I left Cholula yesterday morning for Puebla, got into town to find the hostel full, so booked into a grim but cheap hotel. Using the baños in a restaurant at lunchtime, I realised I wasn't wearing my money belt. Yes, I had put it in my pillow case in the Cholula hostel so it was safe overnight, then had left without it. Wag point. I frantically called them, but the person answering didn't speak english or understand my spanish, so I just drove over there, narrowly avoiding running over a man, sideswiping a taxi, and being run into by a bus -- all this on a 30 minute journey :/. When I arrived the guy from the previous night was nowhere to be found, and the new guy in charge had no idea. The bed had been stripped: no sign of money or belt.
I was told the original guy would be back the next day, so I figured all I could do was return to Puebla. This morning, I called Cholula again, and -- thank god -- original guy says yes, he has the money belt. So I drive over there yet again (incident-free -- on the weekend all the mentalists (mostly bus drivers) stay off the roads, apparently), and with much gratefullness, pick up the goods. I incidentally offer the others a lift to Puebla -- and, randomly, they all accept. So eight of us pile into the truck and I make the Cholula-Puebla trip for what feels like the 100th time. Just on the outskirts of Puebla, I pull up at some traffic lights: unfortunately, what I don't spot is the guy in the 'parked cars' lane to my right, who is reversing into a spot. He is obviously looking back and not forward, and as he reverses in manages to swipe me with his front wing. I am not too bothered, given that I am driving a tank, although my passengers are a little taken aback by my sangfroid. When the lights go green, I pull away, but apparently the guy hasn't bothered to move back out of my way, because as I do my rear bumper catches his front bumper, and rips it half off. All of this relayed to me after the fact by my passenger watching in the wing-mirror. I drive on: when in Mexico, etc. When I drop the others off, I check the truck but it hasn't suffered a bruise. American overengineering: one point.
Yes, the Dutch girls, plus a Mexican-French couple, and some Mexicans, helped me share the Tequila. I found out afterwards that cheap tequila gives bad hangovers. I finally got over the headache 2 days later. But we had fun, randomly crashing the party of the Mexican girl's family. Thanks, Elisabeth and Carlos (who I think was her uncle.)
Actually, today, I'm bored of travelling. I'm sick of the neverending change, the impermanence of anything of value. And there's a lot to confront, all by yourself. Well I kind of was, but then I met some Swiss-Germans and they invited me to join them for a beer -- and I forgot about all that again.
2 comments:
You can take the Wags out of wherever but you can't take the wag out of... oh nevermind. Glad you were jammy enough to get your stuff back.
Beth x
Another suburban takes a hit and comes off significantly on top! Good stuff Parl, and congrats again on coming through that potentially disasterous monkeybrain moment with the money belt. Congrats also on finally getting down with gmail. It really does rock. My opinion for your photos is the CD option. You can upload them and carry them most efficiently and safely in that format.
All the best meht.
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