Getting Un-Lost Part 2

The roads are all generally rough here, so I scooted over to a window seat so I could be sure of what we were driving on. “Tar . . . more tar . . . dirt! Ok, so where is the second bit of tar? Goodness, we’ve been on this dirt path for quite a while. . . Wait, there aren’t many people on the bus any more. Uh oh, is the bus driver really telling me to get off?”

And all the sudden, I found myself in a dark neighborhood, next to a building that looked like a bar, and I was really lost this time. There wasn’t even taxis driving by. There wasn’t anything driving by really.  

So I did the only thing one can do in that situation. I started walking, confidently. And as soon as I was far enough away, I called Emily, whose only response to the situation was, “Where are you? Oh dear, I have no idea where that is. Are you sure you were on the 50?”

“I’m next to a soccer field, does that help? There’s people sleeping in it, no wait, there goats. There are goats sleeping in the soccer field, are you sure that doesn’t ring a bell?”

Finally, I gave in and asked an innocent looking women where the neighborhood I was looking for was.

“Barro Montare? Montare esta muy lejos. Muy lejos. No pudes cominar. Pero los texis aquí son pelegroso. Hay un iglesa cera and los taxis allí son mas seguro.” “Neighborhood Montare? Montara is really far. Really far. You can’t walk that far. But the taxis’s here are very dangerous. There is a church close by and the taxis there are safer.”

So I started looking for the church, all the while forgetting two things: 1. Bolivians really want to give you an answer, even if they don’t know the right answer; and 2. Bolivians don’t like to walk. Anything more than two or three blocks is considered lejos. 

Fortunately, Emily was still on the phone with me.

“Ok, I don’t see a church, but I’m on a busier road now. There’s a taxi . . .  but its parked. Is it safe to get in a parked taxi? It sounds like a bad idea to me. Wait! There’s the circus! I’m walking towards a circus! Do you know where the circus is?”

And with that I was able to re-orientate myself and start heading in the right direction. Moments later, both my and Emily’s phones ran out of credit. I stopped to ask one more time how far the neighborhood I was looking for way and got the same answer – its really far, you can’t walk there from here.

But not more than a couple minutes later, I met Emily on the road walking towards me and together we made it to her house where I was able to enjoy an evening to English and chocolate chip cookies. Two things that have both become huge luxuries in my life.