Talk of the possible resurrection of the old IRCA(FEGUA) system touches a heart string-and reminds me of a tale .My mother was a poor girl who married a well-off owner of a small chemical company .They went all over Latin America ,seeing places like Rio de Janiero ,Buenos Aires ,Havana and even a fantastic - and harrowing - trip to Mexico City from Dallas - in a Packard ! Her husband died suddenly ,and she decided to take an adventure to move on from her loss .My mother was fluent in Spanish so she decided to follow up on fantastic tales of Mayan ruins and beautiful cities in Guatemala . Her prim Cousin Kathryn insisted on tagging along .They boarded a United Fruit Comapany banana boat in New Orleans , booking passage to Puerto Barrios , on Guatemala's Carribean coast . Always one to travel in comfort ,Mom got one of the few staterooms that had a shower .After coming back from a meal ,she saw a dozen travellers lined up at her door . Kathryn felt sorry for these poor travelling salesmen and offered them use of their stateroom shower .My furious mother gave Kathryn a severe chastising . At Puerto Barrios ,the IRCA station was close to the dock . She inquired about the classes of coach . The agent of course recommended "primera clase" ,and proudly pointed out the upholstered seats .When asked about "segunda clase",he said the cars were second hand,from the States ,wore out ,no windows and bench seats ."Tercera Clase" was on top of the box car . The next morning the narrow-gauge train rolled deep into the mountains .Memorable to my mother were the renowned high briges over the "barrancas" and a stop for water in a jungle village."Campesinos" gathered ,wide-eyed , around the coach for the glimpse of the two "Gringas" . Kathryn paniced ,so Mother casually asked the conductor what was going on .Apparently no one had ever seeen two American women travelling to Guatemala City unescorted ! My mother described Guatemala City of half a century ago as one of the most beautiful places on Earth .She said the Mayan Indians ,with their embroidered clothing were almost doll-like in their beauty . The air was crystal clear,interrupted by brief but violent afternoon thundershowers . While staying in the capital city's nicest hotel ,after seeing a rat scurry across the room Kathryn broke down ,sobbing she wanted to go home to Dallas .My mother curtly told her to buck up ,she wasn't going anywhere ,except to the storied city of Antiqua the next day . Somehow Kathryn came around and endured my mother's excellent adventure-on her terms .On the way back there was a shipboard romance with a yound doctor .My father somehow found out about that and grumbled about it for years ! My mother was born thirty years before her time .It was obvious that she would have been far more comfortable living in my time ,with the possbilities for adventures far better for a young woman . Four years later she she started the thankless task of bearing raising four sons . Her travels were over ,save a couple of trips on the Narrow Gauges with her oldest son at the throttle . I will always be proud of my mother ,and her limitless sense of adventure .
