Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 - 3:51 p.m.
Leaving La Paz
I went to El Lobo this morning to look for Efrat and my other Israeli friends. I had decided to see if I could join them to Uyuni for the next day. Upon arriving at the hostal I found Efrat who said it would be cool if I joined them to Uyuni. I also saw Nati (also from the Jungle & Pampas tour) who had just returned from a tour of Uyuni, who was back for the Jewish holiday. I also found out that he had just been robbed upon returning to La Paz and had his wallet with $250 stolen. I balked and asked him if he planned to go to the police. He shrugged nonchalantly. What could they do? He had a point. The police wouldn't get his money back, they'd just file a report and it would probably just take a lot of time and paperwork. I remembered Jen & Dan, from England, telling me about their experience when Jen's CD player had been stolen. The tourist police kept telling them they couldn't help them with a stolen passport and they kept telling them it was a CD player, not a passport. Then it took a long time for the police to fill out the report and they had to go back to the station several times. The last thing was that the police wanted them to pay for the filing of the report!
Efrat told me to talk to Eadit, since she was the one organizing the bus tickets to Uyuni. I talked with her briefly, Eadit didn't even know exacly when the next day they were going or how to go (bus or train). Nati suggested taking the train, he said the bus ride was horrible. I asked when I should return later on that day and I got the feeling she didn't want to be tied down to a certain time, since everything was up in the air. I offered to go to the bus station to get information about times and prices and suggested returning at 4pm that afternoon. I saw Efrat on the way out and thanked her for allowing me to join them. I was happy to have fellow travelers to travel with at this point.
I had about 4 hours to kill, so I went to the market to get a few things I needeed (toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc...it seemed I ran out of everything all at once). I ran into Raul, who told me there was an express bus to Uyuni which ran twice a week, to Uyuni. Tonight was one of them. He told me what bus company and how much it cost. I was tempted, but I knew the Israelis wouldn't want to go until tomorrow. Tonight was a big celebration for them. They'd want to be at El Lobo tonight, and I did too to see the celebrations and participate. Still I was tempted...
Swift Fingers Fumbling
Then I needed to go to the bus station. I knew it was about a 20 minute walk. I had a little more than 50 US dollars worth of Bolivianos in my pocket, more than I normally would carry, however I knew that I might be buying a bus ticket to Uyuni and I needed to buy a few things at the market. I had decided to put my fat wallet in a lower side pocket of my pants that had a fabric loop that went around the button. When I walked I could feel the weight of my wallet hitting my right let. I walked past the main market at the San Francisco plaza, my mind on getting to the bus station and whether I should take the express bus today or wait until tomorrow.
As I walked through a particularly crowded stretch of the outdoor market I was startled when someone I never saw suddenly spit on my neck. It took a moment, maybe a second to realize what had happened. I just felt something disgusting and wet hit the left side of my neck. As soon as I realized what it was I quickly covered my hands over my side pockets to protect my wallet (it is a common ploy to distract people while a fellow partner in crime pickpockets you). Even Caroline had told me that at the same market someone had spit at her and she just quickly ran out of the crowd before anyone could steal her wallet. But I'd stopped walking when I covered my pockets and I knew I needed to secure my wallet before I could run out of there.
I felt swift fingers fumbling with my lower pocket. I reached down and managed to (thankfully) get my hand over my lower pocket before it disappeared. My heart racing as I put my hand over my pocket and wallet, I said firmly out loud "No!" But what I wished I'd done is shout loudly "Ladron!" (Theif!) but it happened so fast, it was all I was able to do. Swift fingers had managed to undo the fabric loop around the button, but one second more and my wallet would've been gone. As soon as I covered my hand over my wallet I got out of there as quickly as possible, although I think the theives probably gave up at that point. With my heart beating fast I pushed past the surrounding people and escaped the crowd. I then found a small corner where I put my wallet in a different pocket, my side pocket. I also noticed that inside I had my international student ID card. This card has probably saved me about $100 on various things, like the Inca Trail tour. With this card I'm able to get a student discount on certain things. I realized it would've been a real pain to lose this card and be of no value to anyone else. I removed the card and put it in a different pocket. Then I kept my hand over my wallet-filled pocket, protecting my wallet from being pickpocketed all the way to the bus station and back. As I walked, the more I realized how fortunate I was. One more second and I would've lost my wallet. I realized that I had a substantial amount of cash in my wallet, more than I usually do. One more second is all that the theives would've needed. $50 is a lot of money in Bolivia, especially when you figure that I'm averaging about $13 a day on food and lodging.
It was a hot day, I broke into a sweat walking to the bus station. When I arrived I looked for the two bus companies that Raul recommended for Uyuni. I had to make my decision then & there and I finally decided to just go and take an express to Uyuni. I bought myself a ticket, the bus was leaving in about 3 hours. Then I walked back to the hostal. I returned to El Lobo about an hour earlier than I had told Eadit to tell them I was leaving that evening. They weren't there so I left a note saying I hoped we could meet up in Uyuni. I returned to El Solario, the hostal, quickly checked my e-mail and packed. I saw Sue, told her I was leaving and we chatted breifly, then it was time to go.
I said goodbye to the hostal staff and to Raul, who helped me hail a cab to the bus station. In Spanish I rattled off the usuals, "Goodbye! Take care! Thanks for everything!" and then I told Raul, in English, "I'll never forget the soccer game."
When I checked in at the bus station the lady there asked if I had a sleeping bag. When I said no she told me she'd give me a blanket. This night bus ride (about 14 hours) was notorious for being cold. I remembered the English girls Amie and Jenny tell me that their bus ride was so cold that ice formed on the inside of the bus windows!
When it was time I went to the bus, but waited outside before boarding, waiting for the lady to bring me a blanket. Departure time neared and still no blanket. I asked another bus employee who looked confused "You want to buy a blanket?!" He asked. I explained again the situation but he was unable to help me. Finally I had to get on the bus. As we pulled out from the station I thought "So much for the blanket". But I thought I'd be okay because I'd brought all my warm clothes with me. Now I realize how naive I was concerning how cold the Altiplano (the plains) get at night...
