for a time.  When we arrived in Luperon, Dominican Republic (from now on, DR), our first customs officer spoke perfect English.  It went downhill from there.  None of the other officers spoke English (but clearly understood our questions).  "What?" was answered with handwritten pesos!  

In school, the first thing they teach you is "Buenos Dias.  Habla Inglis?"  Which will always be answered with "No, no Inglis."  (You will, however, use "Donde esta el bano?").  Our "boat boy" in the Luperon (provided our mooring for $2/day, delivered water, took my laundry into his Madre), Papo, spoke English so I started practicing on him.  I would greet him in Spanish.  He would greet me in English then correct my pronunciation or teach me the proper Dominican word.  Tip #1:  PRACTICE!

From the book, Spanish for Cruisers (above):  "Your mission is to amuse the locals with your attempts to speak Spanish."  I may not always communicate what I'm looking for, but we frequently make people smile!  Here's what we learned:

• Yes, many people around the world speak English as a second language.  I believe in being courteous and at least learning the basic hello (Buenos Dias or Hola), thank you (Gracias--they'll respond with De Nada--you're welcome), good bye (Buenos Dias) and what is your name (Come se llama?--this tends to come at the end of a conversation, with someone who has become particularly patient with us, followed by Gracias).  A little effort goes a long way.  Don't stress about using the proper tense or pronoun.  That will come later.  Honor their culture by at least making an effort.  (They will quickly tire of your poor Spanish and switch to English.  See below).

• Spanish speakers tend to be very outgoing.  They seldom wave or say hello and keep walking. A conversation should start with "Hello", then "How are you" (Come esta?), which people answer in length and honestly.  This tends to overwhelm me and halts the conversation so I skip it, but be aware, as Americans, we are rude for at the minimum, not starting with "Buenos Dias or Perdon, por favor (excuse me, please)".  Yelling out "Where is the"...is considered beyond rude in their culture.

• They are as bashful about their English as we are about our Spanish.  (This is our mantra.)  We carried our "Spanish for Cruisers" everywhere and memorized key nouns for the day:  bank (bancaria--don't be alarmed but they tend to have armed guards), grocery (supermercado), gasoline (gasolina), water (agua), french fries (papas fritas) along with where (Donde), I need (Necesito), I would like (Quiero), I have (Tengo) and when (Cuando--stores are never open when you think they should be.  The response will probably be manana which is a joke, really.  Tomorrow could be later, tomorrow, day after tomorrow or next week.  They are casual about their schedules here--much like cruisers).  We all else fails, attempt the English word with a Spanish accent.  Some words are close (or maybe they don't understand your English accent).  We were surprised to learn our efforts resulted in the Spanglish Bruce Van Sant spoke about in his book, "Passage South".  When communications broke down, suddenly our comrades would start speaking in halting English.  (Or in Luperon, halfway through our meal after the English-speaking owner came out to say hello, our waitress suddenly was prodded out of the kitchen and began speaking to us in halting English!  Which made us smile). And even if they understood our English, they would teach us the Spanish words that we didn't know (The owner of a DR restaurant teaching us the Dominican word for frita/fried plantain--sorry, I forget!)

• Speak slowly, clearly, and don't use slang while speaking Spanish OR English.  Memorize a couple different versions of a word (ie. grocery is supermarket) because the Spanish language changes from country to country (and sometimes region to region).  In the DR they speak "informal" Spanish ie. "Hola" is an appropriate greeting instead of "Buenos Dias" (Puerto Rico).  

• Spanish for Cruisers also notes the general dialect differences including Puerto Rico drops their "s's" so Buenos Dias is Bueno Dia (sounds like Buen Dia).  The Puerto Ricans also speak MUCH faster than the Dominicans usually leaving me lost.  "Que?"  A local went further to explain that they translate their fast Spanish to FAST English so you need to learn "slower, please" (mas despacio).

McDonald's in Puerto Rico

• We're fluent "restaurant" because this is important!  We used this more than anything.  "Menu" (la carta, por favor--in the DR, many restaurants have a daily special, so "Are you eating?" Usually results in the waitress leaving and coming back with a plate of food.  These were some of our best meals).  The waitress may ask you "bebidas?" (beverages?) then for the daily special "pollo or carne?" (Chicken or beef).  You will also need "How much?" (Cuanto cuesta), "check, please" (la cuenta, por favor--because in the DR, a meal can last hours--they won't bring your check until you ask for it!), rum punch (ron de frutas), beer (cerveza or El Capitan "Cerveza fria, por favor!" Always gets a smile).  Rice (arroz), fried (frita), potatoes (papas), flan (yummo!), no bread (no pan), coffee (cafe).  Para El Capitan, no eggs (no juevos) and our vegetarian amigos--no meat (no carne).  While trying to order breakfast at a restaurant where there was no menu & no English, I said, "Dos cafe.  No pan (pointing to me).  Quiero juevos.  Y no juevos (pointing to El Capitan).  Quiere Papas?"  I got scrambled eggs and he got mashed potatoes!  "We're not eating out for breakfast anymore!"  It doesn't always work out but a great story!

