Adventures on the border

 

So going to renew my visa was supposed to be an easy day trip, but it ended up being a long three day trip full of adventure.  Here in Honduras, the visas are given on a 90 day basis to Tourists from all non-Central-American countries except Libya and a few others.  90 days is just long enough to forget that you need to leave the country. My second 90 day visa expired today, and I had to leave the country to get a new one before.  

I live about 4 hours from the border of Guatemala and El Salvador by combination of buses and taxis. Not so far, and a day trip is quite possible, if one leaves early in the morning...

Rejection in El Salvador

Someone told me El Salvador was closer just go there, so I believed them and took a bus and then another bus, and then a busito and then a taxi, and made it to the border by myself.  I made it there pretty quickly and around 12:00 I was in the Immigration office in El Salvador.  After waiting 35 minutes inline for the passport check, it was finally my turn and the man began to ask me questions and then more questions.  He seemed awfully suspicious, and examined my visa, and then again, and then the third time of reexamining it he told me it wasn't valid in El Salvador, because it was from the El Salvador Honduras border, and I haven't left the region in 90 days blah-di-bla-bla... Well at this moment emotions running high and my nerves on edge, all I could do was hold back the baseball in my throat. I held back as long as I could and walked away, sad that I got cheated changing my money into American Dollars (the currency of El Salvador), and that I wasted my free day and my money on rejection!  Then Sor Vilma called me and then *waahhh*  the flood gates broke.  I was balling walking by myself on the Honduran border wondering what I would do without a Visa, or when I would find time and money to travel to Belize or Mexico, and the whole time aware of the strange men glaring at me wondering what in the world was going on. Ohh the humiliation of being an emotional woman! Lucky for me, even when I'm emotional I still think clearly and went to the Honduran Migracion office, and there was a guy watching TV, and he really said nothing but uhh huh,no,no! uh huh. Asking enough questions, I was able to deduce from the "si" and  "no" responses that Guatemala would probably let me in, so perhaps I wouldn't be left visaless! There was hope still!

JPII my last hope in Guatemala!

Sunday by puro milagro I woke up at 5:40 realized the bus left at 6:00 aka it leaves at 5:50!  I literally jumped out of bed put on my jeans and sprinted out the door and down the huge hill, making it to the bus at 5:51, only to find out there would be no bus until 9:00! 

So back up the hill to the Cathedral I made the 6:00 mass, and then down the hill again just in time to catch the bus.  At the big border town there was only one taxi waiting at the station to go to the Guatemalan Border-- it was Sunday, so only one taxi does runs to the Guatemalan border  which is about 45 min away.  The Guatemalan border was weird.  First there's the leaving Honduras side, then a 3 km drive and then the entry to Guatemala side.  Its also totally sketch there's nothing around really a couple snack shops and a ton of young men just standing around watching the two of us who came in the taxi pass through customs--CREEEPY!  I went to the border and just walked over to Guatemala with no problem, then I realized I needed to get my passport revised. hahe  So I walked back to the strange neutral zone and waited 20 min for the Guatemalan Immigration to attend to me, even though there was only one other person there! 

      So long story short, they let me into the country! and after a few more taxis I made it to Escipulas safe and sound, around 1:00.  They said the last bus to Santa Rosa left at 3:30 fro the big border town, so I figured I had 45 min in Esquipulas before I had to make my way back.  I prayed in the awesome templo and saw the famous "Black Christ" ate a sandwhich and a smoothie in the park, and then headed back .  I made it to the leaving Guatemala side on a little busito, but there was noone in the Immigration office, so the bus left me, and I went to go look for the Immigration workers first in a snack shop, and then all the way to their houses, and still didn't find them! haha Only in Central America!   So I waited about half hour, and finally some 17 year old guy came running and said he could stamp my passport, and he did.  Then I left just in time to jump on a bus on its way to Santa Rosa! What luck! 

      However when we came to the Honduran Entry point, they didn't want to stop, so I jumped off and they left me.  The second time that day!  The Honduran side was not so reticent to accept me either!  The guy  said the don't give visa's if you haven' been out of the country more than a day!  The guy said I could spend the night here and in the morning he'd give me a visa.  I looked around at the couple of run down houses and sketch guys, and was desesperada! (dissillusioned)  I prayed for some Divine Mercy.  Then I began to explain that I'm a volunteer and da da da and everything I do.  The man looked at me and said no, he couldn't, then I begged JPII for some good ol intercession, and sat there. The man began looking at the huge stacks of lists of people rejected from the country, (that I am now on in El Salvador hehe)  and I thought for sure he was going to add me to it, and asked me to fill out this paperwork, and ta daa! It was my visa!!!

Divine Mercy Sunday, and JPII perfect combo when in a bind!

As I signed the Visa, I heard the Booom, of the thunder, and as I was walking down the steps the rain began.  I looked and the Taxi was pulling away.  The only taxi that runs on Sunday! He saw me and let me in, saying I was lucky because now that the rain started, he wasn't going to do anymore runs!  Even though the taxi smelled a like dirty laundry, I couldn't help but rejoice that I was dry as I looked outside at the immense downpour of the rain on the beautiful countryside!

  The Third Bus to Leave me Stranded...

     I made it to the Bus station just in time around 3:40, and they said the bus hadn't left, so I was lucky.  However, soon 4:30 came, and then 5:30 and me and the fifty others were still at the bus stop.  The bus wasn't going to come.  And the next bus was at 4:30 am.  No prob, I called the sisters asked them if they knew where I could stay the night, and told them I was at the bus stop, and then.... My phone died. I have amazing luck!   So then I was tempted to hitch hike with this lady and her children, but decided against it in the end, because they weren't going all the way to Santa Rosa.  Soooo I waited at the bus stop, with a friendly couple and the sisters called me at the bus company, and told me how to go to a random convent in the city, because I could spend the night there.  What a miracle, the sisters there took care of me and gave me dinner and in the morning I left and made it back to St, Rosa in time for my classes!

God is good and takes care of us when we need him!

El famoso "Cristo Negro"! The cross in the Basilica draws pilgrims from tons of countries because it is a miracle that the Jesus on the cross of the crucifix turned black (dark brown) like the skin color of the people here to show that Christ is one of them too.