So imagine you quit your job, sell or rent out your apartment, pack your favorite things in your camper van, and set off with your partner driving the widths and lengths of the picturesque landscapes of North America. A young British couple did precisely the latter two years ago and they are still on the road. What makes their story special is a cat that they rescued along the way. And now they cannot imagine their life without their feline companion, to the point of making the decision to stay in Mexico for a whole extra year.
Lee Hodges, 33, and Willow Rolfe, 29, both teachers, began their road trip across North America in August 2019 in their restored VW van. Two months into their journey, while in Washington, DC, they decided to to adopt a stray cat which shortly became a member of the family.
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Meet Willow, Lee, and their adopted cat Aimee, who they found in Washington, DC
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
Aimee was rescued a few months into their road trip
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
The couple felt like they needed to rescue an animal as they left two of their own cats at home. First, they rescued a small black kitten, who they called Molly, but sadly, the very young and sick animal passed away in a few days. Shortly after, they ended up rescuing Aimee, and she has been on the road with with the couple ever since. They even joke that the cat is “better traveled than most people.” Aimee the cat is fully trained to walk on a leash so that she can join her human companions in their outdoor adventures, including the famous trail in Monument Valley. And well behaved, as Lee mentioned before attracting a lot of strange looks.
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
As they crossed from the USA to Mexico, Aimee got attacked by a pack of dogs
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
That left her with a broken leg
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
The two Brits headed to Mexico with their adopted cat and, unfortunately, as trips occasionally turn rough, Aimee got attacked by a pack of dogs that left her paw broken. But this didn’t reduce the trio’s wanderlust; they waited for the cat to get back on her feet (literally) and then continued with the trip.
Since the pandemic hit, Willow and Lee wanted to return home to the UK, but they simply couldn’t leave Aimee behind. They had been planning their trip for years and in 2015, they bought an old, beat-up VW to restore. Conveniently, Willow was working as a motor vehicle lecturer at the mechanical college and spent 2 years fixing it. Willow and Lee, like most great adventurers, quit their jobs, rented out their home, and embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime road trip through North America.
The pandemic has brought Mexico to a standstill as the national parks, beaches, and other tourist attractions, normally luring adventurers to this country, have been closed. The travelling trio have faced annoyed locals and health officials moving from one location to another while trying to find where to isolate, not exceeding their daily budget of £17.50.
Her leg needed time to heal and the pandemic began, trapping them in Mexico
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
They just couldn’t leave their feline companion behind
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
Unfortunately, their VW van broke down twice and they are still waiting for parts
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
Unfortunately, just recently, as the trio decided to make their way home across the Atlantic to the UK, their trusty VW camper van broke down, leaving them stranded in Mexico, where they have been staying since Aimee got injured. The return home is facing delays as they now have to fix the van and reach the USA, where the main intention is to catch a ferry from one of the ports. Since the replacement engine came, they are facing more technical issues and are waiting for more parts to arrive.
One of the biggest challenge for them at the moment is the time and permits, as their humanitarian visa is running out in February and the USA borders are only announced to open from 21st of January, so their time is running short.
The couple and the cat are doubtful of trying to make to it to a Mexican freight port and prefer to set sail from the US, so for now, they are just waiting to get their VW van back on the road. As the internet is closely following the trip of the couple and their rescued cat, one thing is clear—that Aimee is most likely a better explorer than most people as by now, she has visited 15 states in the USA and two countries, which makes her a pretty worldly pet.
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
Aimee the cat is now waiting for the journey back to the UK as they are still stuck in Mexico
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
Image credits: Willow Rolfe
The post Tourist Couple Gets Trapped In Mexico For A Year Because They Can’t Bear To Abandon Their Adopted Cat first appeared on Bored Panda.
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