Bombero voluntario mister Jan

Bombero voluntario mister Jan

No news about the bike, still waiting for parts. This message is a little story about one of my adventures working as a volunteer on the ambulance on the PanAmerican highway. This is  a summary of the Dutch entry, please let me know (using a form or mail) if you like this summary or using Google Translator better on the original text better.

We left at 4 o’clock in the mornig, Jorge, the driver, Luis and me to deliver a patient at the only mental institution in Guatemala (11 million inhabitants) in the capital. It was still very dark and cold. After half an hour life seem to be on it`s way. Lots of people waiting on the side of the road for transport. Mostly trucks with an open space at the back. They were all packed in many coloured blankets. When we crossed lake Titatlan the sun was just rising behind the huge vulcanoes. They are hart to miss with their flattened tops. Traffic already slowed down in the little villages we passed. On the side of the street, the street vendors were making breakfast on woodburned stoves.

The captital itself is inmense traffic jam were everybody crawls over each other. It took a long time to find the institution. At the gate we had to leave the patients son at the guard, no entry under 18. After a short check we could enter with our ambulance. Inside it`s not hard to identify patients, with no shoes, dressed in uniform clothes they were lying on the street, rolling around and begging at our van. At the Emergencia (emergency ward) we had to wait for the intake of our patient. From the outside it looked ok, but inside it was probably 30 years ago they spent some money on the interior. It all reminded me vey much of the movie ‘One flew over the cuckoos nest`

After the verdict on our patient was spoken, in house treatment for 10 days, the party started. We visited the city centre, when traffick jammed we just used our siren and got through. In the evening the driver didn`t want to change with me so he drove on, even faster to show off his skills? During our late evening diner, some odd thing happened. Some woman in the tiny reastaurant whispered `morenos`and went to the open door. From across the street some 15 men were crossing the street, all armed. They disappeared in cars. Morenos are gangs of bandits who roam the Pan American at night looking for cargo or other interesting stuff. We left and got home at 12.

4 Responses to “Bombero voluntario mister Jan”

  1. Wiegert says:

    Wauh, wat een verhaal. “Leve de kapotte versnellingsbak” zou ik bijna zeggen. Het ga je goed!

  2. Ton Dekker says:

    Dag dokters.

    Mooi en spannend tegelijk. man.
    Je hebt het tandwiel nog niet, begrijp ik.
    Vergeet niet de olie erbij te doen.(geintje)
    Moest gisteren avond nog ff aan je denken, kijkende naar de motorcycle diaries van Che. Ook hij komt met zijn motorpech bij de Bomberos terecht.
    Hij laat hem er achter en gaat verder.
    Bij jou gaat het zeker weten anders.
    Repareren en verder, as the wind blows.
    Misschien, als hij hem had gerepareerd en verder met de motor was gegaan, was hij ook wel als vrije econoom in Guatamala terecht gekomen.
    Maar zonder dollen, zorg dat de Lib weer on the road komt en ga ervoor.

    gr de Dekkers

  3. Harry says:

    He die Ger

    Lekker zo’n kapotte bak maak je nog eens wat mee daar in die rimboe
    Heb je ook gelijk de zustersverblijven gecheckt en hoe de keuken is misschien wat voor je oude werkgever
    He nog geen tandwiel ,ja dokter is drukdoende.
    Hoop voor je dat het niet te lang gaat duren ,ga je goed

    Harry en Diane

  4. Cees says:

    HE inwonende vreemdeling,je word met de dag rijkerga de wind nu maar eens opzoeken om nogeens lekker uit te waaien en nog rijker te worden.

    gr Cees

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