Journey numero DOS

- after internet cafe- went to hotel room. asked at reception about walking tours that i found a leaflet on. she didnt understand what i wanted to know so she just phoned them and told them to talk to me. i ask if its running today. it is. be under the big tree and 2pm. its 1pm. please can you call me a taxi. taxi arrives. i point to leaflet - quiero ir aqui. he babbles something in spanish too quickly for me to understand. i just say si. sit in taxi wandering if i am being kidnapped. we arrive and i decide im not because i pay and he lets me leave the car. ask at tourist information desk if i am here - points to leaflet. she says - si debaja el arbol. ie yes meet under the tree. i see a HUGE tree. biggest tree ever. i will upload photo of the tree if i work out how. realise im half an hour early. walk around. stand near tree listening to two austalian old women talk about australian stuff. tour guide arrives wearing massive walking tours badge. he says we need to wait for someone else. i thank god secretly because i didnt really want to have to talk to the old ladies the whole way round they seemed quite weird. John arrives. john - i think his names john if its not im sorry- is also australian but considerably younger than the old ladies so i decide hes going to be my friend for the day whether he likes it or not i think hes 28 or 29. we go on the tour and its really good - we go to this ¨city of the dead¨ which is a massive cemetry for rich people and they build these tiny but posh housey room type things to bury all their families. and have statues and stuff outside. i saw evitas grave and he told us the story of her life. he tells us intersting stories about some of the other families like this girl and her husband were on their honeymoon in the seventies and there was an avalanche and she was killed but he survived. her mother built a statue at the grave of her with her dog and the husband puts flowers in her hand all the time. after the tour i ask john if he has plans because i am all aloney on my owney until nine pm. he says no lets go get a beer. we start walking and he insists that he knows where we are so i just follow but when i ask he says no we are now completely lost. we find a cafe for nourishment before we work out where we are. beer and burger is a winning combination for those of you who didnt know. jonh is 34 and is surprised that i am only eighteen. i said why do i look forty then and he said no you look older in a good way. i dont understand what this means but whatever its not an insult so il accept it.i let him struggle to speak spanish to various people because its funny and i havent told him that i know some spanish. we walk around til six when he shows me this obilisk thing near his hotel and i was going to get a taxi to my hotel but turns out it was just around the corner. get in room. watch film. try not to fall asleep. get phone call. lady for you in lobby. must be barneys girlfriend. - barney is my aunty jennys friends son who lives there- i go down and meet her and we wait for barney. both very nice and friendly and we go for drink and then icecream. i nearly fall asleep in ice cream shop and go back to my room to sleep. phone rings. hello? beth its john. is this my wake up call? no its john. oh im awake now thnakyou . BETH ITS JOHN FROM THE WALK EARLIER. oh hi john, i was asleep. i realised sorry - i just got back from the footy match and wandered if you wanted to hangout. um no john im asleep and my flight is ealry sorry. hang up. dont feel too guilty because he has my email address, il just apologize later. wake up call. get dressed. taxi. check in. eat breakfast - second meal in my own in restaurant. still not too weird. waste time by walking up and down a few times. go to gate. tele says gate 6 , ticket says gate 11. go to gate 6. airport lady walks past and asks something i dont catch. ask man next to me who looks like a cross between gordon brown and mr blobby - que dice? she said am i going to Cordoba - im not. im going to posadas. he is too. wait for ages. check screen. gate eleven and ask agent. i tell gordon blobby what it says so we go to gate eleven. stand in queue. anouncement and everyone in queue sighs and sits down. i follow gordon blobby and ask whats going on. flight is delayed. we have a weird conversation in spanish in which niether of us really know what was said. he tells me to sit next to him and he will explain anouncements about our flight. get on plane. sit next to nice lady. we are given a cereal bar and a cookie. cereal bar nearly breaks my teeth. it still hurts as i write this. when we are landing nice lady tells me random facts about posadas. land. get bag. meant to be picked up in arrival hall. see no one.nice lady from plane asks if im ok. i say si. stand around. Marcel finds me. takes me to accomodation. its a cute little flat with one girl and two guys here who volunteer. chill out. tv and internet. its hot. i love posadas.

Love,
Bethnal x


p.s. mum thanks for the birthday card i promise i wont open it till the big day. xxx