The Day I lost my Passport
Well it all started well enough (Looked out and it was raining heavily and I mean heavily with a gust of wind every now and again) ...I woke up nice and early for my boat trip from Bueno Aires to Colombia in Uruguay, from where I catch the bus to Montevideo...got to the Port 5 am, for the 6.45 check in... alas the offices are completely closed. Without a soul in sight. Even the lights in the offices were all off. I look around, no shops or cafes nearby to pass the time...Rain hasn’t abated, so it's cold, wet and windy. So what do I do?
It suddenly turns into tornado conditions out there. In the small sheltered area of the port entrance, I am buffeted by the winds. Plus, getting wet from the rain spray.
I need proper shelter from this rain
I consider my options; ok I try to find a cafe to pass the time. If I can find one. I don’t see any cafes nearby. What do I do? Maybe I’ll hail a cab to take me to a nearby cafe. At least he can drive me around in the dry. Easier said than done right, there are no cabs to be seen. I have all my luggage with me and no umbrella. I can’t afford to get soaked in this downpour, I hadn’t packed my electronic goods in proper waterproof gear. And having all my packed clothes soaking wet, no thanks.
I wait 10 minutes 15, 20, 30 and still no taxi. After 45 minutes I see a cab on the other side of the motorway with lights signalling empty, I make a mad dash for it. I manage to hail him. Success!
So I ask the cab driver to drop me off at the nearest open café. You'd think that was easy…. but hey it's 5.45 nothing s open and I mean nothing no Cafes or fast food joint to speak of. So the taxi driver sees a petrol station which also has a cafe so he asks me if it’s good enough. I say yes dreaming of a hot drink in a warm cafe…. So I get out of the taxi with my luggage.
Leaving the warm dry taxi. I get to the entrance. Sorry the petrol station pumps were open for service. But the cafe was completely closed. Even the delivery vans that were to supply the cafe had to wait to deliver. There are two guys inside but the doors are locked…. I was amazed at the level of efficiency!
So I have to wait where? well the petrol pumps are as this is the only area with a roof in the station. So it’s back to being buffeted by gale force winds at least, the shelter is big enough to protect me from the worst of the spray, by standing strategically behind a petrol pump. At least that would keep my luggage dry. I am wet and cold!
I must have looked a sight. Maybe I looked like a refugee or something. Everyone coming to fill their tanks stare at me curiously.
I wait time passes slowly even if I miss that damn ferry I don’t care much. Eventually at 7 am the cafe of the petrol station opens. I grab a hot chocolate (I told them I need it hot) I’m shivering by this stage.
As luck would have it, as I walk out of the cafe, a taxi driver comes to fill up at the station. I hail him to take me to the port. He obliges. Maybe I will catch the ferry after all, I think to myself.
He takes me to the ferry port. Hurray it’s finally open, I enter the glass door. It's packed full of people. I immediately look up at the electronic announcement board. My ferry hasn’t boarded yet. I then look around me, I see queues and people everywhere but nothings moving. People are muttering in Spanish I get the gist of people complaining. There are staff at the desk but no announcement or anything. I wait they’ll call the ferry to Colombia, Uruguay eventually, it says it on the electronic screen saying not ready to board yet.
I wait and wait and no announcement nothing. Just queues not going anywhere and staff just standing at the check-in counter. By now it’s 11 am. I suspect the tornado-like conditions are causing the delay, but no announcement.
By 12 noon, it seems the weather had abated somewhat to me anyway and I guess to almost everyone else.
But still no announcement from the staff or over a loudspeaker and the electronic announcement board hadn’t changed since this morning.
Then the grumblings start, people are starting to complain loudly, and pretty soon turns into a full on uproar.
From my smattering of Spanish and what someone I ask fills in. Most in the crowd were saying that this was day two of waiting for them. As a result, some need to get home to their loved ones while others are saying they can’t afford accommodation locally and since the ferry company is not going to pay for it where were they going to sleep for the night?
Suddenly there is a full on argument between staff behind check-in and travellers. Which goes I think maybe to prevent a full on riot (who knows) An announcement that our ferry was to board this causes an uproar as the customers who were to travel yesterday ask shouldn’t they be taken first to which they are told their ferry had been parked elsewhere and would need to be brought to port by its captain which he was in the process of doing.
Anyway before long we are checked onto the ferry. I am happy I will be going to Uruguay!
Well so I thought.
(to be continued)