This morning I used to be awoken by a knock at my condominium door.
“Howdy?” I known as.
The deal with on the door turned and I known as once more. “Howdy?!”
The deal with creaked and the door slid open.
“What the heck!?” I assumed to myself as I jumped from the mattress, nonetheless in my sleeping bag.
The blond haired girl who helps out across the condominium constructing got here into my room and behind her shortly adopted the mail man. My hair was a multitude, I had drool plastered to the facet of my face, and I barely knew the place I used to be. I attempted to cowl my face with my palms, nevertheless it wasn’t doing a lot good.
I felt like I used to be in a conflict film. The mail man got here dashing in, as if he had been a police officer about to make an arrest and shoved a bundle in my face.
“You ist Dareb Elif? He requested.
“Sure, I’m TOURING-BICYCLE.”
He shoved a paper in entrance of me and advised me to signal.
I wriggled my hand free from my sleeping bag and jotted my title down on the paper. He handed me a cumbersome envelope, which contained a guide despatched to me from a writer within the UK. I used to be anticipating the bundle, as a result of the envelope contained a guide which I’ve been requested to learn and evaluation right here on BicycleTouringPro.com.
Then the postman mentioned, “You could have different field. At vacationer workplace. You should get it.”
“Okay?” I mumbled… and the postman and his blond haired confederate ran from the room.
“Crap” I assumed. “That was embarrassing! What the heck! Did I depart the door open? Or have they got one other key?”
I received off the bed after that. I used to be virtually shaking from the incident. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been woken up like that.
I received off the bed, took a bathe, dressed after which headed out within the rain to stroll one mile all the way down to the vacationer workplace the place the person advised me to select up my different bundle.
By now it was simply after 10 AM and it was completely pouring rain. The mile-long stroll alongside the coast of the ocean meant I wasn’t simply getting hit from rain falling from up above, but additionally from water blowing in sideways off the ocean. By the point I reached the vacationer workplace I used to be utterly soaked. Water was dripping from each a part of me.
I stepped contained in the workplace and located the lady behind the desk speaking in Croatian with an outdated man sitting in a chair in entrance of her. Was he a vacationer? Or was he simply in there, hanging out with the lady as she pretended to do her work? Neither of them acknowledged me as I entered.
After a minute or two, I sat down in one of many close by chairs and solely then did the lady search for at me and nod her head – silently asking “What would you like?”
“Hello!” I mentioned smiling. “The mail man advised me to return down right here and choose up a bundle?”
I handed her the shape the mail man had given me.
She checked out it for a second and mentioned, “This isn’t submit workplace!” and handed the paper again to me.
She pointed outdoors and to the left, directing me the place to go.
“Thanks” I mentioned.
I assumed it was unusual that the postman would depart a bundle for me within the vacationer workplace, however it is a small city and I’ve encountered stranger issues on my travels.
So I left the vacationer workplace and walked a couple of hundred meters down the coast to the small, one room submit workplace positioned simply throughout from the harbor.
Inside, there have been three ladies behind the counter, however solely considered one of them was with a buyer. The opposite two simply sat there, speaking idly forwards and backwards.
I stepped as much as one of many empty counters, anticipating the lady behind the glass to show and assist me, however she didn’t even budge and continued her dialog with the opposite girl.
I seemed round to see if there was an indication telling me that this was some particular line only for individuals needing a passport or stamps or different such factor, however there was no such signal. So I simply waited till the one girl who was really working completed with the feminine buyer in entrance of me.
When the lady left a minute or two later, I stepped as much as the counter, slipped the gal behind the glass my paperwork and didn’t say a phrase.
She motioned for my identification and I handed her my moist passport, which I had been carrying in my jacket pocket.
After the passport met her approval, she bumped into an adjoining closet and introduced out a small brown field, carrying it as thought it weighed 100 kilos, and plopped it down in entrance of me.
“Thanks” I mentioned, as I picked up the field (which was not practically as heavy as she made it out to be) and walked out the door, again into the rain.
By now it was dumping. Close to hurricane kind climate. Waves had been crashing on the shore and the water was falling from the sky at a forty five% angle.
I ran as shortly as I might again to my condominium on the opposite facet of city. The field was getting drenched as I ran, and by the point I arrived, the cardboard was beginning to break aside and fall to the bottom. However I did ultimately make it… and the field remained intact!
The bundle was from my pal, Leslie.
Leslie had come to go to me earlier this yr once I was in Switzerland and we had spent a very good ten days or so touring across the nation on the prepare and by foot.
Contained in the bundle, Leslie had packaged a few of my favourite treats. Cliff bars, cookies, peanut butter, beans and tortillas, and even some magazines and a guide.
I used to be utterly drenched, nonetheless a bit shocked after my startling morning get up, and barely saddened by this flip in climate, however boy was I glad to have this little style of residence.
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