We were about 5 minutes out of La Manzanilla on the twisty two lane road to Melaque when we started hearing something dragging on the undercarriage of the car.  Irritated drivers piled up behind us as I slowed the car to a speed which minimized the scraping sound. Eventually, I found a small turnoff and pulled off the road. Cars zipped by us as Isidro got down on his hands and knees and eventually his stomach to try to figure out what piece of my car seemed determined to desert us. Moving around the car, he finally located the problem in the same locale that had started the problem the last time I drove to La Manzanilla a year ago that resulted in the entire protective shield for the undercarriage separating and falling off on the road. 

Since we knew there was no garage in La Manzanilla, we continued on our way. I drove slowly, acquiring another sizable entourage behind us before finally reaching Melaque, where we spotted this small radiator/muffler repair shop by the side of the road. Although they had no car lift, they quickly pulled two small metal lift tracks and drove the car up onto them. We moved to the shade of the garage to inspect their organization and observe the forging of a piece for the job they’d been working on before our arrival by one of the three men in the shop as the other two collaborated  to have us on the road again in 15 minutes or so.  The cost? Five dollars!! I gave them a 50 percent tip and we were off with a warning that this was a temporary fix.  

It is still serving me well 5 days later, but composing this cellpic feature has reminded me that I must make an appointment on Monday to have it checked out.

For Cellpic Sunday