A daily special in the DR

A menu from the Malecon.  Ponce, PR

• "Come se dice?" is a great ice breaker.  I point to things on a map, on the menu, on a shelf--even after we've switched to English and ask, "How do you say?" as an effort to learn their language.  Our favorite bartender in Samana, Dominican Republic taught us "doggie bag" and when I arrived the next day, he quizzed me with a smile!!  "Como se dice doggie bag?"(Whoops!  I already forgot).  Perdon ("excuse me" always gets a smile in a grocery store or when asking directions).  Many times they may respond in English & Spanish--they are trying to teach you & get you to repeat it back in Spanish!

• Sometimes the lack of communication isn't your Spanish, but the request:  "A McDonalds in Puerto Real, after crossing the Mona from DR was a real treat.  El Captain hoped to order his favorite number!  "Tres, por favor!" But they don't use the number system!  I ordered "cheeseburger no bread" (hamburguesa y queso, no pan) & "ice coffee no sugar" (cafe fria no azucar).  Someone in line behind me finally translated, using four times as many words as I thought necessary (no the employees of McDonalds in Puerto Rico don't always speak English!).  Apparently, it wasn't my Spanish, it was--they couldn't understand why I didn't want bread or SUGAR!  (They loved their coffee with milk & sugar--cafe con leche, por favor)

• Another tip we picked put from an American waitress in Culebra, PR is the Spanish-speaking use their tongue more than English speaking--sounds are frequently made with the tongue touching the front teeth.  I've picked this up slowly.

• LOTS of hand gestures.  Observe the locals and you will see they ALL talk with their hands.  This is where I excel past El Capitan.  Waving your arms & pointing with broken Spanish usually gets a response!

• SMILE, which you can forget while formulating a sentence in Spanish in your head...breath, smile, talk SLOWLLLLLYYYY.

• Our boat name in Spanish is Oh, th-een.  Very sexy!  It took the employees at Puerto del Rey a little while to learn our pronunciation, but by the time we pulled away from the dock, we had picked up their pronunciation, which they loved!  (Spanish for Cruisers, Consonants:  "D has a bit of the soft th sound of the word this.  The th sound is most noticeable when d appears between vowels").  The name "Craig" also isn't always understood (especially in the DR), thus his Spanish moniker of Gregorio.

• We know we've broken through the barrier when El Capitan gets a hearty Dominican handshake from a sailmaker who spoke NO English or when a local says "Como esta?" on a return visit (Bien, gracias).

• Again, don't assume they don't speak English just because they didn't respond to your attempts.  I've observed cruisers speaking a little too freely, and as a result, not been in the good graces of the marina dock hands.  There are ears everywhere!  (A vet tech in Fajardo, after two hours finally said "Nice to meet you" as I walked out the door!)

• Of course, you also need some numbers (nombres--we learned the "hundreds" while converting pesos in the DR!  I had a little conversion cheat sheet which I tried to hide--so I didn't look like such a tourist--but waitresses liked it because they could point!  It was usually passed around the table.  However, they did help convert to & take US dollars before we got to the bank, and were happy to realize not one waitress or store clerk took advantage).

The next blog will be "Driving in Puerto Rico" and will include the Spanish words that you will need, if you are THAT brave.  (We also drove in DR but they don't have ANY signage, so no Espanol required!)

References:

• Passages South by Bruce Van Sant
• Spanish for Cruisers
• Spanish for Cruisers website includes a crew list cheat sheet
• Google Translate can't hurt if you have internet in town (Luperon, DR).  Our boat buddies used it by passing it back & forth to the locals.
• A Spanish/English dictionary in either print or iPhone (offline version)

Class A RV Summary

Odin the Winnebago

As we sit at anchor on our sailboat in Puerto Rico, here is a look back at the purchase of our Winnebago:

When we started shopping for RV's many friends recommended a fifth-wheel.  I was enamored with Class C's.  However, The Colonel's research indicated that a Class A would be the best bang for the buck and he was RIGHT!  We were able to buy a 36 foot diesel for a fraction of the price of a Class C (and the same price as JUST the pickup needed to tow a fifth wheel).  How do we feel about our purchase 5 months later?

