Getting things done in a foreign country can take some time. You have to know the local available materials, the prices—otherwise you pay ‘gringo-prices—and what you can expect to get.
The wood
Finally, the Abarco wood is there. I specified ‘planed’ and Don Luis promised me that it was planed. He for sure has a very rough notion about what planed wood is. It will take me a long time to get it as straight and smooth as I want it. I already expected something like that. An order of about a hundred pieces of wood in all kind of sizes for less then 100$ US is an ok prize. It would be fantastic if it was planed, but what the heck. Have to work a bit myself and buy a lot of sanding-paper and dream of a belt-sander, when I’m doing the work with my hand held random orbital.
The transport
Now I had the wood, but how to get it from there to our house for three months? Within 2 minutes that I asked for a possibility there came this boy with a huge truck.
When I asked for a price to transport this small collection of wood to Manga, closed to “Club de Pesca” he asked for 25.000 pesos.
‘Outrageous’, I shouted. ‘For that I can hire 7 taxis and I only need one, with this small amount of wood. I will pay you good. I will pay you 10.000 pesos’.
He thought we were still negotiating. ‘Well, ok, 15.000’ he said.
‘No’, I said. ‘I offer you 10.000 pesos, and that is a good and fair price’.
‘OK’, he said. ‘I’ll do it for 10.000 pesos’.
‘We have to pick up some plywood next door, come with me’.
And there they came with me to the plywood-shop where I selected two plates. I asked them to cut them in halves, what took them ages to do. The boys of the truck and I were just waiting there. Time doesn’t cost anything over here. Finally they had cut the plates of plywood in manageable pieces and off we went. All the wood loaded on the truck, we slowly made it to Manga. Only one time the engine stopped, but as there was a small slope in our benefit, we didn’t need to organize a lot of people to get this thing running again.
Finally home, the boys carried the wood to where I wanted it. I paid my 10.000 pesos and everybody was happy. Suddenly the whole house smelled to fresh cut wood. Work to do for the next couple of weeks.
I checked the order against what I got. Don Luis had been generous. Some pieces of wood were not of a very good quality, but then he ordered to make one more of the same dimension. Right now, I have to make it. Everything is there.
