Transportation of various sorts

The theme for this post is "transportation". Just a thought or two before heading off to bed.

We have an early start tomorrow as the entire group of 14 students and 3 staff heads off to the Oriente...which is one of four distinct regions of Ecuador. It is also called the "selva" or jungle, as it is tropical and includes the Amazonian Basin of Ecuador. So, we'll be trading the dry, cool air of the Andes (la Sierra) and the 70 degrees (more or less) of Quito for some steamy heat. Darlene and I visited a small slice of the selva last weekend, so we are excited to return with the rest of our classmates and visit another slice of this region.

As far as the "transportation" theme of this blog entry goes, we hopefully will get to fly (by Cessna) deeper into the jungle and land on a grass airstrip, have a jungle hike, raft a river with some rapids and also spend some time with indigenous people in that region. First, we'll have a drive of a few hours in length past some volcanoes, a rich agricultural area where a wide variety of fruits are grown, a town that specializes in ice cream, a town where jeans are made and scores of half-mannequins line the street displaying the styles and low prices available. I've heard that we may take a cable car across a canyon to a waterfall. So, drive, fly, raft, cable car and hike seem to be potential modes of transport on this trip from the Sierra to the Oriente.

More about transportation here in Quito. Motorcycles and scooters, both of the smaller variety are popular here, though not as popular as cars. This mode of transportation of the 2 wheel variety has the advantage of weaving in and out of traffic and they apparently have the blessing to go between rows of stopped traffic, or on the far right or left of the lanes of traffic.

We've seen some interesting passengers. I would guess that the average motorcycle I've seen is something less than a 200 cc, and therefore also pretty small in passenger capacity. Yet, today I saw a man zipping along with his grey Schnauzer type dog sitting upright n the motorcycle seat, immediately in front of him. Pooch was helmet-less :), a fearless canine in the sea of Quito traffic. I was impressed with Pooch's focus and balance. It's nothing unusual to see Dad and Mom with little Junior or Juniorita straddling the seat, squished between the adults. Today, Darlene saw a child that she estimated as being about 4 fully asleep in his mom's arms/lap while Dad was weaving along the heavily traveled streets on their little motorcycle. I've asked a seminary student if I can hitch a ride on the back of his 180 cc motorcycle...in this city, it should be a memory. I just will have to trust that I won't be a memory, if I do this.

A final note about modes of "transportation", this one of an eternal dimension. I received word this afternoon via an email from Mindy that my dear Uncle Delwin has been transported to heaven. I have been blessed with some dear "characters" in my family, and I have cherished him as a special person in my life for as long as I can remember. As a boy, I loved our vacations to grandparents' farms in southern Arkansas, in no small part because of relatives. Uncle Delwin was among the warm memories of my youth. Later, our own girls (when they were young) were very impressed with his ability to touch his nose with his tongue. When they last saw him at Christmas time, they begged him to see if he could still do it. He did, but he was careful that no cameras were pointed his direction, before consenting to their request.

Delwin would tease you, pick on you and make you laugh. If you knew him, he could and would often challenge you to be the best person you could be and to make the most of God's gifts to you. He and his wife, my Aunt Billie, had 3 children. I consider David, Sharon and Wayne and their families as special gifts. Delwin taught at Southern Arkansas University, coached and taught swimming, among other things. I told him once that I really wanted to learn the butterfly stroke. He agreed to teach me. I nearly drowned that afternoon.

I have a personal Hall of Fame of people who have deeply influenced my life, whom I cherish and am grateful to God for the gift of their freindship. Delwin Ross has been enshrined in my Hall of Fame for a long time now. Even though this 'blog' is about Ecuador and our experiences here, I want to mention him in this context, so as to honor him a bit. I hoped that I could honor him and his memory by being present at his memorial service, but I will have to settle for expressing here just a "touch" of the honor, love, gratitude and high regard I have for Uncle Delwin. His recent heavenly mode of transportation was a different kind of "flight" than the airplane to the jungle we're anticipating taking in the next couple of days. But, all that knew him are assured that this man was enthralled at and by the grace of God, and if our understanding of the next life is aligned at all with reality, Delwin's "flight" has landed him in the arms of the One he loved so dearly and served so faithfully.