The bus broke down 20 minutes later.
I had fallen into a deep sleep when all of a sudden, I felt the bus lurch from side to side. I woke up to hear the driver say in Spanish that the bus had broken down and that we all needed to get off the bus while they figured out what was going on.
All the passengers stood at the side of the road while the drivers opened hatches and hoods and lids to this place and that place to figure out why the bus had broken down.
I must have looked like Death Warmed Over because the baggage handler took one look at me and said, "Vos ves super mal!" (You look awful!)
I chuckled, because I am sure I had bags and black circles under my eyes and my hair was already most certainly greasy. I'm pretty sure I smelled a little bad too.
After about two hours on the side of the road, the drivers announced to all of the passengers that the bus was not going to run anymore and that we would all be placed on another bus that was on its way.
I remember thinking to myself, "Seriously?! This is the kind of luck that I have! I'm supposed to be in Bahía Blanca by 9 p.m. tonight! Now I won't get there until near midnight!"
I sent my friend, Ale, a WhatsApp message indicating that I would be running late because we were broken down on the side of the road.
She sent me a message saying 'Welcome to Argentina!".
The baggage handler went over to the baggage hatch and began taking all the luggage out. I grabbed my two heavy suitcases and dragged them through the tall, green grass towards the new bus we were supposed to get on.
I walked over to the new baggage handler and showed him my suitcases. I explained I had run out of money at the airport and that I didn't have any money to tip him. He waved me off and told me not to worry about it.
I walked over to the ticket handler for the new bus and asked if seating was assigned on this bus.
"Nah! Ni en pedo!" (No! Don't even worry about it!) he said.
I walked up to the top level of the new bus, found a seat towards the back and promptly sat down and fell asleep again.
This new bus had a few more scheduled stops than the previous bus, which annoyed me a little. However, I was still grateful that this new bus was able to pick up new passengers and that I would still get to my intended destination, albeit a few hours later than I had wanted.
Each time the bus stopped, I awoke to find new passengers arrive or that former passengers left. Pretty much most people left me alone to sleep, which I was incredibly grateful for, since by that point I had not had a good night's sleep on the plane and was pretty much a zombie.
Sometime in the afternoon, near tea time (5 p.m.) one of the baggage handlers announced to the passengers that we would all play a game for those wanting to participate. He handed out bingo cards to those who wished to play. I grabbed my bingo card and grabbed a pen from my purse and began to play.
The winning prize was a bottle of white wine. I decided that because I was going to my friend Ale's house and that because it was her little brother's birthday, I would win that bottle of wine!
I kept praying, "Dear God, please! I want that bottle of wine!"
God answered my prayers because literally five minutes later, I won the bottle! I don't remember the winning streak, but I raised my hand and shouted "BINGO!!!". The baggage handler walked up the aisle and checked my card. "Tenemos una ganadora! Cuál es tu nombre?" (We have a winner! What's your name?) he asked.
"Soy Renata," I announced to the rest of the passengers.
"Le presentamos Renata desde...?" (We present to you all, Renata, from...?) he asked.
"Soy de los EEUU!" (I'm from the U.S.) I announced.
Cool, he said. We have a foreigner on the bus! Un aplauso para Renata!
After I won my prize, I stayed awake, because since everyone now knew that I was American, they would have pounced on the chance to chat or rob me or both.
Around 8 or 9 p.m., we had a scheduled stop at a little town about an hour or two from Bahía Blanca. Honestly, it would have taken less time were the bus ride a direct ride from Ezeiza to Bahía Blanca, but alas...there were stops to make, people to get on and off the bus, etc.
Of course, when I first boarded the bus, I asked if there were assigned seats just in case I would have sat in someone's seat. I was told not to worry about it. Alas, the last scheduled stop we made before arriving in Bahía Blanca, more people boarded the bus, and wouldn't you know it? I was in someone's assigned seat.
She walked up the aisle and looked at me.
"Estás en mi asiento," she sternly told me. (You're in my spot.)
I apologized and explained that they had told me not to worry about it, that I would gladly move or she could choose another seat as there were plenty of seats around us. I didn't anticipate any extra guests boarding the bus as we already backing out of our parking spot at the terminal and the next destination was my final destination.
She told me not to worry about it, but promptly sat down in the empty seat next to mine. I must have looked really exhausted by this point. She made some small talk with me for about 20 minutes, but because I was tired, I didn't really want to chat.
She also noticed that I had an accent because she asked where I was from.
"The U.S.," I mentioned.
