Day 1 (650 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 0.5 on 4 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Will Gittoes <willgittoes.at.slingshot.co.nz> (View user info) at 2004-06-08 01:11:27 EDT
I must explain, last year I went on a month-long expedition to the South American country of Argentina. I plan to type up (and spell check) my diary of my incredible time there, and maybe publish it so that maybe I will inspire someone else to visit that beautiful place.
If I do this, I will have a foreward explaining this, so people are not confused. Please, any constructive criticism would be most helpful, I will add descriptions of the other team members to this, at a later date. Without further ado...
Day 1 26/27th June 2003
The muffled roar of the engines echoes the mood of the dim interior lighting. Outside; bright patches of light smear the otherwise uniform fudge of dark. The darkness outside of the windows makes the Boeing 747 seem more like a ship, adrift on a black sea of clam, than an aeroplane. The mottled lights of the cities below, ugly yellow rashes and welts on the dark, they are the other ships afloat on this lacklustre sea; their sails burning yellow and white as they slide through the night.
It is half past 4 in the morning, Argentinian time, and most of the passengers are silent, or talking in low voices, the words relax themselves into a soft babble of foreign tounges. In about two hours and 15 minutes, we will land in Buenos Aires, and this detached otherworld will be shattered with a blast of bustle as we arrive disoriented in a strange place.
~
We'd negotiated Heathrow airport and Madrid without problems. After checking in, we all ran around the shops spending the last of our English Pounds like they were going out of fashion. Not that fashion was a great concern of the team, I was wearing a Hawaiian shit, pilfered from the accompanying teacher, Mr Day, and a few others were also going for the tourist look.
I bought myself a gigantarian 400g bar of chocolate and 4 disposable cameras, a hurried burst of maths meaning I could take 4 photos a day, however I had no doubt that the chocolate wouldn't come in 15g bites each day. There was much confusion in the Dixon's where I was buying my camera, as concerned what special offers I could take advantage of, the staff were unusually enthusiastic for airport staff; so I waited until I thought the price was as low as I could get, £8 off, and forced a payment upon them and left hurriedly.
We were on the only plane to Madrid for a few hours, and were kept amused with various games of cards, food and the infamous 'Bop It' game. 'Bop It' needs some explaining, it is a battery-operated game where you are shouted commands which require you to manoeuvre various levers, wheels and handles, before the next command is shouted out; all to a catchy drum-beat. You can 'twist it!', 'pull it!', 'flick it!', 'spin it!' and 'bop it!'. The game quickly became very popular with us, and I'm sure very unpopular with the other passengers.
While we waited in Madrid airport for out flight with Iberia airlines ('El Cheapo airlines!') to Buenos Aires, we played some more bop it, and cards. We also drew much amusement from listing to ever frantic requests over the P.A. for someone to board their flight, which eventually left just as an untidy old woman, the kind who'd live alone in a house with 20 cats, approached us and asked where her gate was. She didn't seem to register our response and waddled off, muttering.
We boarded a plane much bigger than the previous one, and a moustached Spaniard was sitting in my seat; not yet being able to speak Spanish, I gestured to my ticket, eliciting a sour look and an eventual movement.
We played more cards, and ate another of the meals El-Cheapo airlines offered us; soggy fried chicken and rice, and even soggier pâté.
I tried to get some sleep, but I've never been a heavy sleeper and I can never sleep sitting up anyway. Instead, Pugh (Tom Pugh), Olly (Oliver Klinkenburg) and I ended up watching 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days', which wasn't too bad for a Chick Flick; but it did take me 5 minutes to notice that Olly had switched my headphone channel to Spanish, so I mustn't have been all that engaged.
Olly, on my left, is about average height with a rounded, young face and a longish flop of mousey brown hair. His big, ever-present grin reveals a phalanx of braces and brings a twinkle to his bright eyes. His body is habitually slouched, as is often his mind; in a world of cartoons and bright colours, but he was often one of the saner team members with his ability to withdraw.
Tom, to the left of Olly, looks quite similar. His hair is longer, and looks a little less frequently washed. His face is more rounded, and permanently flushed as if from exertion. His body slouches to the point where it seems as if he was a model of wax that got caught in a fire, and although saved from the fames in time for any serious damage to be done, was never quite the same, it brings down his considerable height to something more average.
It shouldn't be much longer than an hour until we land in Argentina, and the main lights have just come on again; dispelling the wild images of the night and replacing the windowed images with a hazy reflection of the inside of the plane. It's just a plane, stale air, harsh lights and unfamiliar faces.
User Reviews
Submitted by Durae (user info) at 2004-07-05 03:39:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I like your choice of words and subtle sense of humor.
Submitted by Oleannder (user info) at 2004-06-08 15:43:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Sorry..... it has that 'I'm tring' feel to it. I just was not grabbed..... maybe Day 2 will be better.
Submitted by Theory_Eyed (user info) at 2004-06-08 03:33:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
the picture was too big and it made it hard to read the text.
ive got a very simular view as that starting from my back yard.
Submitted by AlwaysAnEagle (user info) at 2004-06-08 02:36:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
You were wearing a Hawaiian shit? Why?
Interesting, Buenos Aires is fun. Cool picture.