Monday- water travel.- and Never so glad to ride an elderly school bus.

After our plane ride to Blue Fields we made our way to the Moravian church where we were to meet our Richmond, Va. partners.  We stayed there awhile and they were kind enough to allow us to leave our luggage (and boxes of filters) there while we went for lunch at Pelican's right by the wharf.

The plan was to get the 4 o clock panga (water taxi), hoping that our Va. friends would be there to ride with us.  As we had lunch our friend/ co-ordinator and translator Yobeth Hebberth joined us.  She had been to the wharf and put our names on the list for reservations. (which we later discovered means NOTHING).  After lunch, we went back to the church while Yobeth checked on the panga.  She got back to us with the information that the 4 o clock boat had left at 3:15-- she  then put our names on the list for the last panga of the day scheduled to leave at 4:30.    We walked with our luggage and filter boxes to the wharf to discover that the 4:30 panga had left at 3:45.

We had been trying to contact the guys from Virginia via text, e-mail, and phone to no avail.  Yobeth talked to a man who was taking a panga to Kukra Hill (we were headed to Pearl Lagoon) and he told her he'd deliver his passengers to K H and then take us to Pearl Lagoon (where Yobeth lives).  We paid our 110 Cordobas each and got on this panga, feeling fortunate and  grateful to the driver and Yobeth.

We arrived at Kukra Hill at twilight and he announced that he was not going any further.    (He had no intention of taking us to Pearl Lagoon, but just wanted our money )  We got off the boat in the dark with our luggage, etc and wondered where to go and what to do.  Just then Yobeth heard "the bus" coming toward us.  She figures the panga driver felt guilty and called the bus driver to pick us up.  Yes, the bus was going to Pearl Lagoon and we got on, again grateful.

Let me describe the bus ride-- it is an OLD school bus-- I'm guessing 20 years past its prime.  No shocks and EVERYTHING rattled.  There's no picture of it cuz it was absolutely dark and I wasn't getting off for any reason.  I tried to write in my notes while on the bus, but after I'd written something, it was unreadable.

Tried to text, but phone bounced so much I couldn't write there, either.  The bus was far from full and it stopped every 7-10 minutes to let someone off (a farm worker going home, or a worker going to a night job), or let someone on.  The trip took 1 hour and 35 minutes and were were entertained with very loud country music from the 50's, 60's.&70's  At least the seat cushions weren't completely flat.  The "road" was full of large rocks and the driver swerved from side to side to avoid them.

When we finally arrived at Green Lodge in Pearl Lagoon, our Virginia partners were there.  They were told that we'd gotten the 4 o clock boat (our names were on the list), so they took the 4:30 one.  I asked why they hadn't answered our texts, calls, etc and they assured me that they hadn't received them.

From my doorway-- outside sink and shower

Green lodge is a family run hotel with 8-10 rooms.  It is well landscaped, well cared for and very friendly.  The piping for each room's water was interesting and efficient if the electricity was on.  When it was off, water was not pumped back into the tank when it was depleted.  Breakfast was provided if requested.   The first and second mornings breakfast was eggs cooked with peppers, tomatoes, etc, coconut bread, watermelon, cantaloupe, bright yellow butter, guava jelly and red beans.  Really good.

The third day our breakfast was oatmeal and bread with jelly with melons.