New car....I wish

Monday morning at 6am I set off to San Pedro with my friends Adony and Enoc to go look for a new car. Here you find a car, buy it and drive it back - just like that!! Buying a used car in Honduras is nothing like it is in England. You can't find them here in Sigua and basically you can only buy them in San Pedro (about 2 hours away) ...the only place with lots of used car lots - Autolotes. I find it strange there is only really one city in the country where you can buy a car!! Cars here are still a luxury not an accessory. They are still a business.

So off we head to San Pedro to go hunting. We met up with a friend of Adony's who lives in SPS and knows the car places. We go to one autolote...none of the cars started...moved on to somewhere else. Adony's friend Andres came and took us to perhaps the most random place ever. We drove to the backstreets and there were roads lined with cars for sale, about 2 blocks worth. Apparently here is where you sell your car if you can't afford to put them in a lot. So we went to a Feretteria (hardware store) and were told to speak to the lady there. She then asks what type of car you are looking for...we tell her a double cabin pick up and she calls a man to come and get us to show us where these cars are. I ask why we can't wait outside....and am told it's because it's not safe enough so we have to wait inside the store?! Hmmm I wasn't desperate to buy a car from here. I was assured it was legal but was not convinced! We looked around but noone wanted to buy my car as part exchange. We then went to EVERY autolote in San Pedro. Another interesting thing about used car lots here is that you pay to put your car there- but they don't buy the car off you. Everyone still owns their own car. So when you find a car you are interested in the owner of the Autolote has to call the owner of the particular car to come and talk to you!! Crazy.

Anyway, I was not able to find a car I could afford. I can't believe just how expensive the cars are here. I was looking for any truck or big car I could afford and came up with nothing! So we went to meet up with adony's sister who lives in SPS and went ot her in-laws house, where her father in-law was trying to call his friends to help us. It was just becoming more random! We left at 6am and got home at 9pm. I managed to get sunburnt too with all the standing around outside.

So...I have no new car. Still have mine. Need to somehow find more money!

To make matters worse...got a puncture today! I drove to school, past the usual men shouting at me. Today they shouted and were waving, I didn't think there was anything different. I got to school with a puncture - guess that is why they were shouting!!

Elias at school was able to change it for me and I spent the afternoon getting my tyre repaired and then my car washed.

So, as I write this the man that was shouting at me this morning was at my gate shouting for me to come out. I went out and he was offering me parts or a new tyre! I told him thank you but I've had it repaired. Slightly worrying to have it re-iterated that everyone here knows the white girls house - he lives right round the corner!!!

Oh joy. Please join me in praying that God can provide a car for me - before mine dies or explodes!!!! Or I explode!