Here we are…driving on death road in a double decker bus.
Alyssha’s puking.
Brooklynn’s crying in pain.
I feel like I have the worst hangover ever….from altitude not alcohol.
The fog spreads all around us. Beyond the guardrails lies the earths atmosphere.
Today is day 2 of travel day…but let me tell you how this all started.
Rewind.
Before the roosters even had a chance to crow, my 3 teammates and host’s child and I woke up in a pile on the trampoline at 4:30 AM…barely remembering if we had even fallen asleep.
We began the daunting task of rolling up our sleeping bags and standing in line for the bathroom.
After one last cup of coffee with the Dominguez family we loaded up the buses and headed out for the 5 hour bus ride to the airport.
Fast Forward.
After goodbyes were said and luggage was checked, we went to our gate which just happened to be the only gate in the airport without air conditioning. But hey, it was a free sauna.As team leader, I had to make the decision as to how we were going to split one personal pan pizza between 7 people due to the high cost of $8.
Fast Forward.
The flight to Miami had extra legroom…so that was pretty exciting.
After landing, our next challenge was getting through customs…where I never got a form, Zach DIDN’T almost lose his passport, Elaine got interrogated, and the girls were forced to carry their bags for miles because “this is not the coast guard.”
We were the happiest of people when we realized we had an extra hour to feast like kings on American food. We had the following:
Chicken wings
Burgers
French fries
Mozzarella Sticks
Spinach & Artichoke Dip
& Sundaes
Then became the mad rush to get on the plane after indulging ourselves.
Fast Forward.
The 6 and a half hour flight was uneventful from 11PM to 6AM…other than I barely slept because I can’t sleep in planes.
Fast Forward.
Things didn’t start getting chaotic until arriving in La Paz, Bolivia and trying to figure out what to do with the 4 different forms we had been given and how to apply for a visa with perfectly crisp dollar bills that don’t always exist. Thankfully Elaine is Canadian and that took away one person. Only 6 left.
Reality sunk in that our current elevation was off the charts and altitude sickness began to creep in….not to mention bathroom necessities…myself in particular. I picked the worst day to get the runs (travel day).
Here are some of the following symptoms currently being exhibited due to altitude:
Migraines
Vomiting
Dizziness
Shortness of Breath
Nausea
Earaches
Chest Pain
and THIRST
So…once we made it through customs, I found a subway to get bottled water for my team. I somehow with a migraine asked in Spanish if they took USD and how much it cost. They then tried to cheat me out a few bucks using their own exchange rate. I then said…NO. Necessito ochenta ocho bolivianos para agua.
Fast forward.
Team has water. We left for a local pastors house to eat breakfast. Sabrina and I’s team got pushed up an hour in terms of leaving. Therefore, this involved scarfing down a banana and a few quick pieces of bread, figuring out how much my team owes for food, bus travel, administrative costs, and whatever else I’m forgetting, then having to be the one to get everybody moving despite the clear sickness across everybody’s face.
Fast Forward.
Made it to bus stop, except no bus because the driver had a restricted license plate. 3 blocks and a couple of different modes of transportation later and we loaded up our double decker bus. Also had to go exchange my dollars for bolivianos in the mix of things.
Fast Forward
One of the many stops our bus driver made was to the public bathroom where squatty potties are the norm and doors are not. But on the bright side of things, for 1 boliviano you can get a sheet of toilet paper. But me being the budget minded team leader that I am…I decided to pee off the side of the mountain.
1 boliviano saved of many to come.
Fast Forward.
So here we are on death road (that’s what it’s called here because of the narrow, curvy, mountainous road) traveling to our destination. Phone has no service. May not be able to contact host upon arrival because I don’t have a local SIM card yet. But I DO have directions to a local missionaries house who everybody in town apparently knows.
This is The World Race
But we choose joy as we travel down the road of death, because we know we are called to bring life and that’s what we came here to do.
Cowritten by Brooklynn and Kathryn
PS We made it to our host site and ministry has begun.
