God's Intervention

Route: Buena Vista - Okinawa I - San Javier
Time: probably after 12 pm - about 9pm

Highlights: The plan is to get to the Jesuit's missions, actually to the one in San Ramón (as it turns out there isn't any there, but in San Javier). But first I have to change the front right tire. A guest points it out to us (if he hadn't I wouldn't have had to do it). Great, we need to remember all details Aldo told us when we got the car. After some searching I have all pieces together that I need (including unlocking a box in the engine room, flipping back the rear seats to get the lever). By the time I have taken off the wheel, gotten the spare off the roof, to flat one up on the roof, the spare on the axle, made a short test drive, it's time for lunch which was included in the price (some holiday "special" - specially high price). Initially we were going to skip it, but the buffet was set, so have lunch enjoying the views over a plain with the National Park Amboró at the horizon. There is a large party of guests there so there is quite some action.

The map shows a main (red) road all the way through. We are dropping down to 250m above sea level. The land is really flat now, mountains, forsts gone. We find our way through Montero quite well (as usual there aren't too many signs), then we pass Okinawa I (yes, I as in One, because there are three, and yes, Okinawa like the Okinawa in Japan; that's because a few Japanese did settle in Bolivia after WWII). Then the asphalt road ends and its a two-lane dust road. Are we heading to the right direction? At home I wouldn't ask (because men don't ask for directions), here in Bolivia, I do. I stop at a bicycle rider with two girls on it, too.
This is where our destiny changes. I ask how to get to San Ramón and the monasteries. The father tries to explain but his older daughter (12 years old) takes over to explain us the best way. They are so sweet that I ask them if they want my color crayons and some paper. Then I ask them if they want their pictures taken. They love the idea, so I take some shots on the bike, in the car, etc. And not knowing what I promise I say I'll send the pictures to you (I'll describe the process another day). So I have Beatriz (the older one) write down here name. She adds her siblings, too, they are five girls and just one boy: Beatriz (12 years), Angelica (10), Cecilia, Naida, Eliana, Alejandro. I don't quite remember how come Beatriz asks her father if she couldn't go along with us. Peter agrees, so we say yes. We start exchanging addresses, their father, Juan, tells me that he entrust me with his girls as he believes in God.

To make a long story short: We go to their house (an old warehouse for empty plastic containers), where we are greeted by the whole family. While the girls pack their stuff, we take some pictures, then at around 4pm we have to drive off as we still have more than 100 km of road ahead and we need to "get over" the river Rio Grande.
With Beatriz' and Angelica's help we find the way just perfectly. We drive through a village made of "clay" houses where pigs and chicken run around freely and kids are playing with wire loops and cars mad of cans... There is no bridge. They got to be kidding, the map says so. As a matter of fact there are heavy pontoons waiting, actually just transporting a car over. We drive over the dried river bed to the edge of the water and wait and see: Over two heavy boards you drive up an angle of 45° then down into the pontoon. That mastered a few men start pushing the shipment over the river. They are hip-deep in the slow-flowing water and push us over to the other side. We strike up a conversation with them and once again you hear complaints about Evo (the president). As we learn later it's the river that swept away the kids' home last year, when it was really high!
We need to push forward. There another 15 km of dusty road ahead (and don't just mean dusty, I mean the road is made of dust) before we hit solid ground again in Los Troncos. From here on the landscape changes again, we start to get into the Cerros (rocky hills), as we climb it gets darker, when we arrive in San Ramón it's pitch dark, and we don't like the place. So we decide to keep driving. It's a torture, luckily the road is quite well marked. Nevertheless, it takes about another hour till we get to San Javier, where we pick the first best place to stay.
We get a large room with 5 beds. The girls are excited because they can sleep in a bunk bed. Before bedtime we try to find something to eat. It's the start of chicken meals. We have our dinner right at the Plaza with the mission. And these missions are nothing you would expect. They are very large and have rich decorations. We cannot wait to visit the next day.

Tip of the day: Once again we underestimate the distances (although today we just started late). Driving at night is no fun with a car with headlights that are not well aligned. Get up earlier and try to avoid night driving - this is not Europe.

Intermezzo: For me this day is one of the most gratifying. Our two guests are good entertainers as they are talking all the time and explaining things to us. In a way it is sweet, in another I start to see that religion is actually a good thing (not just religiously motivated terrorism). Beatriz explains to me that God wanted us to meet. She tells us she wants to become a nun. Her father also trusts in me because he trusts in God. I am touched.

Temperatures: Quite hot in and out of the car but windy.
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