The Update #33 – The Pandamericana?

So, last week you were introduced to our desire for a dog. That desire has been there for a very long time and this week we test what it is like to have a dog in the van. To build up the tension a bit. I will first tell you a little bit about the rest of the week especially because not much happened this week. We were mainly behind the computer as we arrived in Tenerife with a long list of things we wanted to get done. Only up till now, we have mainly explored the island, had fun, and have done little with our to-do list. As next week Enzio and Rianne will already be on the doorstep, and we will probably have too many fun distractions again. So we decided that last week was time for some discipline. Lon finished the film about Norway, yes you read it correctly, it’s finished and online! Not seen yet? Then take a quick look here. We are very proud of it. Although it would have been quite difficult not to make a beautiful film of such a beautiful country. Jap got a little less crossed off his to-do list, but mainly because something was added to it. We had a leak again. It was raining here for the first time since we’ve been here and that immediately revealed a leak in the skylight.. It took two tries to get it all the way shut but eventually, it is sealed again.

And of course, we still had our normal ‘working hours’ at the Finca. The positivos (read corona positive acrobats) had left so we had to “chemically” clean the apartment. And we made a website for Amanda so that she can more easily advertise the apartment and rent it out more regularly.

That was enough for the rest of the week, didn’t I say it wasn’t much? Now panda. As we wrote in the previous update, Panda was, except for a few points, the dog we’ve always dreamed of. He is a lovely animal and we love having him with us, in the Finca. But now the question came up, are we still so enthusiastic with him in the van? Because the idea is wonderful and we regularly say to each other on a walk how nice it would be if a dog would walk with us. But we also regularly say that it is very restrictive and our van is a bit on the small side. We wanted to make a well-considered decision because of course, it is not just a simple decision. Panda has a good home, but Amanda grants him an even better life because she thinks an adventurous life it’s made for Panda. Then of course we have to make sure that he has a better time with us. So Panda came to stay with us. We just slept in the van at the Finca grounds as usual, but this was a safe first step. We moved some stuff for Panda in the van and he slept with us at night. He was already regularly in the van with us during the day, but this was different. We soon noticed some impractical facts, such as how to go to the toilet at night. Panda takes up all the space on the floor, making it impossible to stand and get the porta pottie out of his cupboard… Anyway, those are things we could solve if we wanted to. We slept like two watchful parents, were woken up by every sigh or movement of Panda, but that would take some getting used to, we said to each other. So far so good. So we packed some more stuff for him and went on a mini road trip with him on our days off. We made a nice Panda-proof plan and went out. 

But we can be very long or short about it. Panda had a great time, he enjoyed the walks. He loved sitting with his nose out the window while driving or looking out the window at all the people and dogs passing by. He was a sweetheart, listened well, and behaved excellently. But Jap and I didn’t feel like ourselves, I would almost say. We were always so busy with Panda and making it to his liking that we didn’t quite know what to do with ourselves. In addition, the three of us in the van we’re constantly in each other’s way. Then we realized that Jap and I have developed a perfect dance together, how you move together in the van without getting in each other’s way. But with that sweet panda there, that whole dance was disrupted, and he in particular was disturbed a lot. On the first day of our road trip, we looked at each other and said to each other that unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be him. It just didn’t make sense, we weren’t ready to compromise yet, not with the freedom we want in this journey. So we were really glad we tried it out because now we can put it out of our minds (for now). Traveling with a dog in our van is just not for us right now. The next day, after another walk with Panda, we took him home and went out to have lunch. Just the two of us, we chatted about our decision and it secretly felt like a relief to both of us. We enjoy Panda even more as long as we are at the Finca, but unfortunately, he is not coming with us. We had almost given the trip a new name: The Pandamericana.

Lots of love, 

Jap and Lon

Spendings of the Week

Budget per day €54 and per week €378 and per month €1700