La experiencia del viajar solo es difícil de expresar y compartir, es necesario vivirla uno mismo para entender de qué carajos estoy hablando. Quizá para aquellas personas que no están tan desajustadas como yo, el mundo les resulte unos cuantos decibeles menos desafiante. Pero por ahí dicen ellos (los que tanto les gusta hablar) que para que haya una aventura digna de ser contada debe de haber una gran cantidad de percances y desfortunios que le ocurran al protagonista de la historia... directamente proporcional, gracias Campbell!
Habiendo acabado el mentado cursito que me eché en nada más y nada menos que las Tailandias (en plural todo suena mejor) decidí que sería interesante cerrar la odisea con broche de oro (guay not?), entonces compré con el resto de mis ahorros "lo que viene siendo" un boleto de avión a Siem Reap en Camboya; la ciudad en donde se encuentra uno de los sitios arqueológicos más importantes del mundo: Angkor Wat.
Era mi sueño visitar los vestigios de tal civilización, habiendo aprendido un poco en clases de historia, y con lo ñoña que soy, la idea de adentrarme cual Lara Croft/Indiana Jones versión turista mexicana "de petatiux".
Tomé un Tuk-Tuk desde Ban Phe hasta el aeropuerto de Bangkok y no hice mas que nostalgiarme la existencia con kleenex escuchando canciones extremadamente cursis en el transcurso (favor de compadecerme y no juzgarme en ese aspecto si lloro con "Take a Bow" de Rihanna) puesto que soy de esas malditas personas a las cuales las despedidas las vuelven de consistencia peluchosa y moquienta.
Llegando esperé mi debido tiempo tirada en una banca de plástico como de McDonald's con mis cosas desparramadas sobre mis pies (estorbándole a las familias ricas gringas que pasaban por ahí). Cuando llegó mi hora me formé en la fila correspondiente como niña buena y me aproximé al mostrador, sólo para escuchar:
-Sorry miss, I cannot let you board your plane because you have an S type visa; which means you cannot enter the country once you've left unless you get ANOTHER stamp.
WTF????? Todo el desmadre que me había costado ENTRAR al mentado país se desenrollaba en una secuela del terror totalmente inadvertida frente a mis elaboradas pestañas mexicanas. ¿Ahora no me dejarán salir? ¿QUÉ CARAJOS?
Como venadito en éxtasis sufrí un recorrido fotográfico mental en el cual abandonaba mi sueño de ir a Angkor y esperaba en vez mis dos días restantes en Asia aburrida como torta en un hotel de por ahí mientras llegaba el día de mi salida de regreso a México... NO!!!
-You will have to go to the Mexican embassy downtown and make them call the Thai embassy in Mexico for you to change your VISA. This will have to be tomorrow now, because it is already late and everything is closed for the day. Here is a map and the telephone number.
¡Era L.A. all over again! ¡Qué bonito ciclo narrativo! Pero pensé: Bridget Jones my milky arse! Y entonces le dije:
-But I've got this other ticket for my flight back home miss. Same day, departing 3 hours after I return from Cambodia. If I do like as you say, then I'll miss it! Isn't there anything I can do about it?
-Oh! Lemme see! Oh! so you're just connecting flights? Oh!! Well then things change. I thought you were staying here longer after returning. But if you don't leave the airport then there's no problem. Just tell the woman at the Siem Reap counter to check your bags all the way to Mexico. Have a good flight!
Me trepé al avión con la cara rojo camarón entomatado y no separé la naríz de la ventanilla hasta que aterrizamos... puta madre, estaba tan enojada como cansada, por lo que opté por neutralizar mis emociones y esperar el siguiente paso. Viva la discriminación por nacionalidad!
Llegando quedé bastante impresionada por la calidad arquitectónica del aeropuerto camboyano; coqueto coqueto indeed! Recogí maletas, pasé por los detectores de metal y pagué mis cuotas. Saliendo al delicioso calorcito nocturno me topé con cientos de locales montados en motocicletas al acecho por turistas indefensos llenos de maletas. Yo fui presa fácil aparentemente.
-Ride with me
-NO! WITH MEEEE-
-Ride hotel miss?
