7.16.2014

Making it to Santa Fe

Another difficult travel day. This trip is so short and I am trying to pack in more than I should. A boat came to pick us up at 8:30 to take us to Boca Chica where a collectivo was supposed to be waiting....we waited for about 30 minutes on the steps of the church....and one finally did show up.











All was going well and we were just riding along with a group of older folks on their way to doctors appointments or something.....






Until...1, then 2, then 3 of the 5 lug nuts broke off the rear tire. This was us on the side of the road while the situation got sorted out.





About 30 minutes later another collectivo came by and all the old people got on that one. And we got back into the broken one, the driver assuring us that if we sit toward the front and he drives really slow we could make it. Ok, sure. We got in, drove slow, and finally made it to the Pan American highway where we waiting in the blistering heat by the side of the road for a bus we could flag down. We waited a long time. Busses came and went, none of them going where we needed to go.


Finally one of those double decker super nice ones came by and offered us seats up by the driver. The kids crammed into the drivers bunk bed and Luis and I sat on five gallon buckets, for two hours.



It basically sucked, but at least we were going the direction we needed to go and it was air conditioned. Two points there. The buckets got old after a short while but we had no choice. Finally arriving at the aim bus station in Santiago we asked someone how to get to the bus station for a collectivo to Santa Fe. We got into a taxi for a short ride, then easily found a collectivo for the hour and a half ride up into the mountains to Santa Fe.

So here we are now at Hostal La Qhia, it's nice enough and we are hoping for some river tubing and waterfall walks. It's blessedly cooler here.



This bed is waiting for me......

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