"You know, you ought to be careful and not travel by yourself here in Argentina. You could get robbed, " she informed me.
Ok, so yes, I am an American, but because my father is Ecuadorian and has taught me not to trust anyone anywhere. I have my eyes peeled everywhere and I am also pretty aware of my surroundings.
I thanked her for her concern and mentioned that I had already been robbed at gunpoint in Costa Rica in 2006, but that I had had no money to give to the perpetrator and obviously lived to tell the tale.
Her eyes got big and she gasped.
I told her that I ended up okay and that since then, I kept a keen eye on things.
She nodded and then began to listen to music on her phone.
I also proceeded to place my headphones in my ears and listened to my music.
I checked my phone various times to see the time. I read a few books on my phone. I looked out of the window from my seat into the inky black darkness of the night to check for any signs of city life. Once in awhile, we would pass by a poorly lit gas station or a ranch in the countryside, but for the most part, it was a cold darkness. I saw the stars in the sky and marveled at how beautiful they looked, since they were a different star system south of the equator.
At around 11:30 p.m., I saw a faint glow indicating city life. I checked on Apple Maps if were were getting closer to Bahía Blanca, and saw that we were indeed getting to the city limits.
I let out a sigh of relief and thanked God for getting me to Bahía Blanca.
We slowly chugged through town towards the bus station. I continued to look out my window and was elated to see things that looked familiar to me. You know that feeling when you've arrived to a familiar place and it feels like "home"? That's the feeling I get each time I go to Bahía Blanca, even after so many years of visiting.
The bus began to slow down more, indicating that we were getting to the bus station. We finally pulled into the terminal lane. I looked out the window to see if my friends were there, but I didn't see them.
I pulled my phone out and dialed my friend's number.
"Hey! I just got in!" I said once she answered.
"Ren! I am so sorry. We are in the car. We waited and waited and we just left the bus station. We are turning around right now!" said Ale.
I hung up and put the phone back in my pocket. I got up from my seat and excused myself from my new seatmate and wished her a happy journey.
I walked down the aisle, went down the stairs and walked off the bus towards the station's baggage handler. He grabbed my suitcase and asked me for money. I told him that I didn't have any and apologized, but that I had spent all my money at the airport. He waved me off and I grabbed my suitcases and walked inside. My friend Ale came running in through the door with her husband, Pablo.
I have never been so excited to see anyone in my entire life! I hugged both of them and apologized profusely for being late.
"Ren! Don't worry about it! We were only having a party for Javi," Ale mentioned.
Being that it was her brother Javier's birthday that night, my tardiness couldn't have come at a worse time because they were going to cut the cake and everything earlier.
I apologized again.
"I don't think he minds. He is in the car waiting for you," Ale said.
I remember thinking to myself - I have nasty hair and teeth. I don't want to look like that!
He obviously didn't care because as I approached Ale and Pablo's car, he burst out of the backseat and gave me such a large hug.
"Renny! Me alegro que estés acá! Te quiero mucho!" exclaimed Javi. He helped Pablo put my suitcases in the trunk and we all piled in the car, with Ale and Pablo sitting up front and Javi and I in the backseat.
Several times on the ride back to Ale's house, Javi reached out and grabbed my hand happily.
"Me alegro que estés acá, Reni!" like five times.
In the car ride over, Ale mentioned a Venezuelan guy I had gone on several dates with when she was in Jacksonville earlier that year in February 2015.
Javier immediately turned to me and being jealous, asked "Who is this Venezolano that you're talking about?"
It's someone I went on a few dates with, but he totally dropped off the face of the earth one day and then reappeared with some other chick. And then he called me a few weeks afterwards and wanted to date me again. I told him to go eff himself, I explained.
Everyone in the car laughed, and then Javi asked me when I was planning on moving to Argentina.
"Whenever you like!" I mentioned, jokingly.
We arrived at their house around midnight and everyone came out the front door.
Reni! Que buenos que viniste! Te extrañaba mucho! etc.
We all sat down. I ate some empanadas while I told my story about my debacle in getting to Bahía Blanca. I drank a rum and coke while everyone laughed.
By 1 a.m., I apologized again and said I was tired and wanted to take a shower and go to sleep.
And that folks, is a story of how I cannot get to places logically. There is always some sort of adventure involved. Truth be told, if I were to get somewhere normally, I would wonder when the other shoe is going to drop.
Why can't trips begin and end on a "normal" note? What is "normal" anyways?
As Jake would say, "Normal is a setting on the washer".
It's good to be quirky and have fun getting places...they make for good stories. :D
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