Friday, 1st of September, 2017.
Before Zaragoza
Hitch-hiking in a toll can be tricky! People are so concern in get their ways, driving fast before someone honk in their backs, that they do not even look around. Not everyone. Some people and some passengers still look at you and of course I cannot avoid to think – What a hell are you looking at? Do you want to give me a ride? No? So get your ass out of here and stop staring!
And of course there is the “private” thing. Explaining better: in the beginning, I was in this small toll, with four cabins, and just one which was going in the direction to Zaragoza and the other three to Bilbao. Since my chances were obviously very low, I decided to move to the biggest toll, just a few metres further. I wrote Zaragoza in a cardboard but just two or three cabins, the nearest ones to me, would be able to read and maybe stop. In a few minutes, a worker dressed in a orange suit, come to me and says I could not stay in there. He says that because is a private place, they could see me from the cameras and sent him to tell me to move. It seems I could stay in the last spot, the small toll, but here is a private area.
I am going back by the motorway when he warns me I can go by inside the perimeter, should be safer. I am following him and a little bit concerned, of course, preparing myself to some another guy appearing from nowhere and jump on me when we get in the other spot.
At that moment, I am already preparing myself to get very late in Zaragoza, having to spend one more day over there if I want to know the city. It is when I see a small truck making a kind of dangerous move a few metres from me. I have not too much time to think how crazy the driver is because he stops for me. You will know what happen soon. However, be careful! It is kind of confuse…
The way to Zaragoza
I am already in Zaragoza, and want (maybe for the first time) to write while I am in the city I am visiting.
First of all: No sabes lo difícil que es escribir en Inglés después de pasar (solo) un día hablando Español.
My arrival here was a nightmare! As you already read (even though I haven’t written that yet), the point were I was trying hitchhiking was awful! Finally, when somebody stopped for me, he was going to San Sebastian, direction to Pamplona, which leads to Zaragoza, but we were going back in direction of Bilbao, and going more North. What I mean is: more time and road until get to Zaragoza.
The man who stopped did not write his name for me, so I will try and write here what I heard: Nhame. A very nice man, funny, who told me about his family and how he appreciate the life he has. He was working for a company which deliver some industry machines but sometimes he helps people who have trouble in the road. He confessed this part being his favourite because helping people makes him happy. So nice!
We spend some minutes looking for the correct place to delivery one crazy machine he has it in the truck. He is happy with my presence because another person could hear how crazy the coordinates given by the GPS are.
After we finally find the place and drop off the machine, he drops me off in a bus stop in the direction to Pamplona. The possibility of passing for Pamplona was concerning me for two reasons: I would pass for the city which I avoid going to be an Au Pair; and also I would not have the opportunity to warn Koro and her family, what it means I could not pass to say “Hi!”.
It starts to rain a little bit, and after a few minutes a guy called Joseph, who works in a Hospital, stops. Also a really nice guy! He tells me stopped because in the past he also used to hitchhike but only from one pueblo (village) to another. He was sixteen back then. We have a nice talk for the long way until a little bit further then Pamplona, and he drops me off some 88 Km from Zaragoza. The place is a bit hidden, write after a curve. Luckily, a nice guy stops and offer to drive me a bit further, into a better place. He tells me he likes watching the sky and that’s why he lives in the countryside.
Unfortunately, the place he drops me off is actually a gas station with not so many cars stopping by. When I start getting concerned about it, my prince appears: Argel (Chelin). Probably, (again) I’m writing his name wrong: sorry, honey! The thing is: he is so nice, funny (I really laughed with him), we have some things in common (both prefer the nature than beach), and of course after all of this, he looks cute and stylish as well: bearded, sunglasses, clothes, voice… He is married and has one child. And not for one moment I felt as he was trying something, no: He was just being super nice!
Unfortunately, he is going only to the entrance of Zaragoza, to sign some peppers at work, but he says that would come back in 15 minutes, when he finally would go home, in Zaragoza, and for sure he would take me in to centre. I was happy with the possibility of chatting with him again, and kind of hoping that no one would stop until he comes back. We say a brief goodbye because I guess we both were thinking that we would see each other again. I do not even get his contact… so sad…
It is when Jesus appears! Jesus is this sweetest guy too! He is not going to the centre but tells me everything I need to know. He stops in the bus stop, tells me which bus to take, where to get off, offers to pay for the bus, and (finally) tells me about the Municipal Housing where I could stay (because, apparently, it is forbidden to make wild camping in Spain). Before leaving, he gives me a hug, dos besos (two kisses in the cheeks), and a wish of good luck and very good feelings.
I take the bus and manage to get to the centre. There, I ask about how to get to Park Bruil, where the Municipal Housing is located.
I had no idea what was going to happen (as usual, I know).
10 Years Around the World 