Back to Argentina (first part)

This has been a long time coming, and I'm sorry for that. My memory might well be a bit sketchy on some points, its been a couple of months, but I ploan to fill ou in with some of the more important moments.

It all started back in Pakistan. I was quite anxious to leave, what with not having tanything to do anymore after the car crash, and I really wanted to get back for my cousin Pepe's wedding. Alas it was not to be. Due to visa complications, I had to wait another week, and missed that wedding, the rather spur of the moment wedding of another cousin, Lucia, and Anita's (freind from Cordoba who works in Apex) birthday. Also I was to travel on Malaysian Airways, through Kuala Lumpur and South Africa, that also had to be aborted cos when I got my visa in line, I would have had to wait another week to go with Malayian. But it wasn't all bad, I managed to get a flight on Air France through Paris, which was not tooooo long considering I was travelling half way around the world.

Going to the airport, the mood was rather sad, I went with my dad, he was especially sad. No doubt the prospect of eating spaghetti for the next month or so didn't quite sit too well with his somach (my mum was in Argentina at the time and would stay till I was settled in Cordoba). But my dad managed to bear it stoichly, accompanied me to the VIP lounge, which was exactly too great. My travel plan was thus, Bussines to the UAE (Dubai), and from there all economic to Paris the BA. The flight to Dubai was short and uneventfull, though they did have some very tasty sandwiches, couldn't get enough of them.

Once in Dabai, I spent about a total of 2 hours looking for the Bussiness lounge there to no avail. I walked from one end of the duty free to the other, and believe me, its a big duty free with all kinds of lounges, bars and general spending places. In the end I finished in the first class lounge, so I won't complain. Free (rather excellent) food, free internet, as those whom I've chatted to allready know, excellent smoking room and I was mae aware on leaving that they also provided free phones, which I'm ashamed to say I didn't abuse. I spent a total of 5 hours there, in which time I made a thorough investigation of the electronic part of the duty free, buying an iPod, minidisc or digital camera foremost in my thoughts. I made up my mind due to peer pressure one might say, for I could not decide between them by myself, and getting all of them was out of the question. So it was that my freinds steered me towards the buying of my Canon digital camera, the make and model decided by Garci, thank you very much garci, la camara anda de lujo.

I left Dubai at an inhospitable hour, I believe it was 1.30 AM, though anybody that has made long haul flights know that time quickly looses all meaning, what with the time differences and what not. The flight to Paris was also uneventful. The only bummer was that I had a middle seat, and my god do they suck! that was a 5 hour flight, or there abouts. Arrived in Paris Charles de Gaul ridicolously early, forgot my splendiferous hat on the plane, and only realized when Id' actually left the airport, so I had to make a great hullabaloo to let the guards let me go back in to the airport to see if they could find it for me. Luckily, after going in, back out to ask for more info at the information desk (u'd think they'd have one inside wouldn't ye...) and yet back in to go to the right lost luggage place, I got my hat back, in the meanwhile, I got to witness french racism first hand. It was so feckin in u're face I couldn't believe people stood for it. The guys who check u're lugage for crap, they targeted all the black dudes, I was utterly amazed, I, who went in and out 3 times, never once did they check my lugage. Howsoever that may be, I made my way to the rail station and went on my way to the capital, I had 20 hours til my next flight and I was going to make the best of it.

I headed straight for the gard du Nord, which confusingly, has no sign saying gard du nord, only by chance did I ask someone about it, and had to make a hasty escape from the train before the doors closed on me. Not always eas when you're carrying a 20 kilo back pack. After some really bad french and phone call from a public phone, I met up with my aunt and we went back to her apartment, to have some much needed breakfast with delicious croissants, and then came the best of all, a 3 hour nap. After I went awalkin with m cousin Natty, and started using my newly bought camera. We wondered aimlessly but seemed to have passed through most of the places that appear in Amelie. Apres ca we ended up in a bar where I had a very satisfying pint of beer and a lovely ham sandwich. But the time was acomin when I had to go back to the airport, so of we went to the apartment, quick shower, prompt goodbye (after sending Conor's birthday gift to Sarah via snail mail), I boarded my train and off I was whisked into the sunset, or rather the airport. I was amazingly early, not having accounted for a swift pass though security, and had to wait out like 2 or three hours for boarding (no checking in had to be done, never saw my suitcase between Islamabad and BA). I had me a couple of beers, but didn't over do it, the whole situation of returning had made me a tad queezy and I didn't want to be sick on the flight.

The flight to BA was long, loooooooooooooooong, o so very looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong! And yet again I was smack down in the middle, damned bastards! I forget to mention that on queueing to board, surrounded by (admittedly a handfull of) Argentines and Chileans, I could not wipe a grin of my face, I allready felt at home. There's something about having fellow countrymen close at hand in a distant place and the prospects of returning.

I can't remember anything much about the flight, except that the movies sucked ass. I mean they were really bad. For starters they where dubbed in french and spanish with english subtitles, dude, if you're going to do that choose either a spanish or french film, not an english one! That really go on my nerves, so I mostly listened to musci, which after the 5th hour starts repeating itself and looked at the flight program, that screen where it tells you pinpoint where you're plane is flying over in that instant. We did pass right over iguazu falls, but it was rather dark so I didn't see anyhting, unlike on the flight out.

Upon arriving in BA I was pining, yes pining, for a cigarrette, and such was my confusion that I started to ask a flight airhostess where I could smoke, in english, she had a real hard time understanding me and an even harder time answering, till I realized wait no, she's an argentine.... talk in spanish. My bags took a hell of a long time to come around in that moving belt thingy. When I finally made my way out I was just a tad dissapointed there was noone waiting for me, I knew it would be so, but all the same, its nice to have someone welcome you. So I went to my cousins Albert and Marina's apartment in the city centre, bought some delicious pastries which I had for breakfast with Marina, Albert being asleep.

And thats enough for today, the cyber cafe bill is going up way too much, 1.75 already. I leave you know and tomorrow will probably go on to tell you the next phase, and my great adventure into quilemes with Albert, and that fucker of a bong I brought with me.

Toodles