I received a comment yesterday, from Kate
Lord, a fellow cycle nut who while cycling from Istanbul to
Norway broke her leg in three places doing an (unsuccessful) sky
dive. Sadly her trip was cut short but she reminded me of this:
The people you meet will stay in your mind far longer than
the scenery you ride past.
Today I needed to get both me and Meg (my bicycle) from Rosario
to Buenos Aires on a bus. Sounds simple enough but it took six
hours of running around and the efforts of four complete strangers
to get me there. I've chosen to tell the story from their
perspective, rather than my own, imagining what they might have
been thinking when they helped me.
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Stranger 1: Veronica the Information
officer
After a few minutes of trying to communicate with a tall
woman, wearing a bicycle helmet I realised she spoke English. I
managed to tell her she needed to find a bus company that would
take her bicycle to Buenos Aires and they would explain how it can
be transferred. She came back with a ticket but no clue about the
bicycle, to help her out I wrote down questions in Spanish and she
went to the bus company and wrote the answers, then I translated.
It was a slow process and after going back and forth four times my
colleague (who was on a break) went and talked to the bus company
directly. I translated that she needed to freight her bike to
Buenos Aires on a separate service which she didn't seem happy
about at all. She has a lot of courage cycling on her own, I hope
my English was good enough to help her and I wonder if she made it
to Buenos Aires?
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Stranger 2: Paolo the bicycle mechanic
At about 11am a woman burst through the front door of the
shop pushing a fully-loaded touring bike. She pointed to the
expensive bicycle bags we sell and explained in broken Spanish that
she needed a bag or a box for her bike. I told her the bags are
very expensive (1000 pesos) but we had a spare cardboard box out
the back so I gave it to her. I helped her loosen the pedals and
she found a quiet corner of the shop and went about dismantling the
bike. I was busy out the back and when I came out half an hour
later she was still trying to get all the parts into the bulging
box. I gave her a hand and we got everything in. I used almost a
whole roll of masking tape to seal it up for her, she kept trying
to give me money for the box and tape but I wouldn't take it. She
seemed a bit desperate when she arrived so I was happy to
help.
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Stranger 3: Adriana the passerby
I had just finished my grocery shopping for the family and
was walking home when I saw a woman dragging a huge box. She was
talking to one of those lazy taxi drivers and he wouldn't take her
because she had a lot of luggage. Her Spanish was not very good so
I stopped and joined the conversation, telling him his attitude
STINKS. This girl needed help, she was trying to get to the bus
station by 2pm but couldn't manage all her luggage and the big box.
I hailed her another taxi and the female driver reluctantly agreed
to try and squeeze the bike box into the back seat - I think she
decided it was easier to do what I told her rather than arguing
with me! We pushed and pulled but it wouldn't fit. Hmmm, what to
do? I went into the bike shop to find help and I ordered a truck to
transport Diana and her luggage. I waited with her for 15 min to
make sure she is ok, we talked a little and I found out she is from
New Zealand. The driver arrived and I instructed him to look after
this lovely lady and to help her get all her bags and the box right
to the platform. We kissed goodbye and I wished her good luck.
That's when I remembered I better get home to cook dinner for the
boys.
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Stranger 4: Shalom the Jewish Rabbi
I took my seat on the bus next to a woman who seemed a
little nervous. She had her bags sitting on her lap and I was
convinced she thought I was going to steal something. I got
chatting to her and put her at ease. Remarkably, she is on a
worldwide cycle trip but sadly seems a little disheartened with
Argentina. I share my water with her and tell her all the wonderful
things about my country. She is from New Zealand, a place I would
love to visit and her eyes light up when she describes it. At the
end of our journey she seems much more relaxed and I wish her the
best of luck on her spiritual journey ahead.
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