I had decided that since I didn't have any specific plans between Sheryl's departure and my last English Immersion program before heading home, I would visit Santiago de Compostela! I've always wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, but I'm not much of a hiker (or a walker - for miles upon miles)!! So, I decided to just visit and FEEL what it feels like to have the energy of all those pilgrims coming and going through the City. I had booked a nonrefundable hotel for 5 nights (note to self.... don't book nonrefundable options just to save a few dollars when traveling and ALWAYS expect the unexpected)!!
I was delighted when I returned and saw a bunch of suitcases and two people in front of the Panaderia that I had relaxed in not long before (but seemed like AGES earlier after all that wandering around the circle)!! Sure enough, they were waiting for the same driver and heading north to Spain!! Thinking the challenging part of my day was over now that I had found the other passengers (and assuming the driver would be arriving soon), I did what I do best.... tried to communicate with the other passengers!!
They were a nice, young couple who had recently arrived from Brazil and had the requisite amount of luggage for their 3-month stay (a LOT)!!! I was a bit worried how all of it would fit into the BlaBlaCar, but I assumed the driver would figure that out! They wanted to practice English but it was a struggle for them, so we communicated mostly with one-word English, occasional Spanish, and a bit of Google Translator. We waited for our driver and did our best to communicate, but the more time that passed the more we wondered where that driver was?!?!
I had been messaging him off and on that morning trying to figure out where exactly I was supposed to meet him, but I had only heard back from him once (with a confusing message about meeting him at the "bus station in the circle".... I blame Google Translator since I'm sure English wasn't his first language)!! I assumed he was stuck in traffic and couldn't text, but by the time he was 30 minutes late, we had all started to wonder what had happened (and I started to worry a bit what I would do if he didn't show up since I knew transportation was limited)?!?!
And then.... BAM!!!! Just like that, my day went from a fully organized, relaxing, planned day of travel to massive chaos when I received a message that said, "Complex situation. I don't wish to be paid." Wait.... What?!?! I sat there in shock and tried to translate for the other passengers, but I almost couldn't comprehend the message because it just came so UNEXPECTEDLY out of the blue!!!
My other experience with BlaBlaCar had been smooth as silk (other than having to wander in the dark to find the bus to downtown Malaga from the drop-off point.... oh - and worrying about whether or not there would be bathroom breaks since I had imbibed a bit in water, wine AND coffee at our "closure lunch" at the last English Immersion program), so I just figured this ride would be the same! But now it had been cancelled without a reason and there was no indication if he might be going later or....?!? So now what....?!?!
After doing a bit of research on possible options (just in case I had missed anything doing my earlier research.... and once again throwing out the 19-hour overnight bus idea that Google Maps was suggesting), I decided to follow the example of the Brazilian passengers and head straight to the bus/train station (just in case Google missed something)!! I couldn't really understand where they were going or what their plan was (all English speaking had gone out the window by this point), but I figured it would be easier for them to communicate and ask questions in Portuguese, and maybe I could just tag along.
Unfortunately, they had already ordered an Uber, and it was completely FULL once they got all their luggage in there, so I just said goodbye and hoped I'd figure it out without them!! I have to admit, I felt a little abandoned (but then again, we WERE strangers.... it just felt like we knew each other because we were all stuck/ let down by the driver together)! I think if we had been able to communicate, it probably would have been different, but with almost-zero English on their part - and ZERO Portuguese on my part (and a stressful timeline just in case there was a bus leaving soon), it probably seemed easier for them to take off by themselves and figure it out alone.
Fortunately, I wasn't left completely alone!! There was a local man waiting for the city bus in front of the Panaderia (turns out that's what the driver meant when he said "bus station" instead of "bus stop".... geesh!!!) who had been offering them information in Portuguese. I think he overheard their conversation about the BlaBlaCar not showing up, and it looked like he was trying to help by offering to show them how to take the city bus to the station (I think?!?!) I didn't understand a word of what he was saying, but fortunately I'm fairly literate in body language and charades, so I HOPED that was what he was saying!!
I assumed/ hoped maybe he knew something Google didn't, so after they hopped in their Uber without me, I sidled up to him and said "Santiago de Compostela?!?!" He smiled, nodded, indicated that I should follow him onto the just-arriving bus and seemed very happy that SOMEONE had taken him up on his offer of help!! He kept an eye on me on the bus and indicated when it was time to get off. With a few minutes to myself and finally catching my breath, I wondered if this was going to be another "follow the local stranger onto the bus even if it might be the wrong one" situation like Italy?!?!
