Jorgito- (Hor- he-toe)

Our "new" little engine that could..... He wears a lovely shade of silvery/grey. His body has arthritis, but the WD40 helps. There are a few bumps and bruises, but all in all he looks good for his age. His eye sight is good- but a bit dim at night. His pedometer gave out long ago- stuck at 50000 km- and his pulse rate is incredibly low- locked at a firm 10km even when he is fully exerting himself. As you can imagine, his heart is in fantastic shape- as good as a 20 yr old mans! His ears have been severed- or stolen- so he no longer sings (the speakers and radio have been ripped off). He can give off heat, but doesn't know how to stop completely when I have been adequately warmed- and cooling is not an option. His doors open when you roll down the windows and if it rains, he cries- letting all of his tears well up on the passenger side floor. And no need to worry about locking your keys in the car- Jorgito's locks are just for show. But we love Jorgito dearly, as he helps us blend right into the Argentine culture and allows us to see more of the breath taking place we currently call home.

Buying him was a lot like picking my computer up from the airport a few months ago. IT involved quite a few offices, hours of time and waiting, and of course lots of papers with lots of stamps. The car is officially in Greg's name ( I will not drive in this country- and I am not huge on driving stick shift cars- esp. ones that feel a bit fragile). We are not allowed to take him out of Argentina- unless we have an authorized Argentine person driving the car with an authorized paper and official stamp. These people can be hired- and you leave them at the border where they hitchhike back home. Getting this done is not easy... And you will be turned away at the border if you try to cross it as a non-native. Apparently, they are worried that you will sell the car in another country and they will not get the tax money. We are a bit frustrated by this one, as Chile is not too far from us and would be fun to explore (and they sell things like peanut butter there).

However, you cannot be pulled over- no such thing as a moving violation. So, go ahead...pass cars in school zones and ignore lanes, stop lights, and one way streets. The big concern here.... making sure you have paid all of the fees and taxes for your car. They frequently set up check points- where you can be made to stop- where they want nothing more than to make sure you have your papers. Oh... and also to make sure you have not been drinking. I have often passed people blowing into breathalyzers on the side of the road- just to make sure... The penalty for getting caught drinking and driving- well it depends on your police officer. It can usually be settled by handing over all of the money in your wallet. The fine if your police officer is not corrupt or if your wallet did not hold enough cash to satisfy him- merely a slap on the wrist and a fine- perhaps a few points on your record. And they wonder why their accident and vehicular manslaughter rate is the highest in the world.