We fly into Guatemala City rather than San Pedro Sula (Honduras) even though it makes for a longer and less comfortable ride to the Rio Dulce and s/v Vida Dulce for one reason only….. current information on our held-hostage marine refrigerator and a new proof-of-life photo.

Our brand new marine refrigerator has now been held by Guate customs (SAT) for 1 year 3 months and 7 days, or if you’re counting days, 462 of them. Transcargo, the company that shipped it in, has failed to secure its release along with the other items not related to us seized by SAT that fateful day.

It’s been many months since we took the last photo of it in storage to make sure it hadn’t been repurposed (stolen) by the authorities. Today we’re on the hunt for updated information from Transcargo themselves and perhaps a new photo. We’re also hoping to gain its release thru whatever means appropriate to the times.

This morning Rita, our Rio Dulce contact with Transcargo, finally responds to our requests for Transcargo Karla’s phone number and the address of the office where she works. We also learn the address of where our fridge is being held, it appears to be the same address as before. Last, we learn Karla’s boss will be in the office at noon today. OK we have a plan. Get a new Tigo SIM & an internet package for our phone, change money (the only Rio bank that will change money for us cruisers is super restrictive about amount / passport / month they will change) and meet Karla and her boss in person. From there we’ll decide whether a trip for a new picture is part of the plan.

It takes forever waiting in this line, then that one, at each place of business so it’s 12:25pm before we locate the Transcargo office (which has no sign declaring it of any kind, and the address was not an exact match making it tricky to locate). We meet Karla and then have a meeting with her boss, Jose.

In brief, a lawyer was hired and has been working the problem for months. SAT keeps changing their requirements and making new requests, which they (Transcargo & lawyer) respond to in a timely manner. There is no resolution, therefore no way to appeal “up the chain”. The seized items are in a Transcargo rented space in a bonded warehouse owned by a bank not at SAT so no possibility of theft, we’re assured. There has not been a similar situation in the past with SAT that has taken this long to get resolved. There is nothing we can do but wait for the process to run its course.

This doesn’t make us happy, of course, however it does make it clear than spending money and time to take another picture of it sitting in the same warehouse isn’t necessary (photo is from the last time came to the Guate City on this mission).

😤 The saga continues...