This started as a travel blog to keep my friends and family back home informed. Since I've been back in the states for so long I didn't really think I had much worth writing. I now have friends and "family" that I've picked up along the way and with whom I talk to just ask or more infrequently than those I originally started this for. So, after my long hiatus I'm back and starting simple with a story from over a year ago when I went on one of my craziest trips yet after the most life-changing event I have experienced to date.
And so began my last (almost) international experience in a while.
The morning before I was set to fly to Puerto Rico I wasn't feeling so great. No big deal. I decided to muscle through and hope it would pass. I shuffled through security and managed to board the plane, almost in tears and trying to sleep off the pain the majority of the flight. We were off to a good start. Then we couldn't find the rental company we had planned on using so we went to the closest one with the shortest line. There our pockets were gouged. But what did any of it matter. We had escaped the January cold of the north and were sweating under palm trees and almost blinded by the brightness of the sun. We got the car and off we drove. And drove. And drove... We started winding up into the rainforest mountains on poorly paved and very narrow roads.The directions to our first residence were things like 'turn at the sign advertising XYZ' since street signs did not exist in this barely-tamed territory. We finally got to the gate of where we were supposed to be staying and my panic set it. What if they're crazies? It had clearly been too long since my reckless travel days and the worrier in me had come back strong. We decided it was ok and entered the gate.
The fear dispelled as we met the owners who loved hosting and cooking for us. The food was wonderful...except the fact that every bite sent me into greater pain and I could barely sit up. But my now permanent travel buddy, E, was chatting it up with the chef/host who, even in my state, I was entertained by. He was most likely inebriated, swore a lot, and loved his life. Throughout the course of our dinner he came and talked to us several times. At one point he drooled without seeming to notice, and at another point came out holding a paper towel around his finger which he apparently had cut while cooking. Um... He also dropped the paper towel and took a second to notice. Needless to say it was lovely dinner entertainment, and what's travel without meeting characters along the way. Unfortunately my stamina gave out and it was time to get to bed.
Things didn't exactly improve in the morning. In fact, I couldn't stand up. E went and asked the hosts if there was a hospital nearby. As luck would have it, their adult daughter was on her way to a doctor's appointment herself. They gave me loads of miscellaneous medicines which I thanked them for and then simply stowed away in my purse and we headed back down the mountain-our rental commuter car trying to keep up with the SUV cruising through the potholes and over the bumps. We went into the emergency room and waited. And waited. And waited. finally they called me back. The doctor refused to speak English even though she said she understood everything I was saying to E, who was serving as a translator although not used to this very different dialect of Spanish. She said it was probably my gall bladder but I'd have to come back tomorrow since the technicians were all gone for the day. In the meantime they took some other tests gave me a shot of something and hooked me up to an IV of what I thought was painkiller. Although eating was painful I was starting to get hungry after eating nothing all day. Plus the painkillers were luring me into a false sense of security. E brought some snacks in from the car but they didn't do much. They finally came and unhooked me and said that all the tests were normal and I could go. That's when I came unhinged.
I don't know what they were pumping into me but it must have been strong. When I went to walk out I started tipping as if my legs had forgotten how in the world they were to hold my weight. And it was absolutely hilarious. I stumbled down the hall with E supporting me and I was laughing hysterically and insisting that I was fine. He went and found someone to ask for a wheel chair, which I insisted was unnecessary, and the staff starting staring and asking what was wrong with me. I laughed all the way out to the car and we were finally off. The doctor had given us some sort of prescription to pick up (I honestly don't remember what it was or what it was for) so we set off in the pursuit of a pharmacy.
We pulled into the first Walgreens and a drunk man came up and tried asking us for money. He didn't quite put together that when E said "I don't speak Spanish" he was speaking Spanish. So he tried asking in English. Pedal to the medal. The pharmacy was closed anyway (that's how long we were at the hospital. We try to find another one and, as we're stopped at a light, a rather intoxicated man started coming up to all the windows. We made sure the doors were locked and got out of there as soon as the light turned green. By this point I was ceasing to find life hilarious and had all the pain set back in again, on top of disproportionate despair. E, on the other hand was starving so we stopped at a drive through where they had... NUTELLA FROSTIES! As wondrous as it sounded I could not stomach anything, much less chocolate and dairy. But as we were pulling up to the window there was a woman going up to each car, including ours, and making terrifying noises. She left us and E got his Frosty. He asked the worker what was wrong with the woman and she shrugged and said she was a mute.
We then continued on our pharmacy hunt. The second one was also closed, but third time's a charm. We were finally able to get to drop off my prescription but by this point my withdrawal from the painkillers was getting unmanageable. I'll spare you the details and say only that it was rather unpleasant as we waited for them to fill the prescription, and, fast-forwarding ahead, the bumpy, windy drive through the jungle was even more unpleasant for both of us. We pulled back in to where we were staying at around 1:00 am, and they had waited up and kindly prepared soup for us. I was in no state to eat anything at all, so E took them up on their hospitality and I immediately fell asleep.
