South of the Equator… in part
By Steve Bouey in
You could say that this is our first blog entry from the road, although we are not really on the road just yet. As I sit on the deck of the lodge house we are staying at on Malolo Island in Fiji, I am greeted by the smell of fresh air, the sight of crystal blue waters and lush green vegetation and thoughts of our Toyota’s sitting on the dock in Long Beach, CA. We are in Fiji for a handful of days before moving on to New Zealand. We are here to clear our heads and ensure that they are screwed on correctly. It is extremely relaxing here, especially in the island groups off Nadi where we arrived. But no matter how calm, peaceful and beautiful it is here and no matter how many friendly locals greet you with a comforting “Bula!,” there are always thoughts of the task at hand and the road ahead.
The Department of Motor Vehicles in Colorado has to be some of the most incompetent people around yet they control the initial fate of our expedition. We are waiting for a title for the Sequoia which should have been in our possession over three weeks ago, but the bureaucracy that is the DMV has somehow managed to turn a simple task into one of the most drawn out, stressful and complicated processes I have ever had the misfortune of being involved in. Compounded by the difficulties in obtaining a carnet for the vehicles, simply getting the cars out of the United States has been a true test of our wits and determination to make this trip a success. These trials have been a good experience though as I am sure this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of dealing with the red tape of getting in and out of counties… wait until the language barrier comes into play. However there is some comfort in knowing that in some countries, for the right price or product, bureaucratic necessities can be more easily and quickly overcome.
I guess if something like this were easy, everyone would be doing it. We have definitely blazed some new trails and have had to do so with little or no guide. We have learned as we go and many lessons have been learned the hard way, but nonetheless, we are now out of the country and it is hard to imagine two years ago that we would actually be where we are at now. Hopefully the DMV will get there act together in the next day or two so that the shipping company will have the proper documents to set the collective minds of U.S. Customs officials at ease and ensure them that the cars have not been stolen even though we have numerous documents proving that they are not. After that, the long wait continues while the Tundra and the Sequoia make their own journey to meet up with us down under.
