This is how I got back:Wednesday 9:30 PM - Depart Maracaibo, Ven. - I couldn´t have been more anxious to get out of Venezuela. I appreciate it for the learning experience, but the lady from whom I bought my tickets put the cherry on the sarcastic/figurative sundae by charging me an extra few dollars for ¨seguridad.¨ ¨security for what,¨ I asked, ¨for life¨ she responded. I bit my tongue, barely, and took my seat in the waiting area as if I had just got benched from the 4th quarter. At that point I came to a calming realization - I couldn´t win this stretch of the trip. I was starving myself trying not to eat because I didn´t want to give the country my money, much less pay the outrageous prices for food that is primarily ham and cheese. I tried my best to get across the border without doing anything. Yet finally, I decided to say the hell with it. I would eat and drink and be merry with my situation because Venezuela had completely succeeded in destroying my budget, showing me an awful time, and stressing me out. In that waiting area, I read ¨Love in the Time of Cholera¨and temporarily surrendered.
Thursday 6:00 AM - Arrive and Depart San Cristobal, Ven. - In this last stop before getting out of the ¨Patria, Socialismo, o Muerte¨themed country, I would meet a great taxi driver to get me across the border. We enjoyed a coffee and empanada at a small restaurant atop one of the many hills before getting started. We talked of Venezuela´s challenges and of In-4-More-Days-President Barack Obama. This was about the 24th time I had spoken of our incoming Columbia alumnus president. The crossing was easy, and I have started a new page in mypassport.
Thursday 8:30 AM - Arrive and Depart Cucuta, Col. - In a rush to get back to Bogota I took the ¨directo¨ bus onward. A 3 hour delay atop the rolling and curve intensive roads only made the trip 3 hours longer. Whats another 3 hours?Friday 2:30 AM - Arrival in Bogota - Finally, I´m back in this tremendous city. I spent the day shopping for gifts and using the subway system pictured here. I plan to lounge the last two days away before reentering the American atmosphere.
The last few posts are ahead and promise to pour some soul into them to make up for these last two fillers.
2 comments:
Finishing means getting success. It is great to see you are spending two more days on lounging Bogota and going to home. Now everybody that worries for you can put her or his heart at rest and just waiting to see you home.
Best wishes.
Remember that every road regardless if it is new has low spots and eventually will have some holes along the way. Being in environments where are comfort or normed paradigm is inverted causes us to rise and adapt to new challenges. The things going on in Venezuela are not new, only feel new to some and we all can learn from the mistakes of the past to build a better future. I agree with you that enjoying yourself (love and hope) are the key to transforming adversarial situations. All other forces will be the tools of their own deconstruction.
Keep enjoying and learning from the experience.
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