A couple of months back, when I was cycling out of the Peruvian Amazon, towards Cusco. I had an accident with my drone. It hit a palm leaf while flying at around 5m high. The fall wasn’t enough to damage the drone itself. But the camera dislodged from its mounting and pulled on the cable that connects it to the rest of the drone. Unfortunately, this cable ripped in two.
Reviewing my options
I contacted DJI for a repair, as the drone is still covered by warranty. But the warranty is only valid in Europe. Which meant I would have to ship the drone to Europe for it to be repaired or replaced, then have it shipped back to South America. Shipping isn’t great here. It’s expensive and there are often long delays if the package arrives at all. So this wasn’t a good solution for me. Also, DJI don’t sell spare parts for you to repair a drone yourself. So I looked online and found a supplier for the part I needed. I ordered it and it never arrived, luckily I got a refund.
My solution
So I was faced with a problem. I could ship the drone back to the UK, get it repaired/replaced, but then I didn’t feel confident getting it back to South America. So I decided it was probably easier to buy a new drone here and then sell the old drone after it is repaired/replaced. But electronics are so expensive in Peru. I’m assuming it is because of the import taxes. But there is a big markup on things like mobile phones and drones. I managed to find an official DJI supplier, a shop called CoolBox who sell all kinds of gadgets. I ordered online and got the drone delivered the next day. I’m really excited to get it out and get some footage as I continue north. I shipped my old drone back to the UK from Lima. I figured it was better to send it while I’m in a big city.
Moving on
My Peruvian visa ends around the 19th of January. So I need to cross the border on or before that date. My plan is to take a bus most of the way up the coast, then cycle up around the coast for my final week in the country. There are still protests happening in Peru. In fact, they have become quite serious. But they are down in the south, so travelling up north should be easy. It should be nice to get back on the bike after a break.