HOBO At the Border

9-12-10


Now we are what I call HOBO, or hanging out bellies out. Some of the men when they are standing in a group “chewing the fat” roll their shirts up to their chests and kind of lean back with their hands patting or rubbing their bellies. I think that it is a way to show relaxation and contentment in the moment.

We are sitting in the van at the Salvadoran/Honduran border. We have started the paperwork process that takes an hour or so and have had to wait for and hours lunch break for all. Also the computers are having a problem. They have a figure stuck in that overcharges everyone $250. If they don’t get it fixed soon, we might have to spend the night here. Both borders to El Salvador have been pretty orderly. There are lanes, guys that look kind of official and less people mobbing the van. There are vendors everywhere; ice cream, hats, hammocks, and lots of types of food.

Yesterday at the border coming in we had the Salvadoran specialty food called papusas. It was really good; a dough ball flattened with meat, cheese and beans put in, kind of like they make krautburgers. Then they are flattened and fried on a grill. Delicioso. After that we decided to partner up with 2 semi trucks and travel most of the way through El Salvador. We didn’t get to see much as it was dark and the trees overhung the road. It was like driving down a dark tunnel all night. There was rain, fog, and lots of turns which made us glad that we were in a convoy. At a fuel stop we talked with one of the truckers who said the other truck was dealing with a flat tire and we should go on ahead. Since most of the turns were done we agreed. It was getting pretty late, and Clint needed to get some rest.

We found out today that the truck in the rear after he had caught up and they left, had run over a local woman and killed her. There were people by the side of the road all along. No lights, very dark, she walked in front of the truck. We were sad for her family and for the trucker’s woes. He might have to stay several days or?

We found a hotel in San Miguel about 3:30 am. It was amazing. It was like staying at a 4 star hotel. Lots of palms, a pool with a fountain flowing into it, beautiful, ornate, Spanish-looking interior. There were signs of a small amount of fraying around the edges, but a beautiful gift none the less. We had a great buffet breakfast with impeccable dining staff waiting on the somewhat grungy gringos. A guy washed our car, carried our bags and got ice for the coolers.

After we left, we drove about an hour the rest of the way to the border. Going through the Salvadoran side was a breeze. Here on the Honduran side it is waiting HOBO as usual. There is nothing we can do except pray to expedite things. We feel that God has his timing in evidence on this trip so we are content. We ate at Pollolandia or Chicken Land and now wouldn’t mind a nap while we wait. You can tell a rather uneventful day by how many food descriptions there. It so far is what we would call a slow news day. 9-11-10

We all agree that it will be difficult to describe our experiences last night. We traveled the rest of the way through Mexico which seems like an oasis of order and beauty. Good bye beautiful Mexico. Just before we got to the border, there were young men flagging down the van. They were waving their ID badges. Apparently they want to be hired to help us negotiate the border. We finally stopped to look at the map and 2 men we had seen a ways back ran up to us. They said they had taken a taxi and followed us.

Clint said ok, and they both jumped into the front seat. They directed him on a different way than he was planning, but they said it was the only way to get through the border tonight. We left Mexico, and entered the frontier. There were some restaurants, scary hotels and many people. It was obvious that the travelers were this town’s bread and butter and entertainment. Our guides took us up a back alley, it seemed, and we parked next to a line of cars and trucks many pulling trailers. This seemed too seedy for the official way into another country, and I had a moment’s thought that our guides were setting us up. But no the chaos that is that border had just started. The one guide took off with our paperwork to get copies. He went running down the street. He did return with the copies. It appeared that these guys were legit. They had been doing this border brokering for 12 years. They live in Guatemala.

There was an obviously drunk man who among others came over to see what they could get or sell or just to watch. The drunk man said in English, “don’t trust them”, pointing at our guides. He asked us for money which he would change for us, and I am sure many other offers. He was carrying a bucket and wiping all our windows with a dry rag. He also looked in all the windows to see what was in there.

While our guide was having our paperwork processed, we locked the van and went to a restaurant in sight of the van to eat. After a while, Clint had to move the van to put it into the line of cars that were waiting to cross the border. While he was at the van, the drunk man said someone had stolen the battery that was for emergency trailer brakes. He said for a price he could find out who had it. We were pretty sure he was the thief and had used his bucket to take it away without notice. Clint kept pursuing him talking to him about getting the battery back. He didn’t want to have to find another one around here. The guides warned Clint against going too far to pursue him. Finally the man admitted that he had taken the battery to safeguard it from thieves. For $5.00 Clint got it back. He had to have him find the top with the terminals which he had thrown away.

The frontier people looked like this was a common occurrence. Next we crossed a bridge and were out of the frontier into Guatemala. The guides had us go to a lot completely full of cars, trucks, trailers, people, kids, dogs, and gawkers. There was no one in any uniforms. All of the border people looked just like anyone else, in jeans and t-shirts. It looked like we were doing business in Gundie’s salvage yard. Without the guides, anyone could have come up and asked for our papers. They inspected our trailers and looked at our papers from the broker in the USA. The bottom line was that we had to pay more than $650. $300 of it was to take our own laptops, cameras and other electronic stuff. No arguing would help. Then we got back on the road and talked to the other border folks in uniforms. As we were in a Guatemala border town it had a very wild look. People everywhere, bars, really terrible looking hotels and probably every opportunist stuck in the country, hoping to go to Mexico. It would be quite unhealthy to walk down those streets for very long. They fumigated our van and trailers, this time both sides. Although the hose wouldn’t reach and they had to spray from a distance. The border officials with uniforms wanted to have us pay for the man who was appointed to ride with us through the country Cainnoneas (sp?)

Clint refused to pay more than the $650 and they didn’t push it. He has been somewhat helpful, and he guided us to a hotel last night. It had clean sheets and AC. That was all we required to be content for the night. The drive to the hotel was no fun. There were very frequent topes for speed bumps. About the time you pass someone or get over 40 mph you come to another one. These are so big that you have to stop and just inch over them, like going over a curb. We had hoped that after Mexico we were done with them. Instead there are more.

This am we got on our way about 10:00. We had our usual breakfast of eggs, beans, and tortillas with meat if available. That is our favorite.

Now we are waiting in line. We have been for about 2 hours. A large bridge was washed out and they are repairing it. They let a few cars go and then they let the dump trucks unload their rocks. This must be effects from the tropical storm Hermine. What is just a news blip in the USA can sure mean a lot of destruction here. We could see where the rivers had been huge, maybe 10 times wider and deeper than usual. We could see where the rivers had been huge, maybe 10 times wider and deeper than usual.

This is the first road delay in Guatemala. There are reports that many roads were blocked because of slides and wash outs. This bridge is the only main obstacle left. We hope.