Some people and I were in a bus, trying to escape from El Salvador. The bus seemed somewhat like a boat, and we seemed to be in water.

When a fellow in a soldier's uniform boarded the bus, I was afraid he would try to stop us. I thought the soldier used to work for Manuel Noriega (former president of Panama), and I questioned him about it. When I learned he was also trying to escape, I didn't worry about him any more.

We were told that when we reached the border, we would simply have to cross over a chain. I was concerned that once we reached the other side, we would run into army controls going through the jungle searching for people. I was also concerned about booby traps. I was very apprehensive about whether I was going to be able to get out of here alive.