Gone Fishin

Rachel and I THOUGHT we were just going to see how badly the Mullins River temporary bridge had washed out.  Little did we know that we were gonna go fishin!!!

As we took the little detour turn off we noticed 3 guys wading thru the river where it is generally low...and then we saw THE CAR.  A little less than 1/2 way across and stopped at an odd angle we saw in an instant that this guy was in trouble. His passenger side was tilted into the water and just getting to the bottom of the door.  I put the car in reverse, backed out of the detour road and headed to camp to get Ray.  All of this happened in about 2 minutes. 

Up to the house I quickly drove &  explained to Ray that he had to come...NOW.

On the way to the bridge we stopped at the only other home within miles of our home and borrowed a chain.  We were hoping the neighbor boys were home to be able to bring the tractor to help.  No dice as they were out in their fields not due home for awhile.  It was up to us.  

Meanwhile another truck had entered the picture...a meat truck.  The guys we saw earlier were delivering product (WHO KNOWS WHAT!) to this meat truck from across the river in 5 gallon buckets when the little red blazer showed up.  The guys convinced him that he could make it across in the shallow part.  So, after driving 1 1/2 hours from Belize City and having no bridge to cross, he decided to go for it.  OOPS!  Big Mistake!

Just shy of half way, he drove off the 'shallow' part and there he remained until we showed up!

To their credit, the 3 guys stayed to help this poor fellow.  So with a rope from the meat truck, the chain we had borrowed from the neighbor and our truck we were still short. Ray went up the hill again to see if he could find anything else at the neighbors and he came back with two very thick pieces of rope.  The meat truck guy ties them together, hooks it on the back of Rays truck and one of the three guys goes into the river to tie it onto the chain and other rope, already attached to the sinking car.  Oh yeah, by now the water is up to the passenger door windows.

Ray backs into the water, hoping that HE was in the shallow part, but still had to back up until his bumper was under water.  But it works....after a LONG 30 seconds the little Blazer starts to move and all of the chain/ropes held until he was on dry ground.

Unbelievably the car is still running.  Introductions all around, the meat guy packs it up, the 3 guys wade back across the river and then the car chugs to a stop.  And after many attempts, will not restart.  

During all of this, sort of an insult added to injury, 2 other trucks pull up.  They are there from the government Dept. of Works to inspect the bridge!!!  They try to help restart the car, but still no dice.  But I did have a chat with them and found out that money has come in to rebuild the 'temporary bridge' a little bit better so it isn't washing out every other day ( no kidding).  And the same for the bridge in Kendall that stranded us in Punta Gorda the 1st week we were here.  That is a whole other story tho...since then both bridges have been repaired and washed out again.

So we tow our new friend, Jerome, a Frenchman, off of the detour road and up to our camp.  He proceeds to quickly take his soaked computer apart and dry it out.  After dinner, a load of clean clothes, email on my laptop and a good conversation with Ray about what WE were doing out here in the jungle and making a bunk for our guest we called it a night. 

Next day, the car is still not working, but  a tow truck arrives that had been arranged the night before and he is off to Dangriga.  A very grateful Jerome let us take his picture.  Feliz, who doesn't do much with a camera took the pix, so it is blurry, but you'll get the idea.  Isadoro, the camp worker said that we caught a red snapper!!

Indeed!!