Three more inches of rain in San Pancho yesterday. So the excitement continues. If you want a recap, here's the short version of our flood.
First day. Damaged bridge
Second day. No bridge.
Third day. Footbridge.
Fourth day. No footbridge
Fifth day. Ziplines.
Hey, that's today. And a lot of fun to watch people who absolutely have to get in or out of San Pancho use the ziplines. My favorite … the policeman coming into San Pancho on the zipline with his machine gun across his chest. The ziplines are held in place by bucket loaders. The heavier you are the better luck you have in sliding all the way to the other side. Get stuck in the middle? The bomberos (firemen, for all you north of the border) slide over the cable to help.
Don't want to take the zipline? Try the boat. It's about the size of a rowboat, wooden, nicely decorated, just downstream from where the bridge used to be. One guy on each side of the river holds a long rope attached to the boat. People get in the boat on our shore and are pulled to the other shore. Someone gets in over there and gets pulled back to this shore.
Where they are going to or coming from, I have no idea. The roads, north and south, are closed. Rumor has it another bridge on Highway 200 just north of San Pancho has disappeared.
A local nonprofit is taking in people with nowhere to live. They're looking for donations of food, propane. Good luck. Food supplies are limited and propane is nonexistent. And I hope those blankets that were ziplined over have found a good use.
We did add popcorn, cranberry juice, dried taco chips and a bottle of Coca Cola to our diet this morning. Friends actually found bread yesterday and shared half with us. Amazingly, the liquor shelves at the grocery store are still fully stocked. We may have to start imbibing as the pueblo's public water lines are shut down and bottled water is really scarce.
There's family living in a pickup across the street. One family moved its belongings into an empty room next door. Horses are grazing in the soccer field. The ancient school bus that hippies allegedly live in out in the jungle has been driven, or pulled, into town and parked. Our friend Rosa walked five miles home from Sayulita to San Pancho because the roads are still closed. Basically, nothing is normal.
Rain total for the month ... 18 inches in 7 days. And we are still an island.
No way in, no way out. But I said that yesterday.
(NOTE: Curt has updated his SanPanchoWeather.com site with new photos and movies.)
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