I'm playing hide and seek. On this computer
that is a french expat and hides the keys from me.
Only the most useful ones...ovbiously I
use the 'a', 'm' and '.' keys way too much for the french alphabet...
Now I think of it I have been playing lots of games here in
Fiambalà (note this is typed without internet access, they had a storm about a month ago that fried the modem in town).
"Let's see how much sleep it is humanly
possible to take in a single 24 hour period": thats a fun game. I could
blame the tiny 1500 m
above sea level for my laziness, but I think the Argentinan "tranquillo" is more the culprit. That and it is hard work translating recipes for 3 hours.
Though even 3 year olds seem to be able to stay up past 1am and still get up
before 10. Though they also have about a 4 hours siesta.
"Dodgepoo" or "Puppy excrement obstacle
course" is also a favorite. Sadly, against my best intentions, after two
weeks, I am finding "Nanny" a little male fluffy canine thing
completely adorable. Same goes for the 2 year-old
human puppy called Sara who named the perrito (which with this local accent is
pronounced aptly Pe-shit-o). And I thought I was immune to cute.
"Findaword: hidden fibre". Argentinians eat mostly processed hangover food. There is no fibre. Though in desperation I even tried "helado con fibre": yes that is fibre added to icecream. cos that makes it healthy. I believe in the culinary experience of travelling. I came here prepared tor the empandana that would give me traveller´s diarrhoea. Obesity and constipation will make you seek out those empanadas on purpose. And everyone must be very higienic here cos I´ve had none.
And my favourite:
"Try and find a ride to Chile-treasure hunt" this game has been going for days, the process is this:
1. reject a perfectly good offer a week prior for no good reason
except you didn't feel like moving (see game 1).
2. Ask everyone you meet in terrible Spanish and mime if they know of
anyone driving to Chile.
3. Figure out that what they are saying is ask Someone else. Someone
called Johnson in a tourist shop.
4. Find a tourist shop but forget Johnson's name. Apparently there was a guy who left on Wednesday with an Australian
girl. That would be my friend taking the sensible option I rejected.
5. Ask around again, this time get told to go to other tourist place.
They have no idea. But I should try the Municipal hotel.
6. Go to municipal hotel. They say everyone left this morning, try
again tomorrow, but most people go to the border and then return in the
afternoon. Maybe try Maria. Who is Maria I say, Gomeria they say I say
please write that down, is that far? Yes, take a taxi.
7. Reject this idea, since I dont know what a gomeria is and suspect it is a tyre shop. Find some
hippies in the street who say I should try the army guys who drive up
everyday...army guys, wait, is that this? A note in my pocket that says Gendarmaria...
si.
8. Walk 4 km in heat to army guys who say no, bugger off freak girl (well since I only understood a fraction of what he actually said, I made up the rest). Try hithching, or ask johnson at tourist police.
9. Locate the real live Johnson who says there is nothing but try the roadworks guys 2 km down that
other road
10. Buy rasins for the journey. Eat them.
11. They say they left yesterday, try municipality hotel
12. Find a dentist on a bicycle who gives you a map and calls the border guys to
see if you can stay there if no lift, and makes you promise to email him when you get there cos he wont sleep until you do. The plan is to get a lift to the border, and stay there until a lift to Chile comes though.
13. Buy supplies for a possible 2 days in the desert.
14. Get up at 5am and wait at hotel on off-chance someone is leaving.
15. Give up at 10am and go and stand on corner with a little sign saying "Chile" (sorry mum)
16. After 2 hours, and eating half of your chocolate, give up and go and catch a bus in the opposite direction.
17. Eat nothing but salami and boiled eggs for two days on a bus.
18. Don´t ever complain, cos you actually truly enjoyed the whole week-long process. Theres not that much else to do here.