1). Is it difficult to drive?  It's not that difficult to drive or maneuver.  The Colonel was comfortable pretty quickly (YouTube Lazy Days Confidence Course).  We have a good turning radius for our size.  We haven't gotten "stuck" in parking lot yet.  We haven't had to back up (because of my excellent planning).  Despite our concerns, we haven't been the largest rv at any campground we've visited!  Good torque for towing.

2). It's so BIG!  Yes, it seemed a little big inside for two people who were used to a 36 ft boat, but it's nice to stretch out.

3). Towing a car:  If you have a fifth wheel, the truck is your dinghy.  If you have a Class C, you probably drive the motor home as your dinghy.  Buying a Class A meant we'd probably be towing a car.  We tried to avoid it, but ended up purchasing a car in St. Louis.  After installing an elaborate tow system, it tows fine.  We have plenty of torque, and YES you must be even more aware of tight spaces, but the car still turns inside the RV so we're basically dealing with more length (and not increased turn radius).

4). Diesel advantage:  Because of the limited budget, we started our search looking at gasoline powered.   However, we've learned turn radius, less emphasis on total mileage on an engine that lasts longer, less engine noise because the engine is in the back, good engine access because it's in the back, and the First Mate/Navigator's favorite feature--air ride (means I have to worry less about dishes rattling or things falling because of the better ride).

5). Yes, we were worried about the cat.  Technically, the cat would have to ride in the pickup of a fifth wheel.  We love that she often sleeps through our departure and only discovered we're moving when she wakes up long enough to head for a snack (The living room is smaller!  Are we moving?  {Yawn}).  Her litter pan is right where she left it.

6). Make a sandwich while we're moving":  OK, I never did this, but I have used the bathroom or grabbed a soda/snack when we're a ways from our next stop.  However, "stopping for lunch" is The Colonel's favorite feature.  On a hot day, we start the generator 30 min before our stop & turn the a/c on in the back.  I plan our fuel stops/rest stops around lunch.  We pull over, slide the curtains closed.  He plops on the couch & plays with Amelia while I make lunch.  Then a little nap or sometimes some tv--sometimes without stepping outside.  Then we're back on the road.  We plan 400 miles/day, so if we depart by 9:00 am, we can drive 3 hours, stop for lunch and be at our stop for the evening by 4!  Just in time to make dinner.

7). Don't even have to get dressed!  OK, technically, The Colonel needs to go out to unhook the electric before departing a campground/rv park.  However, it's not socially inappropriate to do that in your pajamas at an RV park.  If we prepped the night before, which we frequently do:  awnings in, chairs stowed, tanks dumped, car hooked up--technically, we don't have to get dressed to get underway.  Slide in.  Engine warmed up.  Drive away. (No packing.  No going out for breakfast.  No loading the car.)

8). We've been very happy with OUR 2001 Winnebago Journey.  We are going to replace the carpet with tile.  We may replace a few pieces of furniture and maybe the stovetop.  After discussing "If we won the lottery, what RV would you buy?", The Colonel said, best power-to-weight ratio.  Well, my half-ass research shows our RV way up there--Yes, you can buy an rv with 400-600 HP engine, but they weigh 40,000-60,000 lbs!  Here's my unscientific, non-mechanic summary (because a search of RV websites are CRAZY with HP vs torque discussions.  Torque & engine manufacturer should be taken into consideration but that's above my head):

Our 2001 Winnebago Journey has a 330HP engine & weighs (GVWR) 26,350 lbs = 1:80 (each 1 HP is pulling 80 lbs)

2017 Winnebago Journey:  360 HP, weighs 32,350 lbs = 1:90 (each 1 HP is pulling 90 lbs--worse than our used Journey)

2017 Prevost X3-45:  500HP & weighs 30,850 (WOW, this seems light compared to other luxury motor homes): = 1:62 (each HP is only pulling 62 lbs!  Better performance than our Journey)

2017 Tiffin Zephyr:  600 HP & weighs

2017 Lewmar Essex:  600 HP weighs 64,000 lbs!  (Each 1 HP is pulling 107 lbs.  That's poorer performance in a brand-new luxury motor home than our Journey!)

My takeaway:  Our 2001 Journey is second to a Prevost!  However, calculate in price vs performance:  

2001 Journey blue book $39,000

2017 Journey retail $290,000 & up

2017 Prevost:  2000ish X3-45 $200,00 up to 2017 cost over $1 million?!

2017 Allegro Zephyr $640,000

2017 Lewmar Essex:

Less maintenance (so far) than a boat!