To be continued...
And so began my last (almost) international experience in a while.
The morning before I was set to fly to Puerto Rico I wasn't feeling so great. No big deal. I decided to muscle through and hope it would pass. I shuffled through security and managed to board the plane, almost in tears and trying to sleep off the pain the majority of the flight. We were off to a good start. Then we couldn't find the rental company we had planned on using so we went to the closest one with the shortest line. There our pockets were gouged. But what did any of it matter. We had escaped the January cold of the north and were sweating under palm trees and almost blinded by the brightness of the sun. We got the car and off we drove. And drove. And drove... We started winding up into the rainforest mountains on poorly paved and very narrow roads.The directions to our first residence were things like 'turn at the sign advertising XYZ' since street signs did not exist in this barely-tamed territory. We finally got to the gate of where we were supposed to be staying and my panic set it. What if they're crazies? It had clearly been too long since my reckless travel days and the worrier in me had come back strong. We decided it was ok and entered the gate.
The fear dispelled as we met the owners who loved hosting and cooking for us. The food was wonderful...except the fact that every bite sent me into greater pain and I could barely sit up. But my now permanent travel buddy, E, was chatting it up with the chef/host who, even in my state, I was entertained by. He was most likely inebriated, swore a lot, and loved his life. Throughout the course of our dinner he came and talked to us several times. At one point he drooled without seeming to notice, and at another point came out holding a paper towel around his finger which he apparently had cut while cooking. Um... He also dropped the paper towel and took a second to notice. Needless to say it was lovely dinner entertainment, and what's travel without meeting characters along the way. Unfortunately my stamina gave out and it was time to get to bed.
Things didn't exactly improve in the morning. In fact, I couldn't stand up. E went and asked the hosts if there was a hospital nearby. As luck would have it, their adult daughter was on her way to a doctor's appointment herself. They gave me loads of miscellaneous medicines which I thanked them for and then simply stowed away in my purse and we headed back down the mountain-our rental commuter car trying to keep up with the SUV cruising through the potholes and over the bumps. We went into the emergency room and waited. And waited. And waited. finally they called me back. The doctor refused to speak English even though she said she understood everything I was saying to E, who was serving as a translator although not used to this very different dialect of Spanish. She said it was probably my gall bladder but I'd have to come back tomorrow since the technicians were all gone for the day. In the meantime they took some other tests gave me a shot of something and hooked me up to an IV of what I thought was painkiller. Although eating was painful I was starting to get hungry after eating nothing all day. Plus the painkillers were luring me into a false sense of security. E brought some snacks in from the car but they didn't do much. They finally came and unhooked me and said that all the tests were normal and I could go. That's when I came unhinged.
I don't know what they were pumping into me but it must have been strong. When I went to walk out I started tipping as if my legs had forgotten how in the world they were to hold my weight. And it was absolutely hilarious. I stumbled down the hall with E supporting me and I was laughing hysterically and insisting that I was fine. He went and found someone to ask for a wheel chair, which I insisted was unnecessary, and the staff starting staring and asking what was wrong with me. I laughed all the way out to the car and we were finally off. The doctor had given us some sort of prescription to pick up (I honestly don't remember what it was or what it was for) so we set off in the pursuit of a pharmacy.
We pulled into the first Walgreens and a drunk man came up and tried asking us for money. He didn't quite put together that when E said "I don't speak Spanish" he was speaking Spanish. So he tried asking in English. Pedal to the medal. The pharmacy was closed anyway (that's how long we were at the hospital. We try to find another one and, as we're stopped at a light, a rather intoxicated man started coming up to all the windows. We made sure the doors were locked and got out of there as soon as the light turned green. By this point I was ceasing to find life hilarious and had all the pain set back in again, on top of disproportionate despair. E, on the other hand was starving so we stopped at a drive through where they had... NUTELLA FROSTIES! As wondrous as it sounded I could not stomach anything, much less chocolate and dairy. But as we were pulling up to the window there was a woman going up to each car, including ours, and making terrifying noises. She left us and E got his Frosty. He asked the worker what was wrong with the woman and she shrugged and said she was a mute.
We then continued on our pharmacy hunt. The second one was also closed, but third time's a charm. We were finally able to get to drop off my prescription but by this point my withdrawal from the painkillers was getting unmanageable. I'll spare you the details and say only that it was rather unpleasant as we waited for them to fill the prescription, and, fast-forwarding ahead, the bumpy, windy drive through the jungle was even more unpleasant for both of us. We pulled back in to where we were staying at around 1:00 am, and they had waited up and kindly prepared soup for us. I was in no state to eat anything at all, so E took them up on their hospitality and I immediately fell asleep.
To be continued...
