Indian Ambush on the Interamericana

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Today was the day to begin the long journey home and my plan of attack was simple. I would drive to David and take a room there so that I could get up early the next day and make a run at the Costa Rican border. It was a longish drive but I should have had plenty of time to do it before nightfall because the Pan-American Highway (aka Interamericana) in Panama is mostly 4 lanes and in very good shape. I was making good time until I reached the two-lane section where I passed by some protesters who were blocking one lane of a bridge. I waved and honked my horn as I drove by thinking nothing of this obstruction which was merely a nuisance compared to so many other driving challenges that I have to deal with on a daily basis. It was about 10 miles further along that I sensed that something was awry. Trucks were pulling over to the side of the highway and the drivers appeared to be settling in for a long delay. I drove past them thinking that it probably had something to do with customs but I didn't get far before I could proceed no further. I assumed at this point that there must have been an accident so there I waited with the trucks and everyone else. Eventually news came up the line of vehicles that "indios" (indigenous people of Panama) had blockaded the bridge ahead with tree trunks, tree branches, and various other debris which included themselves, their wives, and children. I gathered that they were protesting a proposed hydroelectric project or a copper mine or some such thing that would make a lot of money for somebody who wasn't them so they decided to get even by taking out their frustrations on an unsuspecting motorist from Pennsylvania who unwittingly got caught in their trap. A local policeman showed up about 20 minutes after this fiasco had begun and came back from the bridge smiling and laughing. I think he said that he didn't have enough bullets to shoot all of them which meant that we were stuck there until they could mobilize enough riot police to remove the indians from the bridge. He estimated that this was going to take at least 3 hours so there we waited because there was nothing else that we could do. I had some interesting conversations in Spanish and English during the spontaneous street party that ensued. It was a fun party except that I had very little water which should never have happened because I normally carry more than enough for drinking and emergencies. The car ahead of me was a family from Panama City going to visit their son at boy scout camp. They were going to be very late. The car behind was an expat wannabe who just happed to be another 9-11 conspiracy theorist. I learned from him that you can avoid such things as paying taxes and military obligations by something he called "conditional acceptance". I countered with my feigned belief that the world is flat because this I believe to be the lord mother of all conspiracy theorys that trumps all others. This gave him pause as he came to realize that he was in the presence of greatness: I, not he, was the greatest crackpot that ever lived! The unfun part of this traffic jam party was realizing that I would have to drive the worst part of the Interamericana in the dark to reach my destination. That wasn't fun and it was even less so when it started to rain. My wiper blades are for shit and I'm not sure where I'm going to get new ones at this point. I couldn't see the road for nothing and I for damn sure couldn't find my accomodation when I reached David. This problem was solved by hiring a taxi for the "usted va, voy a seguirte" (you go, I'll follow) game. Ding! I have proven thus that a little bit of ingenuity and a little bit of spanish can take you places in this big, flat world of ours.

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Comments

[Sojourner1208]

enjoying reading your blog
I'm enjoying reading your blog. Good luck on the rest of your journey.