The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Preparations, lists and butterflies

Hard to believe but our departure date is moving up quickly and we are starting to make the preparations needed to get ourselves on the road.

We are going to start making a couple of lists so that we don't overlook anything along the way.  One list for all the things that we need to do to Sherman and getting paperwork ready.  The other list is for the things that we need to buy in Canada and the States, that we can't get or are hard to find in Mexico.

Our first list will include things like getting Sherman's E-test done.  In Ontario this has to be done every two years on vechicles older than five years unless they are older than 1988.  Our e-test isn't required until next year when Sherman's license is due which is in February but we won't be here so this is why this has to be done before we leave.  Also Kevin's driver's license has to be renewed as it is up in February too.  We have to purchase our Mexican RV insurance, although that can be done online so we could wait until we are in the states for that.  Copies of all our important paperwork need to be copied several times, so if anything happens we can always have copies of the needed paperwork, ie passports, vehicle ownership, insurance.  That is just a few of the things, more will get added as we think of them.

Our second list includes things that we like here in Canada and have a hard time finding elsewhere.  Maple syrup, Tetley tea, instant coffee (we find this hard to find in the States at a decent price, everyone there likes perked coffee better), Body Shop facial products, Kraft natural or unsweetened peanut butter, Heinz canned beans, Clover Leaf canned salmon, and I am sure I am missing a few things still, they'll get added as we go.  We like these brand names and either find them cheaper here or just easier to find here, so we try to buy what we think we will get through until we get back.  Once down in the States then we buy the other stuff that is cheaper there and hard to find in Mexico, Campbell's soups, various noodles, rice noodles, descent papertowel (the stuff in Mexico doesn't do it for us!).  I know there are still lots of other things like new hiking shoes for both Kevin and myself, a BBQ, and rear tires for Sherman.

Work is coming along with Sherman, I still have to finish the valances, I just need to find some time.  I want to get curtains and bedding all washed up before leaving.  Kevin still has a few more things to do on Sherman.  Still haven't got the carpeting done!  We just can't seem to get ahead or well there is always "mañana"!

I thought some pictures were needed, we haven't had any for so long.  These are of some moths and butterflies that we have seen over the summer here that I thought were quite pretty.

A neat looking moth with wings closed (Small-eyed Sphinx, I think!)

Same one with the wings open

An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly (I think, once again)

This one was big, you can see the size compared to the sucker it's a Polyphemus Moth, one of the largest of the Giant Silkworm Moths

9 comments:

  1. You are braver then me. I'd be afraid to head into Mexico. Good luck with your preparations.

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  2. Sounds like a nice list. I would only add some of that cheap escargot that you Canadians have imported from France. Our Pastor and his family are from Canada and I beg them to bring some back for me all the time. In fact they are there now, so I am racing off to my cell phone to text them. Have a great journey, which border town are you planning on crossing?

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  3. Lists are great things. One of our biggest fears is leaving home and forgetting something critical - like my laptop computer, now that would be a gamechanger!

    It sounds like you are experienced Mexico travelers so that's great. I'm still one of those who is not up to the challenge of driving into Mexico.

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  4. Mexico sounds so scary to me, but I'm sure you know the good from the bad places. Don't misplace your list!

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  5. Ohhh it's so much fun to plan for a long trip! Love your moth pics too. Thanks for sharing!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  6. Just found your site, but will be back. Love the pictures of the moth and butterflies. Be careful in Mexico. we were warned when in New Mexico not to go. Sounds like you know what you are doing though. Stay safe.

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  7. I can't wait to follow your adventures!!!

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  8. Karen and Al...Mexico is not for everyone. We have done our homework and have been there before in the MH and once past the border area feel secure. We love the people, culture and scenery.

    Chrissy y Keith...We aren't escargot eaters so I'm not sure about the cheap ones. If we were passing by your area we would pick some up for you, but unfortunately we aren't going quite that far west in the States. Thanks for stopping by our blog by the way, hope you enjoy it.

    Rick and Paulette...No fear of forgetting our laptops. We live in the MH so they are always there, lol. We like to think of ourselves as experienced but there is always homework to do, to make sure we are aware of where we are going and what we are doing.

    Margie and Roger...Mexico isn't so scary, the media makes it scary. We always watch where we are and stay away from the troubled areas. I found my list from the last time so we are all set now. Thanks for stopping by our blog as well.

    Karen and Steve...Planning is half the fun.

    Pidge...Hope you enjoy it, thanks for stopping by. We've been twice before in the MH and both times were told not to go. We are so happy we did. The people are wonderful and they are one of the reasons we want to go back. We had such wonderful experiences.

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