Big Red - The Little Red Truck

Deciding the type of vehicle to purchase was a major decision. We wanted something reliable since Jake is not very mechanical. Because we were not familiar with the country we didn’t want to purchase something that did not have the correct papers; thus creating problems. That meant buying something new. We felt we needed something that could haul a fair amount of stuff since we would be building the house and other buildings. After looking at a number of trucks we ended up with a Chevrolet Work LUV. It is a cheaper truck, not as heavily built as some of the others. We certainly notice that difference. But it does what we need it to do.

We have had the truck since April and already have 10,000 kms. on it, much more than we ever anticipated. It seems like the truck becomes a taxi to the doctor many times a week. The doctor is located in La Pista, 11 kms. away. The road is rough with many potholes and it takes about 35 to 40 minutes to drive one way. But when a mother comes with a small child that has diarrhea and is vomiting, I cannot refuse to take them. When I go, I usually pick up a number of people along the way, either going to La Pista or returning to Patajusal.

Because the men working on our house live in La Pista we pick them up early Monday morning. Sometimes we are on our way from Yapacani and have a load of supplies and equipment. It is not unusual for us to have the truck loaded and then add more stuff – bags of rice, bikes, chain saws, machetes and bags of personal belongings. One day we had 8 men on the back of the already full truck, then added 4 more, plus a woman and her child. Not only were they hanging on the back, they were also perched on the top of the cab. Some of the passengers were going to another community farther into the jungle. They walk or bike 17 kilometers to and from their farms so they were very glad to get a ride for the first 11 kms.

On Sundays we bring a load of people from Patajusal to La Pista to the Evangelical Church. There might be 12 persons on the truck; there might be 20 persons, along with their musical instruments. If the service is in Patajusal, Jake drives to La Pista first and brings those members back to Patajusal. It means a lot of driving but it is part of what we do.

Last week included a trip to another pueblo, Cascabel, about 40 kms. from Patajusal. I had never been there before so I was interested to see it. The purpose of the trip was to bring two couples and the pastor to obtain marriage licenses. I was driving – speeding at 60 kmp – when they told me to stop. I had passed the office of the notary without even knowing I was in the village. It was just another small village that spreads along the road with no true beginning or end.

Another trip brought me to a new community that borders Patajusal 1. The trip started with a baby that needed to be brought into La Pista to the doctor. Before we left the community we picked up the veggies from one of the chacos so that they could sell them in La Pista. The doctor was not around that night but the trip was not in vain. We returned, minus the veggies but with the additional company of three loud squawking ducks. Thankfully, they were in bags in the bed of the truck and not in the cab. While returning to Patajusal, we were stopped by the micro (small bus) and asked if we would take some passengers back to Patajusal. This did not make sense since the bus was returning from there. The driver thought the road was too wet and muddy to proceed. Since I had just driven the road I was somewhat surprised. I hadn’t seen any wet, muddy road – but this is Bolivia! We proceeded for a few kilometers and came across a group of about 12-15 people who had been dropped off, along with all their purchases from Yapacani. Normally the micro would take them another 2.5 km. It was very dark and the people were tired so they all clambered on the truck and off we went. I thought that all the people would get off at the crossing between Patajusal 1 and 2 where I turn to go home. Then I was told that there was another community farther –much farther – down the road. So what do you do? Part of the problem was a lack of understanding of the language so I ended up driving them up the road – one kilometer, 2 kilometers, 2.5 kilometers to the last bus stop, 3 kilometers (the road is now a track) to 4.5 kilometers. At this point they said they had to walk in the rest of the way since I could not drive any farther. I still don’t know how far they walked that night but I know they were very grateful for the ride. On the way back I was again flagged down and asked to take a young man with his bags of products that needed to go to Yapacani. I agreed to take him to the crossing where he would sleep so that he would be there when the micro came in the morning – if the micro came in the morning. There is no hotel at the crossing so I am sure he just found a place to sleep somewhere on the ground. During the previous conversation at the crossing I agreed to be at the crossing at 6 in the morning in case the micro did not come. I had to take the child to the doctor anyway. So at 6 I arrive – and no micro. By the time I arrived in La Pista, Big Red (the truck) was loaded with 10 bags of stuff, four half bags of stuff, gas cans, bikes, baby baths, and 20 people. It was then that I realized how important some type of reliable transportation was needed for the community. When we arrived in La Pista the people piled out and boarded the micro for Yapacani. No one became really upset at the driver but one man asked why he didn’t come that morning. When the driver started to make excuses about not being able to drive down the road he was told quite calmly that the lady could drive it quite well – implying that he should have been able to do it also. That was probably harder on the driver than if the man had shouted at him.

So we are very thankful that we have Big Red. She hauls lots of stuff for us from the road to the house – bricks, sand, gravel. She enables us to get our food and supplies from Yapacani and Santa Cruz. But she performs a much more important job in providing needed transportation to the people of the community. We are truly thankful that we have our faithful red truck.

Oh, one more duty of Big Red. She is a playground for the kids!