First Report
By Amanda Phillips, 6th Sep
2000
I invite anyone in England who suggested that my
travels throughout Latin America in a Land Rover were nothing more than
a holiday, to come and see me now. Seven weeks into the expedition and
my companions and I have certainly become familiar with the 'challenge'
element of Latin American Challenge.
Things got off to a bad start in Houston, Texas when,
contrary to all our research in England, customs would not let the Land
Rover into the country. Determined not to wave goodbye to the expedition
before it even got underway, we took our case to the British Consulate
General. The help of Anne Madeleine secured the start of the expedition,
albeit two weeks behind schedule. Waiting in Houston did little for our
spirits and our purses, but at last we got on the road to Mexico.
In addition to the expected humidity, mosquitoes and
stomach upsets, throughout Mexico we contended with night after night of
thunderstorms. No sooner had we dried out tents and kit, more pounding
rain, winds, thunder and lightning would set in. In the face of such
adversity we carried on smiling and enjoyed the sights of tropical
jungle, alpine mountain and quaint colonial villages. I even laughed
about being the object of a scam whereby swiping a credit card allowed
entry into a cash point booth but no exit, leaving me locked in. After
entering the booth a character appeared offering his assistance: If I
were to pass my card to him under the door, he would swipe it to allow
me out. One of my companions rescued me - but not before getting a
photo! I wonder how many people succumb to this scam.
A robbery was not so easy to laugh at. Whilst in a
national park in the state of Chiapas we became the victims of
professionals who entirely removed one of the car windows and cut the
security grills to force entry into the supposedly secure compartment.
In less than an hour our most important possessions were stolen
including laptop with 150 photos and satellite phone. Being faced with
the harsh consequences of leaving the vehicle was a bitter pill to
swallow. It was no consolation to find several parts of different cars
and broken glass in the bushes. The Mexican police couldn't comprehend
the idea of staking out the spot of frequent crime to wait for the
thieves. Their lack of motivation can be explained by their measly pay.
Mexican police often carry no bullets in their guns because the
government doesn't supply the necessary money. The most chance we would
have of ever seeing our possessions again would be as a result of buying
them back, if only we knew where to! look.
Fighting off feelings of abandoning the expedition, we
travelled down the Caribbean coast into Belize, where so far our luck is
improving. We are indebted to W.O. Jim Richardson, Taff and all those
who helped us at BATSUB (British Army Training Support Belize) for their
invaluable skill in patching up the vehicle and Raleigh International in
Belize for their warm hospitality, especially to Rupert Miller, Dai,
Claire, Eleanor, Anne, Milanka and Susie for giving us a place to
recharge our batteries.
Amanda Phillips
