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May 26, 2005
N18.1 W67.1 Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
On the west coast of the island is the industrial port of Mayaguez, where 60% of the tuna consumed in the US is packed. We went because we had to clear out of Puerto Rico immigration and customs, not because we wanted to. We arrived at Customs at 4pm, to discover that they were closed. We wanted to leave the next morning for the Dominican Republic, a 40-hour journey. So we wanted to leave at 4am.
So, Dave walked through the US Homeland Security door marked “Restricted: Authorized Personnel Only” and starting calling “Hello, Hola, Hello!”. This is where we met Luis Vazquez, who told us that we had to go to Customs in town, not here at the dock, and they would close in 15 minutes. He offered to drive us, and bring us back. Wow!
Luis wound up in Puerto Rico after requesting a transfer. He volunteered at Staten Island picking through the wreckage that was transferred there from the World Trade Center. “We didn’t find people, just ID cards.”
Two days in a row, the kindness of strangers, and wonderful things have come our way. It is our turn.
Posted by dave at May 26, 2005 11:27 AM