in trouble with the police
many people who have heard about the travels i've done since i got here wonder how i get around by myself to so many different places not knowing spanish very well. here and now i tell them my secret: i dont know either. but the following story proves that such a small thing as a language barrier (which is growing steadily smaller) doesnt mean that even the worst situations cannot be overcome.
following my recent trip to Iguazu falls (which, to be said, was beautiful), considering my location, i deemed it quite fitting to visit my dear friend adri again, since i was going to be rather in the area. as the ACA group left for the UAP again, i left for alem, the town where IJBA, adri's school is. from where we were in corrientes, i took a bus to posadas in the evening. from posadas i desired to take another to alem. however, due to some slight oversight on my part i had arrived in posadas too late to catch a bus to alem. there were no more that night. therefore i secured a cab, and directed the hearty and much too loud driver to take me the 100 km to alem. to which he agreed, for it meant money to him.
however, for some reason still unknown to me, after merely 14 kilometres, this kind driver saw it fit to inform me that he could take me no farther, and promptly dropped me and my effects on the side of the road somewhere between posadas and alem at an hour that i am accustomed to sleeping quite soundly during. thankfully, there was a police checkpoint right where he dropped me, so i inquired of the fine gents in blue whether it was possible to yet get to alem that night. they informed me that they would try their best to find me a car or a stray bus to take, but i wasnt too hopefully, for they looked the lazy sort. after an hour of nothing, i was slightly resigned to my fate of not arriving in alem that night. i decided to call adri and ask her opinion on the matter, whether i should continue trying or no, and we decided that weekend was after all not the best for me to visit IJBA, for most of the staff would be gone, and i would have nowhere to stay. so i redirected my interests into finding a bus back to the UAP. shortly thereafter, i learned that time to catch those buses had also run out. it was then i realized that i was THERE for the night. at the police checkpoint. with those fine gents. in the middle of nowhere.
they were kind enough to offer me a chair in their porch to sleep in, and after a few hours of thought, and a random section of time where they asked me to play my violin for them, and i did, i fell into a fitful and shivering sleep. this was interrupted a few times in the night. around 1 in the morning, they decided it was time to clean their station, so they literally threw everything out of the little room they had, and commenced swabbing the decks. i remained highly disinterested, or at least more interested in catching some rare Z's.
sometime around 530, i decided it was time to go back and figure out what i was going to do that day. upon telling the fine gents that i was about to depart, they bestowed a kind gift of fruit upon me. i was delighted, because i hadnt had anything to eat the day before save half a sandwich and some crackers, and of course the bounty of the night wasnt so bountiful after all.
back in posadas, i inquired at the bus station as to what time i could catch one back to the UAP. as it happened, there was no such bus until 8 that night, and it seemed silly to sit in posadas all day. so i figured out what bus went to alem, and went up just for the day to visit adri after all.
after a pleasant visit, i caught a bus friday night back to the UAP, and arrived here again at 9 in the morning on sabbath, just in time to go to church and fall asleep during the sermon.
and this, my friends, is why i need you to keep praying for me, because the only way i got through all this wonderful excitement is because i had God and at least a host of angels guiding me and all those involved through every second of it. i'm sure of it.
following my recent trip to Iguazu falls (which, to be said, was beautiful), considering my location, i deemed it quite fitting to visit my dear friend adri again, since i was going to be rather in the area. as the ACA group left for the UAP again, i left for alem, the town where IJBA, adri's school is. from where we were in corrientes, i took a bus to posadas in the evening. from posadas i desired to take another to alem. however, due to some slight oversight on my part i had arrived in posadas too late to catch a bus to alem. there were no more that night. therefore i secured a cab, and directed the hearty and much too loud driver to take me the 100 km to alem. to which he agreed, for it meant money to him.
however, for some reason still unknown to me, after merely 14 kilometres, this kind driver saw it fit to inform me that he could take me no farther, and promptly dropped me and my effects on the side of the road somewhere between posadas and alem at an hour that i am accustomed to sleeping quite soundly during. thankfully, there was a police checkpoint right where he dropped me, so i inquired of the fine gents in blue whether it was possible to yet get to alem that night. they informed me that they would try their best to find me a car or a stray bus to take, but i wasnt too hopefully, for they looked the lazy sort. after an hour of nothing, i was slightly resigned to my fate of not arriving in alem that night. i decided to call adri and ask her opinion on the matter, whether i should continue trying or no, and we decided that weekend was after all not the best for me to visit IJBA, for most of the staff would be gone, and i would have nowhere to stay. so i redirected my interests into finding a bus back to the UAP. shortly thereafter, i learned that time to catch those buses had also run out. it was then i realized that i was THERE for the night. at the police checkpoint. with those fine gents. in the middle of nowhere.
they were kind enough to offer me a chair in their porch to sleep in, and after a few hours of thought, and a random section of time where they asked me to play my violin for them, and i did, i fell into a fitful and shivering sleep. this was interrupted a few times in the night. around 1 in the morning, they decided it was time to clean their station, so they literally threw everything out of the little room they had, and commenced swabbing the decks. i remained highly disinterested, or at least more interested in catching some rare Z's.
sometime around 530, i decided it was time to go back and figure out what i was going to do that day. upon telling the fine gents that i was about to depart, they bestowed a kind gift of fruit upon me. i was delighted, because i hadnt had anything to eat the day before save half a sandwich and some crackers, and of course the bounty of the night wasnt so bountiful after all.
back in posadas, i inquired at the bus station as to what time i could catch one back to the UAP. as it happened, there was no such bus until 8 that night, and it seemed silly to sit in posadas all day. so i figured out what bus went to alem, and went up just for the day to visit adri after all.
after a pleasant visit, i caught a bus friday night back to the UAP, and arrived here again at 9 in the morning on sabbath, just in time to go to church and fall asleep during the sermon.
and this, my friends, is why i need you to keep praying for me, because the only way i got through all this wonderful excitement is because i had God and at least a host of angels guiding me and all those involved through every second of it. i'm sure of it.
posted by dey at 9:48 AM
3 Comments:
dude! what an adventure! I wish I'd been there! lucky punk!
Merciful heavens! Sounds like Argentina alright...
Played your violin late at night for those police, eh? Wish I'd been there to join in the dazzeling display of talent. Speaking of which, we need to do some improvising over Christmas break.
Rmantraining.blogspot.com
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