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Published: February 22nd 2016
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Fuck Bolivia. Fuck Bolivia. Fuck. Fuck.
Fuck. I’ve had it with this country! The bus that was to leave at 7pm
still hasn’t left. It is approaching 9pm! I am going to miss my flight because of
boulders!! But more on that later...
Getting here was a nightmare too. Red Planet’s plan was to drop me off “where the bus will be stationed” at 6:30pm. Great. Nope — I’m in Bolivia. We get there and there is
no bus stop. Not even a bench, hell — not even a paved section! Their plan was to literally drop me off,
by myself, on the side of the highway. Drop me with the instructions of, “Don’t worry, the bus will be here.” I turn red. “Are you
joking me?! You’re going to leave me here, stranded, on the side of the highway?! I have no phone that works, no idea where I am, with all my stuff, AND it’s getting dark?! I don’t think so!! I can’t even speak the language!!”
This is how people die. You can’t just leave me here. I’m extremely scared. Please don’t leave me.” The group of boys I was with saw my reaction.
One got out and offered to wait with me for their bus too. After all, it was only coming an hour later. The guide goes back to the car, speaks with the driver and comes back. “I understand you are scared. It makes sense. But, I’m sorry. We have to go. We have to get the van back for a cleaning. Immediately, my number one defense kicks in: the waterworks. Tears were streaming down my face. “No you don’t understand. You
can’t just leave me here. Please!” I started hyperventilating. “Please, please, please. What if someone pulls over and grabs me?” The guide talked with the driver again and came back.
You can’t argue with results, because my tears worked! The tour guide agreed to desert the van and wait with me. The bus did stop there, an
hour late. I would’ve had five heart attacks if I had to wait it out alone. The bus finally came and I was the first one on. But are we moving? Nope. There is a protest going on between the city government and the people. So how do the people protest? The block the damn road with boulders! No
buses can come or go. I’m sitting in my seat watching the steam emerge from my ears. The “earlier” bus they gave me was a hoax. I figured that out when the boys from the van, as well as others who were scheduled for the later bus are all on the same bus as me. There was no earlier bus, all the same bus!! The folks back at the station were just entertaining me probably, a ploy to shut me up. Props to them though, it worked.
Now we are reversing, on the highway no less, speeding at two piles per hour. We are reversing to pick up everyone that is walking down on the highway, past the boulders where they are blocking the road. So not only are we going dial-up speed, but we are also stopping every five seconds to pick people up. Thank God, its now
nine o’clock and the bus has just started to move. I just have to keep reminding myself that everything will be okay. It will all work out. It will all be fine. I think — no, I know — I will make that flight. It should be smooth
sailing from here on out. I have nine hours to get there.
I guess I should mention something about the salt flats. One word? Gorgeous. Wonderful. Majestic. It is what you would think: miles and miles of white salt with a backdrop of blue and silver mountains under a crisp blue sky. The salt is so clean, you can pick some up and taste it. The grounds are so flat, you feel you could skate on top of it. The salt has formed octagons rotating all throughout the grounds. It was truly a sight to see. A must on the bucket list.
I really just cannot wait to be on the plane flying to Buenos Aires. That’s all I want.
It will be alright, everything will be okay. Everything is amazing. Everything is good.
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