Where was the feeling of foreboding?

The Taxi driver got lost on a remote dirt road in Mexico, but I was not worried.  I knew where I wanted to go, I had made a plan, a good plan. I kept showing him the map on my phone… Laguna el Quelele, I insisted. He kept ignoring me and drove on…

Many turns in the road later, we were at a dead-end. Somewhere in the next province. The driver turned around and drove back a short way. He stopped in front of a farm-house and spoke in Spanish to a woman working in her garden. Moments later, a young man appeared from behind us and spoke to the driver,  then climbed into the cab. He was pointing ahead. We drove a little way, stopping on the side of the road.

The young man opened the door and headed to the chain link fence at a place where it was broken and pushed up. There was a sign…

“Prohibido el Paso”…

I don’t read Spanish, but I can guess at the meaning…

Prohibited passage, do not enter..

forbidden to pass through this way… 

The young man beckoned us to follow him…

THIS is where I should have allowed my good judgement to kick in..                              perhaps felt a premonition…                                                                                                        or exhibited a little discernment…

WHAT did I do?… I followed… I crouched down and climbed through…

In the middle of the Mexican wilderness… We followed a complete stranger through a break in the fence and into the jungle.

The Taxi driver came too… he didn’t abandon us to the young man… were they in cahoots?

The trail was barely there, in places we bushwhacked through the jungle. The young man often far ahead.

Finally he stopped and pointed…

“cocodrilo”

I was thrilled and started taking photos…

Then we turned around….

through the trees we saw him…

Can you see him in the center?

It was time to head back to the Taxi…  Before JAWS decided one of us looked tasty…..

(I may have been the slowest runner in the group, but who knows… glad it never came to the test.) I had a Premonition.