Me atacaron por doquier... pero mi instinto de citadina exportada me dijo que eligiera al de rostro menos asesino (ja, viva el sentido común). Me sentí juez de American Idol versión "quién tiene la cara más noble y menos de tevoyamataryviolardespuésdemuerta". Pagué mis 2 dólares por el aventón y me trepé con el chofer cara-de-niñito.
No hay como tener el viento en la cara, en una noche joven con una luna espectacular guiándote el camino. Tenía un audífono puesto en una oreja y con la otra prestaba atención a las breves narraciones de mi compañero de viajes. "Leik" me llevó a un hotel que le pareció óptimo para mi arribo súbito, puesto que le había contado (yo) que quería estar lo más cerca posible de las ruinas.
Me recibió un tal "Lucky"; un personaje increíblemente dibujable, es más, creo que me lo saqué del inconsciente... algún día escribiré una historia basándome en él. Y me guió al cuarto después de haberme despedido de Leik; acordamos que él sería mi guía a las ruinas también por un precio razonable -Tomorrow at 9 o'clock then-
Subí unas amplias escaleras de madera en un edificio extrañisimo, viejo y amarillo nápoles, con pasillos de imitación de mármol y extranjeros por doquier (yo incluida)
jueves, mayo 27, 2010
lunes, mayo 17, 2010
The reminiscing flavour inside a huge Mexican chocolate mug
There isn't much, that I feel I need, a solid soul, and the blood I bleed.
So time has taken giant strides since that amazing January... I can't get it out of my mind... it felt like finally peeking through the tiniest of cracks and grasping one single glance of what's outside the cave only to realize nothing is what it seems. There's a hole in the wall.
It was far more strong than a shot of heroin, like an everlasting slushie that's flavoured with the greatest moment in your life, it was more than making eye contact with your soul mate for the first time, simply more than just fine.
It's singing along to one song, for ever.
ADIEU
I thought I was never going to make it to Angkor: I had this strange feeling all along that it wasn't meant to be... even though I had in hand (well electronically speaking) my very own plane ticket to Siem Reap, bought with the help of my witty Texan friend at Amir's pueblo palace one sizzling weekend during TEFL days.
That final Friday I did not wake up, because I did not ever go to sleep in the first place... instead I stapled the Tuesday night remnants together with the unwelcoming Friday morning vestiges by taking one last cold bath in what had been my room for the month. I was barefoot, and so was my state of being. I picked up the last of my stuff and found an Australian coin I kept for good luck.
Taking a long breath I slid downstairs to get some water. I found our teacher there, and she gave me a string with bells and rocks attached to it. I wasn't paying much attention, I was high on not sleeping but I took it as an exchange for the fish I'd given her the night before: sort of a Polynesian temporary friendly swap thing in my tiredly-drunken mind. It's funny how girlie I get on goodbyes... I can go all "Crossroads" Britney Spears whenever the moment asks for it.
I returned upstairs when hearing Dave's motorbike engine outside the building and sat down on my usual spot, greeting the others with a cunning smile, for we had completed the task: we were qualified teachers at last! (and that rhymes, yes it does). I wore the turquoise necklace Lina had given me one day out of the green-blue for no reason whatsoever... it made me feel like a million bucks.
The diplomas were handed out in a sort of quickie ceremony: no wine served (like Lina had suggested the day before), no balloons or emotional sermons... that's the way it is with these guys; they see armies of trainees pass on through the same thresholds each and every single month, graduation parade non stop. No wonder they don't remember anyone, it's sad and funny at the same time. But that's what the group picture's for, so we went outside and had it taken: All of us looking fairly nostalgic except for Hollie who was happily relaxed all dread-lock-less, and of course JJ who was annoyed as usual.
After wards we mounted the van for one last time as Tao, our driver, said something like "wait, surprise for you". And so we waited, all dressed up and shared a casual chit chat for what seemed to be our final moment together. Surprise: We got backpacks! Yay for the ugliness!
We bid farewell to the staff members, to the TV room with the blue leather seats where we shared a mouth full of stupid ass movies. We waved g'bye to the balcony where Lester smoked like a Chinese factory chimney, to the Geckos and the children and the Mini Shop at the far end of the street where we bought our 10Baht red bulls and chocolate milk cartons. We said goodbye to our young Brit teacher, who finally seemed to have fallen for us right at the end, too bad for the tardiness.
