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Stranded
in Comodoro |
November
29, 2000 - Rivadavia, Argentina |
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I
spent a week waiting
for this box. And it was certainly not in Argentina's most
picturesque community. No, no, far from it. I was stuck
in Podunk-Industrial-Wasteland, East- BumFuck-Oversized-Truck-Stop,
Might-as-well-be-called-Armpit-Argentina. |
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My
humble apologies to all of the friendly residents
of Comodoro Rivadavia who treated me so kindly, even
on Thanksgiving. They were certainly sweet and helpful
people, but they haven't a clue about the wretchedness
of their little town. |
"Don't Throw Trash" |
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Okay,
I am exaggerating a bit, it's just that I had so much
time to ponder these overstatements... if it weren't
for my laptop and the small selection of DVD rentals
available here my embellishments would have been even
greater. |
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And
how did I end up here for a week? And what was in the box?
I had some work done on Blanco Billy (my Toyota Land Cruiser)
at my last stop in Puerto Madryn. Some much needed bodywork
and some work on the engine. It was still running a little
rough afterward. The mechanic claimed I still needed a new
distributor cap, a part not available in that small town.
The next big city, that was my assignment, then everything
would be tip-top. So he thought. The problem was not the
distributor cap but rather a broken seal on the head gasket.
It was causing the roughness, and eventually some more serious
symptoms. |
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BUT
A WEEK?? I sputtered into Comodoro Rivadavia on Thursday
evening. My new mechanic diagnosed the problem and said
it would be ready in two days... until he realized it was
Friday. Then he informed me that no one works weekends in
Argentina. "Monday you'll be ready to go!!" |
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Monday
came, but I didn't go. No replacement gaskets in town. One
would have to come from Buenos Aires. Tuesday I would learn
that there are none in Buenos Aires. One will have to be
'Hecho en Casa', custom made for Blanco Billy. How long?
Coupla days? |
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I
conferred with my stateside Auto-Guru-Motor-Head
Consultant. A custom made job would be a bit iffy and
certainly not as secure as factory made. Factory made are
readily available in the states. FedEx? Coupla days? |
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I
conferred with my local guy. (Whose name, I now realize,
I never learned.) He agreed that factory made was a much
better option. |
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FEDEX
DON'T FAIL ME NOW! I had some bad luck with DHL procuring
some much needed computer equipment. It got stuck in Customs
and no one could tell me where it was. Una pesadilla, (a
nightmare, one of my many new words learned watching subtitled
DVD's, this word from Vanilla Sky- more about that later.)
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My
prized package was scheduled to arrive Friday evening
at the latest, entitling me to one more delightful
weekend in cozy Comodoro. Oh well, relax and grab
a couple more DVD's and learn some more new vocabulary. |
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BUT
NO! FedEx comes through Thursday afternoon! YeeHaa!
(Thanksgiving, and yes, I am thankful!) My no-name
mechanic comes through too!! Ready to go Friday, mid-day!
YESSSS!! So long Comodoro...it's been swell but...GOTTA
GO!!! |
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A
little splash of color in town |
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