WorldWide Drilling Resource

Water for Life International by Tim Rasmussen Doyle’s Drive to Guatemala Part 1 Doyle Knight shifted anxiously in his seat. He was approaching the Mexican border crossing at Brownsville, Texas, driving a large donated truck heading for Guatemala to be put in service with Water for Life. It had already been a long trip from Spokane, Washington, but there was still a long way to go. Really, the border was about the halfway point. There were three men in the truck. They made sure their passports were readily available and, for the third time, they checked all the documents for the truck and the vehicle towing behind the truck. Crossing the border can be a difficult process. If you drive a vehicle into Mexico and let them know you intend to go entirely through the country, the Mexican authorities require a lot of paperwork. To complete the paperwork, you must hire an agent. The agent does the paperwork and makes sure all supporting documents are in order. The vehicle must be titled in the traveler’s name and there must be Mexican insurance for the vehicle. Doyle spent about four hours going through the routine to get the paperwork completed. It cost $750. Then there was a very odd fee. It was $250 and had to be paid in cash. There was no receipt given in exchange for the money. It sounded like a shakedown, but there was little Doyle could do. They had the power to deny him entry, and he wanted to enter. It was simple. Pay. So he paid, and they allowed him to enter. Later, he was to experience the very same thing to exit the country. A $250 “fee”. While they were traveling down the length of Mexico, they left the coastal highway for a time. They should not have done it, because the coastal highway is patrolled with special police, and the military has a presence there to back them up. Inland is not like this at all. There are bandits, thieves, and phony police who extract tolls from unwary travelers who stray from the populated coastal highway. Doyle ran into three of these highwaymen. The way they do it sounds like a scene from an old western movie. They drag a big branch across the road and put a chair or little table beside the road. They might have a fake badge between them, and perhaps a gun. They stop all vehicles. They usually let the cars go by, but if a truck comes which seems like it could be commercial, they “inspect” the paperwork. Believe me, they will find a “problem.” Then an exorbitant figure is quoted. Next, they “negotiate” until a mutually acceptable figure is reached. It is just like being in the market, trying to buy a bunch of bananas. They have the bananas. If you want the bananas, you pay. After four days, Doyle and the others finally made it down across Mexico. They paid the $250 cash (with no receipt) exit fee for the truck, and put the bandits behind them. They had not gone one mile when the Special Guatemalan Police stopped them. This was no branch-across-the- road shakedown, but a fully marked ve- hicle with lights, and an officer who was armed and in uniform. This was the real deal. The officer began to ask questions about who they were, where they were going, whose truck it was, who they were going to visit, how long they were going to be in Guatemala, why the truck had Washington plates, what was in the truck, and what was Water for Life, etc. They answered the questions as well as they could, and wondered what would happen next and how much the bribe would be. Only the Good Lord knew what was next. Doyle shifted anxiously in his seat. To be continued next month. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-466-5075 or 509-939-1941 Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 75 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JUNE 2016