Typhoon Cuernavaca
I tried to get back to Montreal today, but it would seem that God had other plans.
My flight was to leave Mexico City at 9:40 am, so Padre Roberto and I left Cuernavaca around 6:30. One hour of driving would get me to the airport two hours before departure… or so I thought.
It was not to be. We drove through pounding rain and heavy winds, only to be turned back by the federal police. The highway was closed.
Padre Roberto suggested we take the old two-lane highway as an alternative. We quickly discovered why the roads were closed. That pounding rain was turning roads into lakes, and the wind was literally sending trees crashing down onto the road.
How could it be so bad? Well, the road between Mexico City and Cuernavaca is actually a mountain pass, and it gets windy up in them there mountains. We eventually had to turn back, making it to Cuernavaca by noon.
Happily I had accepted the offer of a lift from Padre Roberto and not insisted in taking the bus. We managed to contact Air Canada to cancel the reservation (so I didn’t lost the ticket entirely) and another members of Air Canada personnel back home helped me to rebook. Let me at this point give a big shout-out to those people and to that company. We all know of airline horror stories, but I will tell you know that I received service above and beyond the call of duty. I actually had tears of gratitude in my eyes, I kid you not.
The people back at the parish were a bit surprised to see me again — after all, we had already said our goodbyes! But one thing I’ve noticed about every Mexican I’ve met is their ability to take things in stride. I’ve got something to learn there.