I decided to think happy thoughts (like a world without the French) and kept walking behind the local in the most non-creepy way I could since it looked like he knew where he was going. After a few minutes ‘we’ reached the mainstreet and I had to adjust: from an island with less inhabitants than beaches to people everywhere, buses and cars, lights, smells, noise. I only had a few coins left and hoped it would be enough to buy a ticket from where ever I was now, to the RIGHT city to catch the bus to Paraty. There were no ATM’s nor people speaking English but a boy was patient enough to hear me out and figure out what I said vs what I meant. He told me the bus would leave in an hour and pointed to the sidewalk where I joined the queue. I was still trying to process what had happened since I’d never been so scared, which is something because I’m pretty fearless in general. The bus arrived and I had JUST enough money for a ticket! I sat down and when an old woman next to me took out her handkerchief and reached for my face, I just let her. She didn’t hit me but gently brushed away some forgotten mascara that had ended up on my chin. Maybe that was why The Rock was smiling? She asked me where I was going and got up from her seat, walked to the front of the bus, talked to the driver and returned. With a lot of sloooowly spoken Portuguese and hand gestures she told me where to get off the bus and where to find the 'mythical' bus to Paraty. She rocked, that lady. After a while we arrived in the RIGHT town and the lady and the driver waved goodbye. Her directions were briljant and I found the busstop for Paraty within a minute. The timetable told me I had to wait another hour, at this point I was as relaxed as can be. I was like, an hour, sure, dude, no problem. After silently referring to myself as ‘dude’ twice I realised I really had to find something to eat and WATER. I crossed the street and the heavens opened, the angels sang en beams of bright light pointed me to….A BANK. With A WORKING ATM! When I left the bank I crossed the street to a gas station: they had water, bottles of it! And a bathroom! I stumbled to the back of the building to the bathroom, it was small, dark and VERY dirty but since it was the first I’d seen in 12 hours I couldn’t care less. I really needed to pee, no time to be picky. Everything was great, until I saw a cockroach crawling on the floor UP the toilet WHERE I WAS ON...
I said goodbye to the friendly gasstation employees and they waved until I crossed the street again. Do they think it’s a Dutch thing? To wave? It felt nice being waved at in a friendly, non-agressive way... Anyhow. The bus was on time and 90 minutes later we stopped in Paraty, it was late and I was exhausted from all the strange emotions I encountered that day. I probably smelled as bad as I looked, with coffee stains on my shirt and I didn’t notice the dirt on my knees (from holding my backpack on my lap, get your mind out of the gutter) until I was in a taxi on my way to the hotel. Luckily the hotel was beautiful- just like the pictures. An oasis with a pool, hammocks, a view overlooking the old city and...a clean bathroom.
I checked in at 23:50- 10 minutes before I turned 24. My phone was still playing dead but my iPad decided to grant me the wish of telling my mom I was okay- she’d been worried since she didn’t hear from me since the beginning. My aunt knew the police let me go but nobody told her where to. My mom was asleep when I called, but very happy I was still aliiive.
At 23:53 I felt the urge to wash the stress away so I put on my bikini and sneaked out past the night guard. The pool lights were off so for someone with my eyesight (meaning me) it looked like a large black tub with dark water. Surprisingly cold but I jumped in, submerged, trying to make the stress vapour. Trying to tell myself the Bitch wasn’t here, she didn’t know where I was & wouldn’t hunt me down with an axe- well, that escalated quickly. I touched the bottom of the pool, swam to the surface and decided this wasn’t helping, it was time for heavy measures. I grabbed my towel and walked back to my room, past the night guard who DID see me this time and nearly screamed as he never saw me leave the building in the first place, so to see this weird, pale lady in a bikini sneaking past him around midnight was almost too much to handle.
It was 23:56, I put on my pyjama’s, angrily threw my phone against the wall AND IT FIXED IT. Magic exists.
The phone told me it was 23:58. Two more minutes as a 23-year old. Oh, what a year it has been. Damn it, don’t get sentimental now. I discovered my nightstand was actually a mini-fridge (angels singing again) with ONE can of beer in it.
23:59. Let’s get drunk.
00:00. Oh my god it’s my birthday do I really have to deal with this shit right now I’m so done with today and this country and buses and you know what, The Rock. Yes, I was even done with the real one AND the fake Brazilian-police one.
I checked in at 23:50- 10 minutes before I turned 24. My phone was still playing dead but my iPad decided to grant me the wish of telling my mom I was okay- she’d been worried since she didn’t hear from me since the beginning. My aunt knew the police let me go but nobody told her where to. My mom was asleep when I called, but very happy I was still aliiive.
At 23:53 I felt the urge to wash the stress away so I put on my bikini and sneaked out past the night guard. The pool lights were off so for someone with my eyesight (meaning me) it looked like a large black tub with dark water. Surprisingly cold but I jumped in, submerged, trying to make the stress vapour. Trying to tell myself the Bitch wasn’t here, she didn’t know where I was & wouldn’t hunt me down with an axe- well, that escalated quickly. I touched the bottom of the pool, swam to the surface and decided this wasn’t helping, it was time for heavy measures. I grabbed my towel and walked back to my room, past the night guard who DID see me this time and nearly screamed as he never saw me leave the building in the first place, so to see this weird, pale lady in a bikini sneaking past him around midnight was almost too much to handle.
It was 23:56, I put on my pyjama’s, angrily threw my phone against the wall AND IT FIXED IT. Magic exists.
The phone told me it was 23:58. Two more minutes as a 23-year old. Oh, what a year it has been. Damn it, don’t get sentimental now. I discovered my nightstand was actually a mini-fridge (angels singing again) with ONE can of beer in it.
23:59. Let’s get drunk.
00:00. Oh my god it’s my birthday do I really have to deal with this shit right now I’m so done with today and this country and buses and you know what, The Rock. Yes, I was even done with the real one AND the fake Brazilian-police one.
| I drank the beer in three big gulps and immediately felt my stomach protesting so my first Official Act as a birthday girl was running to the bathroom to throw up AND I WASN’T EVEN DRUNK. I got my act together and ended the pity party I was throwing myself. I woke up twice, certain I saw The Bitch on the balcony and she was definitely out to get me... |  |
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