Rio Dulce

The end of the bus drive came relatively soon, as I had hoped. The view from the bridge over Rio Dulce ("Sweet River"?) is breathtaking. This is a river that flows from Lago (Lake) Izabal to the Caribbean Sea/Gulf of Mexico/Gulf of Honduras. You can't see the sea or even the lake (not very well) from the bridge, but it's still a beautiful spot. Crossing the bridge also meant that we were seconds from ending our bus trip and meeting our Izabal friends again.



They weren't quite there when we arrived. We had feared they would be waiting for hours. But - unlikely last time - we could call them on our cell phones. And a few minutes there they were - pastors whom some of us recognized and new folks on both sides. Ben greeted unidentified pastors.



If the express bus trip was somewhat trying, what came next was also very trying - and adventurous. The pastors and several other people appeared to have all driven there in one pick-up truck. We had talked before about riding over a bumpy road for two hours in pick-up trucks. but later were told the presbytery had access to a van. We piled our luggage with others on the pick-up truck, and then piled into a public/private microbus that was headed with several other passengers from Rio Dulce to El Estor. As we filled up with some dozen people, Ellen joked that we'd be waiting for a while to fill up the van more. Or I thought we were joking. After we waited another half an hour in high humidity and 90 degree weather - in still air because either the windows weren't open or there was no breeze because we weren't going anywhere. As the six of us and some of the pastors and others sat there in pools of perspiration, the little microbus filld up with no less than 21 people - and finally departed.



Once we left on the road from Rio Dulce to El Estor, we faced two surprises: With the windows open and the breeze - and with the road (where - it turns out - the first half) newly paved, the drive (with its occasional vistas of Lago Izabal) was rather pleasant. And on we traveled towards the El Estor area.



-- Perry