He sat all day in the sun, yet still couldn't catch a tan.
'Only a few block & you'll be at your hostel.' 30 blocks later & with his shoulders aching, he still hadn't found what he was looking for. To make things worse, the streets were slowly becoming infested with people all leaving work early to start there Friday & there weekend. Rosario, was coming alive. It had all started 24hrs earlier. Stuck hitching in the rain in Jujuy he headed over to the gas station. With plans for Salta & then Cordoba in mind, it all changed when he met 2 Dutch girls who were driving all the way south. After agreeing to buy them lunch, they set off south. He finally reached his digs, sore & sweaty, he slumped into a heap on his bed. You could feel that there was money around Rosario. Seeing beaten up old cars, like the ones in Peru, had become such a regular occurrance, that seeing sparkly new German numbers stood out. That was his barometer for judging the economic strength of a place, how many new cars do you see on the streets. It was like a mini - Buenos Aires. Like Buenos Aires, Rosario dog owners had a similar knack of leaving there pets landmines to dot the sidewalks. Rosario was really pretty though. The humidity had increased but there always seemed to be a cool breeze sweeping by. He decided to head out on the Saturday nite. It proved a usual Saturday like any other with one exception. At a local restraurant he got talking to a local couple. The guy, Juan, worked for the railway & was heading to B.A the following night. He had been on some time off & tomorrow night would be his first night back at work. After re-telling his tale to Juan about the last year, Juan decided to sneak him on board & to hitch to B.A. It was only 8-9hrs down the road so it would be perfect. He'd hitched rides on pretty much all forms of transport at this point, so hitching on a train was only appropriate. He had to get there 30min before the train left. Being a Sunday it would be a bit easier to get him into the rear of the train. There was nervous tension running through his veins. When he got there it seemed it would be all easy going. And it was, until he saw the compartment he would sleep in for the night. The rear room was a container with no windows & minimal ventilation. 'Christ on a bicycle, this is gonna be a long night.' He climbed in & tried to find some sort of comfort. As the door slid close, so the light disappeared. There was a streak of light filtering through between the door & the cart. That was it. The next 8-9hrs saw him being thrown around like a rag doll. At first he tried to fight it, then went with it. 'What's the point.' The next 8 hrs would be the most bone rattling 8hrs of his life. He tried to sleep & took 3 sleeping tablets. It was completely dark, so it might not have been the correct tablets he took. He tossed & turned, bounced & rolled all night. He eventually fell asleep. Finally. He went into a deep sleep until suddenly the door got pulled open. During the course of the night he had decided to strip down to the bear minimum due to the crazy heat. Oh dear. The guard who opened the door was not Juan. Now imagine if you will the scene. The guard let rip with a volley of anger he had not witnessed. All the time he was asking for, 'Donde Juan.' The guard would have nothing of that. He battled to get his kit back on due to the state he was in. The compartment had also given him a coat of soot. So there he was half naked, sweaty, dirty & untidy. Thankfully Juan arrived to save him from his situation. He walked through the station an utter mess. He decided to 'freshen up.' For a moment he looked around for the mirror, because the only other person in the toilet was some half dressed skanky, stinky, smelly bum. He had found the mirror already, & he was the only one there. 'I think I need a shower pronto.'
Buenos Aires had the sophistication & style of Madrid or Paris, yet the sexy dirty grit & passion of South America. Very much like him (tongue firmly stuck in cheek) if he thought about it. After the much needed shower, he settled in for the day knowing that tomorrow would be a big day in his trip. He had planned to get to southern Argie in 2-3weeks if all went to plan. He knew tomorrow had to go his way for that to happen. He would cross that bridge when he got there, so wouldn't drive himself crazy thinking about it. He woke up knowing that the entire year that he had travelled depended upon today. Surely it can't go wrong now. Not after all he'd been through. The news came through. It made him physically ill. Is this how it's all going to end. He would try everything to find a solution. He attempted everything during the next few days. On Saturday the 18th February he realised that all alternative options had failed. He would not be able to reach his dream. It was hard to take in. All the up's & down's of the last year, 'was it all for nothing?' He met some really amazing girls from Australia & Austria, they helped ease the pain. It would be temporary. He had tried everything. He woke up the next day & tried again. He would leave these shores the following day. Those days & nights were as painful as anything he'd ever experienced. He sat running through all the things that led to that day. 'What could I have done differently?' It was painful to watch. He tried to reconcile himself to the fact that it had been a great run. 'It wasn't suppose to end this way?' He was numb. Numb to the world & all who walked it. He was for once, defeated. For once broken. He found himself sat on the airport waiting to leave. He was never one for emotion, but tears don't discriminate. Shattered he boarded.
Until that day.....
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