To Yemen via Bolivia in Paris
Trip Start
May 01, 2008
1
19
92
Trip End
Ongoing
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Friday, December 5, 2008
As the trip was coming up, I was feeling just like if I was going to visit a plant nearby, except that I would have to take the plane to get there. Strange how your estimation of proximity can be altered. I guess that the more you look forward or on the contrary dread a place, a trip, an experience, the further it seems. On this occasion I was happy to go, both because I was going to travel and because it was professionally exciting. But on the other hand I knew in advance what it meant to be far from everything on a shitty construction yard... I guessed these mixed feelings evened out, and so I was taking it very calmly.
I had a beautiful stopover in Paris, where I met up with a Bolivian friend who had been around France lecturing about Evo-lution (Morales). We were a small crew of Bolivian-French-Spanish, talking castellano in a small pub under a creperie, and there was a jam session by 8 musicians playing folk Irish music. Some even tried to learn Irish dances, to the dismay of a poor teacher who longed for having her beer in peace. Great moments. Rendez-vous were taken in Paris, Barcelona, Madrid and La Paz, and everyone headed back to wherever they temporarily belonged...
After a day of work in Paris and a short night, I headed to the airport to meet up with my boss. We were an audit team of ten people flying together. We met in the Business class lounge... strange, never had been in such a place. Free croissants and coffee, full breakfast too for those who wished, and a dozen of bottles of alcohol, available in the early morning, as we all know that there is a proportion of people flying business class who need a regular shot of gin or whiskey. And did I mention that with a business class ticket you skip the whole security check queue? Not very healthy... I did skip the queue, of course.
Felt asleep on Paris grey tarmac, remember staring for some time at the snowy Alps from above, woke up under Rome blue sky. Italians everywhere, I had never seen so many of them. Some taxi touts and misleading directions that made me walk all around the airport to find a photo box, reminded me of some other latin countries...and that's all I saw of Rome. Great.
Then it was a 6 hours flight to Sana'a.