I figured at least this time I had Google Maps to find my way back to where I started (or hopefully to the bus/train station where I might find some "magical bus" that wasn't anywhere online but might appear and get me there before evening so I wouldn't waste a night of my prepaid hotel.... a woman can hope, right?!?!)!! I felt close to tears wondering what I was going to do, but instead of crying I took a big breath and tried to accept the adventure that had been thrust upon me (and reminded myself that everything would turn out fine, just maybe not how I expected, but fine nonetheless)!!
After 10 or 15 minutes riding through the streets of Lisbon, he tapped me on the shoulder and indicated this was our stop. Sure enough, he got me to the closest bus station (whew!!), but after checking with the bus and train desks, I got the same info as I had found online.... Bummer!! I was tired, stressed, and knew my brain wasn't thinking as clearly as I needed it to in order to find the solution, when all of a sudden I remembered these quotes I read a couple years ago by Karen McCann (who writes about her travels - and whose words I really resonate with, especially when traveling).
I laughed and relaxed a bit when I remembered her quote, "Never chase a missed train, just get a pastry and wait for the next one (even if isn't until the next day)!! Finding a café and sinking your teeth into a warm, flaky pastry — or pursuing some other simple, pleasurable activity that enables you to be present in the moment — has a way of putting life back into proper perspective. Halfway through the pastry, you begin to wonder: Is your life really going to be that much worse because you missed that connection? You never know. You can’t count on keeping your cool every time your plans get turned upside down. But in an emergency, it’s hard to go wrong placing your faith in the healing power of pastry!!"
And there it was.... the wisdom of coffee and pastries to put me back in my right brain and stop me from obsessing about how the day had turned out to be a FAILURE instead of just a course correction to get me on a different path of my Journey!! As I sat there at the bus station sipping a cafe con leche and thinking about the quote about pastries and becoming Present, I decided to throw in the towel, give up on trying to find a solution that would get me there that night, and book a room nearby so I could catch the early bus the next morning! Hot, tired and watching my cellphone battery dip below 15%, I gave up trying to find my usual "best deal" because I didn't want to have to wait 4 or 5 hours before checking in, and I was DONE!!! I was ready for a cool bed to lay down and cry on (turns out the crying part wasn't necessary and the room was a bit hot, but I didn't care)!!
Soooo.... after wandering 10-15 minutes from the bus station (uphill, I might add!!), I gave in and booked a room with the front desk of the closest hotel (which I NEVER do because I can almost always get it cheaper online)!! I was so hot, exhausted and discomboobled by then that my brain had just stopped working!! I was ready for a nice cool shower (my face was unexpectedly but completely sunburned from all the "street wandering"!!!), and a bit of quiet time to process.
After some rest and getting things all booked for the 10-hour (daytime) bus ride on Tuesday, I relaxed and pondered what my "takeaway" might be from this experience?!? What was the lesson?!?! (Not that there HAS to be a lesson, but challenging situations always feel better to me if I've learned something from the experience!!) I pondered the PRACTICAL lessons like don't book a nonrefundable hotel room if you can help it, especially if you're depending on someone besides public transportation to get you there - AND BlaBlaCar may or may not be a good idea - AND sometimes it has to be okay NOT to get the best deal on a hotel if it means saving my sanity (and knowing when to give in and stop searching for the "best option")!!
Perhaps the bigger lesson for me, however, is just a reminder to stay in the Present Moment as much as possible (in life AND in travel), and do my best not to judge situations as "bad" but instead see the value of navigating the details of life AS the Journey!! Someone reminded me recently that perception is everything.... and unexpected or challenging situations can be perceived in many ways!! They can be perceived as "good" because they're easy, or "bad" because they're difficult.... Or they can be perceived as "good" because they are challenging and help us grow and become stronger!! This is one of the things I just love about travel.... it never fails to challenge me and realign my perceptions!!
I've probably quoted this other Karen McCann quote before, but it bears repeating to keep it fresh in my mind.... "Adventures are all about going beyond the boundaries of ordinary life - sometimes in ways that are NOT entirely comfortable. These uncomfortable times provide the contrast that makes the rest of the adventure so sweet!! They are by their very nature unpredictable, often arriving unexpectedly and involving lots of dizzying detours and course corrections."
It's funny because when I met up again with the Brazilian couple this morning waiting for the same bus, I thought I would feel a bit better knowing I hadn't missed out on some "better option" by not knowing the language and "being left behind" by them. But when I ran into them this morning, I had already come to a place of acceptance that the cancellation wasn't necessarily a BAD thing, just a course correction on my Journey!!
I've included a few pictures of my journey yesterday and today, and I will be sure to post more in the next day or two about my fun, wonderful adventures with Sheryl in Seville, Morocco, and Lisbon.....camels, sail boats, and carriage rides....oh MY!!! Until then, sending love and hugs to all who are with me on this Journey!!
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