We are stuck in Paducah, Kentucky - trying to source a steering box for our VW Kombi. If anyone can assist, it would be much appreciated.

On the plus side, Paducah is a lovely town - if you haven't had a chance to visit it, then you really should!

We must admit we were a little nervous about the crossing into America - but we did it - safe and sound. Because our vehicle was not allowed initial entry into Mexico, our nerves were a little on edge. But in all honesty it was the easiest country crossing we had done to date. We were all happy to see the "Welcome to Texas" sign that greeted us when we entered. In actual fact, too easy! No one checked our vehicle papers or even bothered to check the status of our US insurance (we had none!)

​We stopped to gather our wits, visit the toilet (rejoiced that we could finally flush toilet paper in over 4 years) and picked up a few chocolate bars. Then we continued on our way to Laredo.

It took us a couple of days to finally secure some insurance for our vehicle, but we eventually managed to get some through a local insurance company in Laredo. It was a little more than we wanted to pay, ($169 for the first month) but many companies turned us away leaving us no choice. The best way, we were told, was to sign up as unlicensed drivers because we did not fit all the boxes. We were happy enough with that as it meant we could continue on our way to San Antonio to visit The Alamo. Next stop Austin and then Dallas.

So far everyone is liking America a lot!