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Finally, the Hanson family boarded the train
and after three stops finally secured seats together for the journey.
The mountainous terrain was interesting with the peaks and valleys but
the continuous downpour of rain obscured a lot of their sightseeing.
Another thing that the family began to notice
throughout the journey was that each town or village that they traveled
through seemed to be poorer
and more destitute.
After a long and tedious journey they finally seemed to outrun the rain. The skies began to clear but the forests were becoming more dense. The boys were dozing, bored from the trip and lack of activity. They began a uphill trek through the mountains and the temperature in the train began to rise. This was the hot, humid temperatures that they had endured in Venezuela before the rainy season had begun. Finally, at their destination, Walker and Diana hurried their children off the train and into the train station. There, they were approached by a young American, about twenty, holding up a sign in English for W. Hanson.
“Mr. Hanson, I’m Jerry.
I would have spotted your tribe anywhere. I was told to look for a family of blondes and your family is certainly that” the young man exclaimed.
Walker looked over his family proudly.
“I guess we do stand out from the crowds. What is next on the agenda?
Will we go on to the camp today?”
The young man shook his head. ‘No,
its too late for that. I’ve made reservations at the only decent
Hotel in town. I’ll take you over there and you can have a evening
of rest and some decent food. Tomorrow
we’ll take off for the camp.”
“How far is the camp?” Diana asked.
“In miles, its only about seventy, but the roads are so bad that it takes about four to five hours to get there.” Jerry explained. He bent down and spoke to the boys.
“I’ve got a new electronic game in the caravan,
if you’d like to play it.”
“Me, me!” Zac exclaimed excited.
Jerry laughed at the little boy and lifted
him into his arms. “I’ve got a couple of little half-brothers back
home,” he explained in Diana’s direction. “I don’t get to see
them very often but I miss them. I hope
you won’t mind if I play with these guys some while you’re here.”
Diana shook her head. “I take it
you live at the camp also?” she asked and the young man nodded.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Diana, mother to this ‘tribe’ as you called them.
Feel free to come around, once we get to know
you, you might change your mind. These guys can be exhausting.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” the young man exclaimed. “Mostly, its older people at the camp, mostly older than you guys too, no one my age around at all.”
“Are there many children at the camp?” Diana asked.
“Mostly older kids, teenagers, but everyone
gets along.” Jerry explained. “It’s kind of a family atmosphere because
there are only twelve families living there. The
company build a pretty nice dormitory building
and that’s where most of us live.”
“Dormitory?” Diana questioned looking at Walker.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Walker exclaimed
picking up on his wife’s distress. “Why don’t you take us on to the
Hotel. The boys are hungry and exhausted, and so am
I.”
“Right-to,” Jerry exclaimed and he picked
up the pace and led them to a landrover vehicle. The Hanson family
piled in and a few minutes later the young man pulled into a surprising
modern hotel. He led them inside, pointed out the restaurant, got
their keys and helped them upstairs with the
boys and their hand luggage.
Walker and Diana put the boys down for
naps and the exhausted children were asleep in minutes. They
relaxed in the luxurious living room of the suite and turned on the
television that was obviously hooked up by
satellite. They found one English speaking station and just listened
to it for the enjoyment of the moment. It was the first time they
had seen television in seven months. They also found the luxury of
air conditioning a welcome treat.
Their peaceful interlude didn’t last long. An hour later Zac was up and excited beyond belief at the fact that they had television. He punched the button until he found a cartoon station and he started giggling at celluloid antics. It didn’t seem to bother him that the language was Spanish. Apparently cartoons were universal to children. A little while later, Jessica woke up crying and she in turn woke the other two boys who were more interested in food than entertainment. They took their family downstairs to the restaurant and were hailed by Jerry as soon as they entered the doorway.
“Would you mind, if I joined you?” he asked.
Diana nodded at Walker and he smiled.
Obviously the young man was starving for some family attention and they
had plenty to spare. They sat down together and Jerry translated
the Spanish menu. He recommend several dishes for them to try and
asked if he could hold the baby.
“Jerry, how long have you been at this camp?” Diana asked relinquishing her hold on her daughter.
“Three years,” Jerry explained.
“I came down with my Dad, but he died of heart
attack. I didn’t want
to go back right away so the company hired
me to stay on because I speak
Spanish so well. I’ve become the official
Welcoming Committee, Tour
Guide and Translator in addition to company
chauffeur and general all around
gopher when someone wants something done.”
“You’re a ‘gopher?” Taylor questioned confused.
“Gopher just means that I do anything that needs to be done,” Jerry responded with a laugh. “If you ever need anything, just ask me.”
“Do you know where we could get a guitar?”
Ike asked leaning forward with total seriousness.
“Ike,” Walker intoned in a low warning voice
and his son dropped his eyes back to his plate. “We had to leave
a guitar behind at the other camp,” Walker explained. “It was sent
back to the warehouse.”
Jerry looked over at the young boy and he gave him a thumbs up. “I’ll check around and see what I can round up for you,” he promised.
The Hansons enjoyed a good meal, good
conversation with the young man and finally returned to their Hotel rooms
for one night of luxury before they would continue on to their new home.
Jerry had given them detailed description of the camp and they
hadn’t sounded very reassuring. Jerry
had traveled extensively throughout
South America and he seemed very attuned to
the customs of the region.
He seemed to be a resourceful young man.