Pablo Mel, a 54-year-old Argentine, closed his hardware store in December 2022 after running it for 17 years and set off on a journey across the country in a converted fire truck. According to one source, he sold his business; according to another, he closed the store. The truck is a 1977 Mercedes Benz 1113.
During his travels, he visited 20 provinces and covered more than 30,000 kilometers. On the road, he met his partner, who helped him cope with the death of his father, who died in a plane crash in 1985 when Pablo was a child. He says he was able to heal from that loss.