Bogota the Day After

Well I woke up today with a mixed bag of emotions.

The previous day I had received an email off my "friend".

Not a personal visit or a phone call, but an email, and even that was bad news as she said that she has come down with a mysterious illness that keeps her at home and away from telephones - but seems perfectly able to go online ( on the family computer in a different room from her bed ) several times a day.

Not surprisingly I did not believe a single word of the email, and it only steeled me on to further adventure today.

I also had not heard back from the airport so my luggage was still lost and I was entering day three of wearing the same clothes ... yeuck.

So the question I know face is ... after being tricked into visiting a foreign city where the people are friendly but speak a language you know less than the average 5 year old does, and your lost luggage has not turned up, what on earth do you do next?

One answer is to hide out in the hotel, drink and eat as much as possible, watch the football that seems to be on most channels most of the time and then head off home with your tail between your legs and vow never to be so stupid again. Its a possibility, but not that likely, knowing my high sense of adventure.

Another option is to hit the local bars, try to drink yourself into oblivion and chase a few of the local women whilst also trying not to get rolled whilst drunk the whole time in the hope that you can sober up in time to catch the plane home.

Alternatively, there are a variety of options open that require a whole heap on money could be to hire a bodyguard and a willing female escort for the remainder of the week and go out like it was your last week alive.

My choice ... is almost to carry on regardless.

I am still in a foreign country, still on holiday, still have my wallet intact with my credit cards and although it will eat into slightly more debt, I dont relish the option of staying in the same underwear and clothes for an entire week in a country where the weather is both hot, humid and during its rainy season.

So, I need to grab a map and leave behind my belongings in case of being mugged, then catch a taxi into the city centre where hopefully I can replace some of my lost travel supplies, pick up a few souveneirs for the folks back home, sample a haircut and possibly even a McDonalds if there is time and then get a taxi back to the hotel to pat myself on the back, before getting drunk while writing postcards and watching football, ha ha.

Keep my spirits up, that's the name of the game, I may be knocked back a bit, but I'm far from beaten and while there is still a breath left in me, fresh from reading a Clive Cussler NUMA adventure that is cram packed with larger that life heroes, I forget into the fray once more to try and carve out a little piece of personal glory that I may one day be able to bore my children and grandchildren with.