We knew this much. We were suppose to come in the morning and pay for what we wanted transported on the ferry that afternoon. That we did. Then they would tell us we needed to bring the boxes in the afternoon - when the fast ferry was there - and put them on the Fast Ferry truck. Yet every time we came in the afternoon there was no "fast ferry truck" and we had to get very creative on how we got the boxes on board.
But this time - drum roll - we arrived at just the right moment. We were pulling into the port area and Elder Mathews says, "Whoa, what is happening over there. Is there a fight going on?" I looked to the side of the road to this tiny parking lot and there were people everywhere in what looked like a state of bedlam. I smugly thought that it was a good thing that where we were going it was much more civilized. So we go to the area where the Fast Ferry window is, where we had paid that morning, and again asked around as to where the truck was, hoping this time we might do it the way they say it is to be done instead of resorting to other creative means. That is when the guys says, "You see where all those people are. The truck is in that parking lot." Yeah where it looked like a fight was going on.
We head back down the road in the huge mission van and Elder Mathews attempts to get it into this already overrun parking lot. As we try to maneuver, we are swarmed by people who want to help. Truly. That is how many of them make their living here. They help you unload and charge you. And they are a very competitive lot, so you are literally swarmed, and we have seen fights break out. Elder Mathews stoically tells me to stay in the van as he parks right in front of the truck and gets out. I wasn't so sure about this plan.
Shock number one. The reason for the bedlam is that people are flocking around the truck trying to get what was shipped to them from Fogo off the truck. People are pointing and screaming to the two guys on the truck pitching boxes down at people.You have to realize they have no addresses here so the boxes usually only have your name on it and if you are lucky enough to have a phone, a phone number. You have to be there to claim it or who knows where it will end up as they are in a hurry to clear the truck to reload it.
Shock number two. We have been searching for weeks for the "fast ferry truck" to put our things on looking for just some random truck but the truck actually says FAST FERRY on it! Who would have thought?
Shock number three. Elder Mathews has now got a sixth sense about who to ask for help. He looks for guys who seem to have some seniority or authority. They seem to wear vest - just reflective vest - which have nothing on them but there must be some unwritten order of things that says guys with vests are important. So Elder Mathews picks the guy with the vest to help us, and he manages to get our shipment on the truck first. That is important as you have to wait until your shipment is all on the truck before you can leave. And - this is very important - if you don't get it on before the truck is full, you don't get it on. They simply drive the truck onto the ship when it is full. Hence that is why we have never been able to find it! We have come after the bedlam and ironically looked for a truck that was already on board the Ferry. Now why they never told us that we only had a window of time to find the truck and load our stuff on it is beyond us but I guess they just thought we knew more than we did. In fact we now wonder if someone did say that to us - only they said it in creole.
So now we know to be in that parking lot when the ferry arrives. And we will be, this week in fact, as of course there is yet another shipment that needs to go to Fogo. :-)
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