Adventure and spontaneity

Adventure and spontaneity, in my mind are fairly inseparable. Adventure and precariousness are also somewhat synonymous. Thus, i should have known precariousness lie ahead and avoided such a sponteaneous situation, however......

Here, is the spontaneity the precariousness will be detailed in the next blog.

I learned Friday morning at 10 that Saturday was the anniversary of the birth of Mohammad and thus I did not work. By Friday afternoon at 1, I had decided that tonight at 8 I would go Southwest 12 hours by train to Tozeur, then loop east by louage (shuttle) to Gabes, tour the south and then 10 hours North by train arriving back in Tunis at 5.00 am Monday morning all in time for a shower. All in time to catch the 6.55 train to work . At this point, I thought maybe rosenburg would accompany me and bring down the hotel costs and provide a little backup in case of emergency.

By Friday at 3, I had changed my trip 180 degrees. Id leave at 10 for Gabes by train and return via the train from tozeur, …and would travel alone.

Work departure depends on the current frequency of the bosses’ brainwaves, thus when he wasn’t around at 6:00 and 0 seconds I made a break for it. He called two minutes later and my excuse of already being at the train station seemed to suffice.

7.30 pm Friday, My bags are packed and I’m leaving for downtown to pick up some cash from an ATM and a quick bite to eat. I should arrive for the train at least 1.5 hours early to get a seat for the long ride ahead. As I had been to three doctors for a bum foot and had a cold and didn’t feel the need to overexert myself, I wanted to make sure to leave extra early in case I couldn’t find a cab.

7.45 First bank machine fails, okay, nothing extraordinaire; this machine has been out of cash before.

8.50 I’m on my fifth bank machine. Maybe RBC has cut down my card because I’ve been using it in a foreign country. Maybe I need to use Visa, but have learned that you need a pin to use visa and RBC avion visa doesn’t come with a pin. I’ve been breaking into light jogs. My nose is running faster than the mucus I wipe on my sleeve will dry. And my run is a mere fast limp. Charla labis I say, Tunisian for god willing it will be okay. I know I have 40 dinars and ill pass over that on the trains alone. There’s no way I can leave for the south with no money, a bum leg and a cold. Just not smart.

I’m about to try the last atm on the main drag. I’m outside hotel Africa, one of the ritziest hotels on the boulevard so I should be safe to discuss finances on the phone. I hear broken tunisien English nearly pleading with a much better English. I turn to see, one of the cronies that has hassled me before talking to a well dressed well spoken English man at an atm. Great I think

I check the funds on my phone 5.00dinar left, and 1.00dinar a minute to Canada to call RBC. Dreading the thought of spending 4 minutes navigating automatic menus and being on hold I dial the number. First contact with a human I’m disconnected after ten seconds. Second call I don’t even make it to a human. 2.45dinar left on phone. This is terribly ironic; I’m passing all my money at my last hope of getting money for the trip.

Third call I get a human, I explain my situation he asks me where I am and asks for some information, but I can’t distinguish what he says.

Horns everywhere people chattering I say “what? “

“Your password sir?”

I start coughing, something goes in the wrong tube and my eyes star watering just a freak coincidence but did nothing to bolster the confidence of Jason at RBC that I, Luke DeCoste, was legitimately in Tunisia having problems at my 6th atm. I get the word out and apologise for coughing. He tells me my account is fine, but he would like to check one last thing. I say fine, and hear “on hold” music for a few seconds “Beep Beep”

Phone goes dead, out of money.

Frantic I try the same atm closer to the train. Its the only one that had the actual “interact” symbol, not just the “visa” symbol. No luck.

Just then a man approaches me;
“ ah you are looking for money he says?”
("No shit surelock" I think as i walk away from ATM)

“Visa or master card?”

“Neither I say” showing him my bank card.

There’s one here ill show you he says and starts walking beside me. I assume he is just looking to help me to get a tip.

I hold up my hand and say “mish mush que” several times, Tunisian for its not serious. I.e. don’t worry about it buddy I don’t trust you leave me alone.

Making an offended, “okay”, he walks in the other direction. Possibly he sensed my frantic state and was legitimately trying to help. More likely he was one of Cardels long lost brothers looking to score a buck or two.

Walking in the direction he pointed, as I know rue de Holland will take me to the train station I say “frig it”. I have 40 dinars, 30 American dollars, I can do this. I’ll use my visa everywhere I can, and not eat much. I start thinking this all over. A cold, a limp, travelling more than ½ ways across a foreign country, alone, with no money.

I thought of all the people who possibly would miss me and how they would aggressively recommend, that I not do, what I was about to do, that is purchase the train ticket. Charla labis I say.

Check my watch, its 9.15. Not that I want to, but regardless, there is not enough time to run to my apartment and borrow money.


At that point, on my left the glowing orange sign “bianq” appears .
Last ones a charm I hope.
Insert card.
Enter pin,
look over shoulder,
watch screen,
look over shoulder.
With drawl,
chequing,
look over shoulder,
80 dinars,
look over shoulder while wiping nose,
look back to machine,
ATM reads please take card,

&@², No cash, . Taking out my card, starting to walk away, I hear the machine wheeling inside.

No I say in disbeleif, and return.

Yes I say in excitement , the machine winds for a second before opening up the door and spitting out 80 dinars in my face.

Charla labis I laugh, I grab the money stuff it in my pocket. And break into a light jog. At the train station, I try to buy a second class ticket, but the vendor says, deuxieme class, something something in Arabic, and I hear “melboul”. Tunisien for Crazy. Okay I think Premiere class and pass him 20.50 for a one way to Gabes.

After picking up some cheerio’s and yogurt at the convenience store at the station,I make my way to the lineup for the number 17 to Gabes. I’m at the back of the line, like hogs, we wait for the gait to open, wait for the train to arrive.

At 9.45 the train arrives. Many people have arrived, I am in the front 20 percent now.

The gate opens.

Like, Olympians, we are off. We rush for the train. Unfortunately; at the same time, people are rushing off the train. Switching my school bag to the front so no one can pick pocket I start to move like hell. I don’t even know what first class looks like. I keep pushing forward. A space opens, enter that, and then you’re face to face with a mean momma carrying bags as big as she is. Quick left, a group of well dressed people, Ah this has to be first class. People are coming out of the train; people are trying to get in. At this length of a train ride, no one wants to stand.

The people resemble what it would be like if you took two brooms and pushed the bristles into each other. Just a meshing mess, where no one is going anywhere fast. I see a man pushing his way through the crowd.

Following behind him, I contemplate grabbing on to his school bag to assure I can follow this human snow plough. “He” makes “our” way to a door that has a big 1 beside it. Perfect I think, however the door won’t open. He starts pushing, we start pushing together. Someone pulls from the inside, poof, the door opens. We scramble in, managing to get a window seat, and realising it even reclines I begin to relax. The shoes pop, money and cell goes in breast pocket, recline the seat, stick my ticket in the trim beside me so I wont be bothered by ticket man, throw my jacket over my face and start the path to a deep sleep.

(I had a few complaints when I left last time in the middle of a predicament, so I will leave in the middle of a deep sleep, but check back in a day or two for the real substance,

Best, Luke)