And so we arrived at the taxi-station port thing where I was dropped off by my very handsome Egyptian friend and Lina (hahaha who is beautiful as well). I greeted the lady-boy behind the counter and presented my (not-lost-indeed-thank-Buddha) ticket for Suvarnabhumi airport in BKK. I got on yet another van, this time filled with strangers, and gave Amir my famous puppy stare behind the inked screen of the chunky gray vehicle.
I was so sad... inconsolable... devastated... hecha mierda.
But I was going to Angkor Wat, one of my biggest dreams since I first started fancying History lessons. Thank you Maureen Cornell at the JFK "We like bananas, we like 'em BIG!".
So time has taken giant strides since that amazing January... I can't get it out of my mind... it felt like finally peeking through the tiniest of cracks and grasping one single glance of what's outside the cave only to realize nothing is what it seems. There's a hole in the wall.
It was far more strong than a shot of heroin, like an everlasting slushie that's flavoured with the greatest moment in your life, it was more than making eye contact with your soul mate for the first time, simply more than just fine.
It's singing along to one song, for ever.
ADIEU
I thought I was never going to make it to Angkor: I had this strange feeling all along that it wasn't meant to be... even though I had in hand (well electronically speaking) my very own plane ticket to Siem Reap, bought with the help of my witty Texan friend at Amir's pueblo palace one sizzling weekend during TEFL days.
That final Friday I did not wake up, because I did not ever go to sleep in the first place... instead I stapled the Tuesday night remnants together with the unwelcoming Friday morning vestiges by taking one last cold bath in what had been my room for the month. I was barefoot, and so was my state of being. I picked up the last of my stuff and found an Australian coin I kept for good luck.
Taking a long breath I slid downstairs to get some water. I found our teacher there, and she gave me a string with bells and rocks attached to it. I wasn't paying much attention, I was high on not sleeping but I took it as an exchange for the fish I'd given her the night before: sort of a Polynesian temporary friendly swap thing in my tiredly-drunken mind. It's funny how girlie I get on goodbyes... I can go all "Crossroads" Britney Spears whenever the moment asks for it.
I returned upstairs when hearing Dave's motorbike engine outside the building and sat down on my usual spot, greeting the others with a cunning smile, for we had completed the task: we were qualified teachers at last! (and that rhymes, yes it does). I wore the turquoise necklace Lina had given me one day out of the green-blue for no reason whatsoever... it made me feel like a million bucks.
The diplomas were handed out in a sort of quickie ceremony: no wine served (like Lina had suggested the day before), no balloons or emotional sermons... that's the way it is with these guys; they see armies of trainees pass on through the same thresholds each and every single month, graduation parade non stop. No wonder they don't remember anyone, it's sad and funny at the same time. But that's what the group picture's for, so we went outside and had it taken: All of us looking fairly nostalgic except for Hollie who was happily relaxed all dread-lock-less, and of course JJ who was annoyed as usual.
After wards we mounted the van for one last time as Tao, our driver, said something like "wait, surprise for you". And so we waited, all dressed up and shared a casual chit chat for what seemed to be our final moment together. Surprise: We got backpacks! Yay for the ugliness!
We bid farewell to the staff members, to the TV room with the blue leather seats where we shared a mouth full of stupid ass movies. We waved g'bye to the balcony where Lester smoked like a Chinese factory chimney, to the Geckos and the children and the Mini Shop at the far end of the street where we bought our 10Baht red bulls and chocolate milk cartons. We said goodbye to our young Brit teacher, who finally seemed to have fallen for us right at the end, too bad for the tardiness.
And so we arrived at the taxi-station port thing where I was dropped off by my very handsome Egyptian friend and Lina (hahaha who is beautiful as well). I greeted the lady-boy behind the counter and presented my (not-lost-indeed-thank-Buddha) ticket for Suvarnabhumi airport in BKK. I got on yet another van, this time filled with strangers, and gave Amir my famous puppy stare behind the inked screen of the chunky gray vehicle.
I was so sad... inconsolable... devastated... hecha mierda.
But I was going to Angkor Wat, one of my biggest dreams since I first started fancying History lessons. Thank you Maureen Cornell at the JFK "We like bananas, we like 'em BIG!".
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