Dropping out couple with cat cannot leave the holiday country

In August 2019 Lee Hodges and his girlfriend Willow Rolfe set off on a tour of North America in their VW bus. On their trip through the USA, the two finally even adopt a cat, which will keep the couple company on their tour of foreign countries.

At first the trip goes as planned, but when they cross the border to Mexico, one accident after another suddenly happens.


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Lee and Willow want to make a long-cherished dream come true with the North American tour and after a 4-year planning phase they even quit their jobs. In the summer of 2019, the two Brits happily embarked on a great adventure with their red, self-restored 1976 VW Bulli, which they lovingly call “Ruby”.

The two finally arrive by ship in their VW bus in New York, where their long journey, which initially takes them along the east coast of the USA, begins.

During a stay in Washington DC, they eventually adopted a cat they call Aimee. She should accompany the adventurous dropout couple on their tour across the continent from now on.

Together they cross the USA further south and experience many adventures that the couple shares with the whole world on their Instagram page. Cat Aimee is of course always and everywhere with us and after two months on tour in the VW Bulli the three are an absolutely well-rehearsed team. The trio of travelers is gradually approaching the border with Mexico.

But hardly arrived in Mexico, the first accident happened. The cat Aimee is attacked by three dogs and seriously injured. Lee and Willow immediately take their injured companion to the nearest vet, but the vet does not have an X-ray machine and therefore refers the couple to another vet whose office is an hour and a half away by car.

Shortly after they arrive at the remote veterinary office, Aimee is X-rayed. A fracture of the right foreleg appears. But then the next shock follows: For the operation that is necessary to put Aimee’s broken bone back together with an implanted metal splint, the vet does not have the splint that fits Aimee’s size in stock, so everyone has to hope that the implant they have ordered will be available soon arrives there. Until then, Aimee’s leg will be splinted with a cast and she will be given medication to relieve the severe pain.

But the rapidly spreading corona pandemic is delaying the longed-for delivery. They have to wait for days until the vet calls that the necessary implant has finally been delivered. Aimee comes to the operating table immediately, but meanwhile the situation in Mexico is slowly worsening due to the measures taken against the coronavirus.

Lee, Willow and Aimee would have had to leave the country days ago in order to be allowed to cross the border back into the USA, but with the broken leg, the cat Aimee would not have been able to travel and the two would have their beloved velvet paw there for an indefinite period of time have to leave behind. But that was by no means an option for the couple.

Just a few days after Aimee’s surgery, the three hopefully set off back to the United States border in their VW bus. But halfway through, the Bulli’s engine suddenly gives up and they have to wait for a replacement engine for weeks.

After installing the new engine, the trio set off again immediately. They can cover a long distance before they also get problems with the new VW engine. They have no choice but to take another longer break before they have the necessary spare parts to repair the Bullis.

The once adventurous travel trio has now been stuck in Mexico for a year, and the worsening situation due to the corona pandemic will likely present Lee and Willow with new challenges on their long way home.

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Thumbnails: © Instagram / thevwkitty, © Instagram / thevwkitty