Long Day Returning



Well, the trip back was almost smooth. There weren't any troubles because of the hurricane, which as it turns out quickly shed its power as it closed on the coast, so that by the time it made landfall, it was no more a hurricane. Yay!

We got to Guatemala City on the school's shuttle bus. The bus later that day back to San Salvador was full, but we were able to get on the first bus the next morning. We took a room in the Holiday Inn, which is where the Pullmantur busses leave from anyway.

We walked around and went to see Star Wars III. It was really good, but there were hardly any people in the theatre. Either Star Wars is not a big thing in Guatemala, or maybe there just aren't many kids in the section of town we were in.

We had room service for dinner because we were all tired and we had to get up early the next morning. The food was quite good and the room was very comfortable. We had an excellent night's sleep.

In the morning, we caught the bus at 0700 and went across the border with no difficulties. We ended up back in San Salvador about 1120, where the fun began. We only had US$8 between us, so I headed to the cash machine. Unfortunately, the transfer I had requested into our bank account on Friday had not gone through, so we were unable to get cash. The machine did not accept MasterCard, so I couldn't get a cash advance on my card.

When Nelson came to pick us up, we asked him to take us to a cash machine. He did, where I tried the credit advance, but that wouldn't work because I had never done it before and did not have a PIN. OK, back to the hotel to call Citibank to get a PIN.

At the hotel, we got ahold of Citibank, but their system only mails PIN numbers to you: it is impossible to get a PIN over the phone! Great! Now our options are narrowing. OK, are there any Citibank offices in San Salvador? The customer service representative transfers me to an automatic voice system that wants me to say my state and city, but I'm not in the U.S.!

OK, hang up and call back. This time, I find out from the rep that there are not any branches anywhere in Central America. But I can use my credit card in any bank branch to get an advance: oops, no luck, all the banks closed at noon because it is Saturday, and it's 1215. But wait: can I do a cash advance from my Citibank credit card to my Citibank bank account, then use my normal bank card to get cash? The rep says, yes, that will work if my accounts are "linked." I tell him I don't think they are linked, can I link them and do the transfer at the same time? He doesn't know, AND THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM IS UPDATING SO CAN I CALL BACK IN 30 MINUTES!

By now, I'm getting desparate, because the last "special bus" back to Usulutan is at 1300. It's 1220. What to do? Ah ha! Yesterday when we talked to Melissa, she said they might be in San Salvador today. OK, we call them and success! They are at the Metro Center and are just heading to a different place. I ask if we can borrow some cash, and the answer is no. Just kidding, they of course said of course! They said they would head right over.

Roma realizes we're not going to get any lunch. She walks down to the corner restaurant where they take credit cards to get some food to go. We wait anxiously for Sula to show up. About 1250, Melissa and Nancy (from Desiderada) pull up with their taxi driver, Jose. She gives me some money and we exchange short stories. I apologize, but we've really got to go. We say goodbye and jump into the van. Leif is not feeling well.

Nelson drives us down to the corner where we try to get Roma, but the food isn't ready yet! Yikes, this is not going well at all. We ask the restaurant people to hurry, and they get us the food and we're in the car at 1304.

Then there is a ton of traffic. I say to Nelson: no big deal, if we don't make the special bus, we'll catch a regular one. The regular bus goes to the same place, it just takes twice as long because it stops more often. When we get to the bus station about 1325, we're amazed to learn that there is still a special bus there. We get on and find almost the last two sets of double seats left, and then settle in while everyone else packs in around us. We end up being extrememly lucky: there are people standing in the corridors when we leave about 1340.

Leif still isn't feeling well, and is taking a nap. I eat the sandwich Roma got me for lunch. The bus is actually playing a movie: Driven, which happens to be the same movie we saw on the Pulmantur bus in the morning.

About an hour into the trip, the girl standing in the aisle just in front of my seat doesn't look too good. She holds up her hand to her mouth like she's going to be sick, and then blah, she pukes, right there in the aisle of the bus. Her vomit is all over her hands and the floor, and she shakes her hand as she shuffles around to switch with someone so that she can sit down: as her hand shakes, little vomit droplets scatter all over. One lands on my arm. OK, this is really gross.

The rest of the trip passes without event. We get to Usulutan and are mugged by taxi drivers. There are about 20 taxis at the store, and about 10 people in town who can afford to take a taxi (and all of them have their own car). As I get off the bus, Roma already has a guy who got to us a first. I tell him we have to do some grocery shopping first and he says he will be right over here (just outside the store parking lot). We go set all our bags outside the store. Leif really feels like he's going to vomit, so he runs into the store to use the bathroom. I stand outside with Gage.

A family of two women and 6 kids comes up to us to ask us for money for food. We say we don't have any money, would they like a bottle of water? They say yes. We give them one of the unopened water bottles. None of them can get it open: I help open it. It was on there good! They wander off.

A security guard with a shotgun wanders over. He knows some English words. We talk a little. His name is William. He learned English in Panama, when he was serving in the U.S. armed forces there as an MP. He spent a year in Panama. I think my Spanish is better than his English, altough to be fair, I've had a lot more recent practice than he has. He's a nice guy. He tells me that our agreed taxi price of US$20 is too much. US$15 is more like it. Unfortunately, I had already agreed. I thank him for the advice.

Leif comes out of the store. He didn't throw up, but he doesn't look too good. He sits down to wait while Roma does some shopping.

Roma finally comes out of the store and hands an extra bag of apples to the family that was begging us for food earlier. They take the apples. We get in the cab and drive off.

Our taxi driver is a friendly fellow. He has one 2 year old son and lives just outside of town. We pass the road he lives on. We ask him to stop at a Chevron station to get some Delo 400 motor oil for the boat. I pay just over $9.00 per gallon and pick up 4 gallons of oil. It's 40 weight, but you've got to use what you've got. The oil is priced low.

We continue on towards Barillas. We're on the 5 mile dirt road when the taxi driver pulls over. His front left tire is flat! No problem, we've got a spare. I help what little I can as he changes the tire in about 10 minutes. Then we're on our way again.

We get to Barillas. I talk to Heriberto and find out that we didn't get more than about 25 knots of wind. Apparently, the storm came ashore between Acajutla and Bahia Del Sol, but when it was about 20 miles offshore, it suddenly and quickly lost steam. By the time it made landfall, it was not even a tropical storm anymore. This is why Sula only saw 40 knots of wind. It is also why the rivers and streams hadn't looked like they flooded very badly. It was a good thing for sure, because if it had still been a hurricane when it made landfall, the outcome would have been much worse for many people.

Anyway, we collected our cover that Heriberto had removed and got a panga back to the boat. Ah, to be home! Trinity was in excellent condition. We did not even take any rainwater in through the rear hatch which we had locked open (the rear sun shade was on, so I didn't think it would get any water on it at all). All in all, it was quite an eventful day, and we got very lucky with the way things turned out.

From this I have learned the following:
1. If we are going to leave our boat for any period of time, make sure that it is fully put away for the worst possible weather that it might encounter.
2. If we don't put the boat completely away, have an assigned person with all the knowledge and skill to put our boat in that state in case the unforeseen does occur. Heriberto did a great job, and he even took the initiative without hearing from us, but if a hurricane had come through, some of the stuff would have been damaged. For instance he couldn't get the bimini canvas off because several of the zippers were stuck.
3. Unless we have taken step #1, just because we are on vacation away from the boat does not mean we should not watch the weather as if we were there.

Posted: Sun - May 22, 2005 at 08:38 PM      

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