An RV christened Ronda

The alarm rang at 6am and we had to leave the campsite without breakfast and coffee for the technical check at 7am at the “Strassenverkehrsamt” (road and transport department). We hoped this was the last activity before we got the RV registered and could head off on vacation.

As it was the first time in my life attending a vehicle inspection, I was curious and worried at the same time. The technical tester took the keys and started the procedure. Luckily I was allowed to sit in the passenger seat and watch the procedure from close by.

Happy RV driver in front of Ronda and the two mascots.

The test started with the Rollenprüfstand for testing the brakes, then the weighing of the front and rear axis. Then the guy seemed to enjoy the car and suggested a test drive on the department´s outdoor test circle. “Buckle up!” were his famous words before he pressed the accelerator and the engine answered with a loud roaring. Kitchen utensils, glasses, bottles and pots in the kitchen cheered in with a loud shattering and too late I remembered the request to come with an ‘unloaded’ vehicle.

An abrupt braking with screeching of tires followed, then a rough left-right turn similar to the movements on a ski slope and a final emergency brake. “Nice car,” said the tester and slowly drove to the indoor test stand to continue the import test procedure including important activities like measuring length and width of the car. After nearly 90 minutes the procedure was completed and the verdict was “passed”.

Finally we had completed the import of our RV into Switzerland and were ready to head off.

Happily I fixed the new licence plates to the front and back of the car, jumped into the driver’s seat to pick up JY and the dog from our former neighbourhood café. After a few moments I caught a whiff of wine. We examined the cupboards but couldn´t find anything broken. When we opened the fridge door a white liquid with a strong wine smell leaked out.

A few days earlier we had discussed if we should christen the RV or not. As we couldn’t agree on a name, the discussion ended without conclusion. It seemed that destiny had decided for us and the tester had successfully smashed a bottle against the hull of the fridge.

Eventually we agreed to call the RV “Ronda” the Malay word for ‘to explore’ or ‘to roam’. A related expression is “ronda-ronda” with the meaning of ‘cruising´ or ’travelling around’. We had also considered Roda, which means wheels, but Ronda sounds like a woman’s name which won us over.
At about 3pm we departed from our old home village of seven years to explore new countries and roam beautiful landscapes.