Our luxury coach of Linea Dorada was due out of Rio Dulce town at 9.30 and we were to be met by Carlos at the wharf - guess what? He didn't show and all the chaps in the street said they had never heard of our mythical luxury bus - so after waiting in the dust and dirt and truck fumes for 45 mins we gave up and booked on the other bus called linea del Norte which had not been recommended, but they had lovely pictures on the walls of luxury buses - and they even put luggage tags on our luggage - luxury treatment!... Then the bus arrived! Well, we thought our chicken bus was rough but this was the king of rough! He tried to open the luggage doors underneath but they were just a rust bucket - and there was little room for our bags - in stuffing them in as best he could, he pulled our lovely luggage labels off - so that was that!
The bus driver was in a shirt and tie and black trousers - good! The bus was three quarters full and we managed to squeeze ourselves into the raked seats with no knee room and no foot room due to the wheel arches! The bus lurched off at an optimistic 20mph for about half a mile and then the driver slowed right down as a terrible noise started reverberating through the bus. He pulled into one of the many pinchazo stops which means puncture and asked us all to get out for 10 minutes while they replaced the brake drum. The locals were very efficient at getting the double wheels off, by means of compressed air and a large hammer. The brake drum had completely disintegrated and John noted that they didn't bother with brake shoes but just ran on the bare metal! They then hit it with a hammer to put a new one on - which John commented was the best way to crack a cast metal part! Anyway the driver took off his tie and got his old dirty coat and baseball cap on and got under the wheels to fix the problem- so we set off again going a little faster for a mile or so- then we pulled in again near a house and his lady helper unscrewed the radiator cap inside our bus and filled the bus with hot steam. We then had to wait for it to cool down enough so that a team of people could run down the hill with buckets and and fill up the radiator. Once it cooled we set off again for about 20 miles and then we had to pull in to drop off a sack of maize and take on more water. Moira and I went to the ladies loos which did not have a flush of course but you had to come out after you had finished, take a bailer made out of a milk bottle and fill it from the 40 gallon drum in the corner to slosh out our own bowl.
Eventually, five hours or so later we actually arrived safely in Santa Elena Flores and were dropped in the bus station and herded to a shuttle bus where the man made us out an official looking ticket then plonked us on a bus that only drove round the corner to the market and parked - everyone got out and we were treated to a non stop visit from every street vendor in the market with delicious fruit, crisps, ice cream, fresh drinks, cakes - none of which we dared buy because of our hygiene worries in the market, and we were famished! Eventually they dropped us at El Remate village and we walked down a little side road to a grey wooden building called La Casa De Don David. We walked through that door into another world of fresh licuado overlooking a lush tropical garden overlooking the lake Peten Itza with the bird tables for the humming birds and the staff bustling about putting on a Mayan fire show for our entertainment. So, yes we have arrived and our little cabanas downstairs are cute with 2 double and 1 single bed each. Our washbasin is outside amongst the tropical flowers and there is a goo shower indoors. We have been fed pretty well and met the usual consmopolitan group of interesting travellers. In the morning we are looking forward to breakfast being served on the lakeside terrace by zip line powered by bike parts! Fun. A lazy day ahead tomorrow awaiting the arrival of Arthur, who has already had the day from hell on his first leg of journey to Cancun!
Internet is weak here so no pics for the moment - but we are all fine and still laughing!
Sounds like you are testing the bus company's to their max �� Keep well R &G x
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