Where is NOAH when you need him!

Well, we are in Ojochal, sort of.



We are sitting at a Chinese Restaurant on the highway. We ventured here in hopes of finding an internet connection – but no luck, as satellite, cell and all other communications seem down. It has been raining for the past 4 hours – constantly and heavily. The main highway and the old highway are both closed due to washouts, so we ventured on the south route – la ruta de muerte – the road of death as the locals call it. Sat for an hour while they cleared a mudslide, and then encountered 2 more washouts – lesser delays each time.

So why are we sitting at a Chinese Restaurant? Because we need to get the keys to the house we are renting from Keith and Karen. But the river is impassable – we watched a 12’ long 2’ diameter log float by over the tree that is usually 4’ out of the water. And then the lack of communication noted above means we have no way to contact Keith and Karen. So beer sounded like a good idea.

We will find a place for the night and then figure out how to move forward. Just in case, we will swing by Casa Jensen to see if by chance they were able to arrange something – you know, if we can’t get in, they can’t get out.


The roads are like rivers – some of them you can’t see anything but water. The actual river is raging and looks like liquid mud. Good thing they build a bridge to Phase 5 since that branch of the river is equally impassable – don’t know how folks lived here since the bridge just opened in June.


Phase 6 is a gated community, and the guard actually recognized Lisle from his stay in May and let us go up to the house to see if anything was obvious. Lisle went up to the house, and I sat in the car as it continued to pour rain. I looked at my blackberry and Eureka! I had cell service, and 2 messages from Karen. I responded that we were at the house, and 3 minutes later a very kind man (Brad) arrived in a Jeep with keys – I walked around the back of the house where Lisle was still trying to get an internet connection and jingled them for him - - “Where did they come from!?”


Crisis averted – unpacked – another beer – off to Stephan’s for pizza - - hope he is open!