Trying to come to grips with a darker period
This last week has been by far the toughest week of my travels.
> Two weeks ago in La Paz, I met a 20 year old girl English Girl who was in Bolivia to volunteer at an orphanage. I found out last week from my friends Leah and Jess that this girl went to the Al Alto market (the same gigantic market that I wrote about a few weeks ago), and was raped. She had a knife put to her throat. Every day in La Paz there are many protests. Apparently, she went alone (which is highly unadvisable), and found herself in the middle of a protest. A guy that she thought was trying to help her find an alternative route into the market committed an unspeakable act. I hope he burns in hell.
> Two days ago, a tourist bus coming back to Sucre (I am in Sucre) from a local market collided head first with a taxi. The bus flipped over. Last night I met an English guy who was traveling in a bus which was the first to reach the accident. He said that it was an scene from a horror movie. A 20 year old Canadian girl died instantly, she was sitting next to her boyfriend. He did not have a scratch on his body. Two Bolivians in the taxicab also died. Apparently the taxi driver was also 20 years old. Four tourists ended up with serious injuries and were rushed off to a local hospital. Apparently, the bus driver was asked repeatedly to slow down. He was driving like a complete madman. At the scene of the accident he was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he fled the scene on foot. Last night the crew that I have been hanging out with in Sucre stood around stunned in disbelief. It could have been any one of us.
> One of my closest friends in the world and fraternity brothers lives in South Beach, Miami. He has been planning to move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Last weekend, while working at the front desk of a hotel, he was robbed and beaten with a bat. He did not see his attackers. They blindsided him and hit him four times in the head. He came within an inch of his life. After tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and days in the hospital, the doctors think he will be OK. It does not look like he will have any permanent brain damage, or lasting injuries. I have spoken to him twice this week. I have never been so glad to talk to one of my friends. His primary assailant was caught by the Miami Police and is being charged with attempted murder. The entire scene was caught on the hotel video camera. This guy is going to jail for a very, very long time.
> Last week, after hanging for a few hours at the bar with a very cool Ecuadorian guy named Franklin, I was robbed. We were drinking Red Bull. I do not remember where I was or how I got home. All I remember is a Local Bolivian women with gold teeth (All of the indigenous women have gold teeth). I have not blacked out in almost five months of traveling, and can hold my alcohol. I do not know what happened and I am extremely angry at myself for being so stupid. She took my watch and my wallet. I did not have any credit cards. It was not violent. I am lucky, and an idiot. I have also learned a valuable lesson.
> I met a Czech guy the other night that has been living in New York for the last 6 years. Last week he got into a cab in La Paz, and was kidnapped. There was a van behind him with four other guys in it. The Taxi driver took him in the opposite direction to where he wanted to go. He fought briefly, but eventually gave in. The kidnappers held him for 8 hours, took his credit cards and pin numbers, and stole $2000 US dollars. He pretended to have a seizure around 4am in the morning, and the kidnappers let him go. He ended up shaken, but luckily without a scratch.
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I am not sure what the hell is going on. I have been coasting along for 5 months without anything bad happening. This serious of incidents here and back home is scary, and absurd. Bolivia has been my favorite country by far in South America. Its beautiful, and so different. The people here are very, very poor. Undoubtedly, the theft and muggings have a direct correlation with the poverty here. I have learned a ton about Bolivian politics in my 45 days here. I plan on writing about the political madness here in the upcoming weeks, before I leave the country. I think I have about two weeks left in Bolivia.
By and large, I have felt very, very safe here. I have also found 90 percent of the locals I have met to be very warm, and very friendly.
Furthermore, I am not exaggerating anything. All of these reports are first hand accounts. Currently, I am just trying to make sense of everything. Things like this happen everywhere, not just in Bolivia. I am very shaken about what happened to my friend in Miami, and am so happy that he is OK.
One thing I know for sure is that I have never been so grateful for my life. I am extremely grateful to be alive, healthy, and traveling the world. I am grateful for my many friends back home, my many new friends I have met on the road, and my family.
I am hoping to never have to write another post like this. But, as I said in my post a few weeks ago, I will be reporting everything in the future.
Ayahuasca part two is coming this week, followed by many more happy posts, with pictures of me smiling.
Go find someone you love, give them a big hug and kiss, and tell them that you love them. Life is way too short, and way too unpredictable. Miami Beach is not as far away from Bolivia as you might think.
I have to go to a 4 hour Spanish class now.
- May 29th
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Wow Dave. The comment I posted for you on Monday makes even more sense today after reading your latest blog.
Roger Waters has said he’s always questioned “if the human race is capable of being humane”. Seems his question can sadly be answered with a resounding “NO!”. What a pity people chose to use their time on this planet for such negative choices and acts.
And speaking of Roger Waters, a snippet from the lyrics of “Free Four” seem to correlate with the last paragraph in your blog about life being short and unpredictable:
“….Life is a short, warm moment
And death is a long cold rest. You get your chance to try
In the twinkling of an eye:
Eighty years, (with luck), or even less….”
Oh, and P.S., I’m pretty much the most non-violent person there is. I’ve never hit a person for real aside from that ol’ game of pointing to someone’s chest and saying “you-got-something-on-your-shirt”, then doinking them in the nose for fun.
But man I’ll tell you, after reading about this stuff that happened to you…your friend that got raped, your frat buddy that got assaulted, the wacko-sissy of a bus driver that fled the scene, the (several) people who robbed you, the jerks that kidnapped your Czech friend….all of it just makes my blood boil and makes me get this crazy tingling feeling in my hand that makes me want to ball it up into a fist and go all-out Jersey girl on one of them. But luckily after 35 years of being a non-violent person, I realize these stories just add to my appreciation to know people like you, who will always rise above and continue your life’s journey in a hopeful, peaceful way.
Peace & Pink Floyd to ya….
You’re a brilliant writer.
:)
Hey Jenn, ironically, one of the last concert i went to before leaving was Roger Waters at Nissan Pavillion.
I listened to Floyd for two straight years in College. 90 percent Floyd. Crazy.
Yeah, I am doing better, and I think all of this is behind me. I am loving Sucre.
Oh, and the Ecudorian guy did not rob me, it was the women with gold teeth…. I think.
Peace, thanks for the comment.
Intense, dude. Sorry to hear about your recent string of mediocre luck. Keep your head up; you’ve become a huge inspiration to me.
If you need to get out of South America for a minute, I’ll be in Croatia, England and Ireland for a few weeks at the end of June. Keep it real.
Dude…how bizarre. I was at that same Roger Waters concert at Nissan. September 23rd, right? What a great freakin’ show. I went with Coby, and we spent $250 a ticket for 10th row aisle seats. Saw every twinkle in Roger’s eye as he sang. Wish I woulda known you went…Coby & I tailgated alone in the parking lot with a lot of beers & no one to share them with. Woulda loved to hang out with you! Roger’s performance of “Leaving Beirut” was absolutely incredible….
Take care of yourself and keep up your amazing writing. I’m currently living vicariously through you. Your adventures & gung-ho attitude now makes my dream of living in the middle of the mountains on 45 acres of land in Montana a possible reality…..
oops…thought i saw a spelling error & deleted my post. here it is again…. :) :) :)
Really enjoying your writing, it’s improving steadily, allowing for a very vivid description of your travels and the people your with. I think we’ve talked before about the tao and it’s transcendance of good/evil, it seems you are finding this to be an important part of everything you see and do. Too often we try to compartmentalize our lives in black and white terms in order to make “sense” of things. Well you set out on a journey to learn as much as possible, unfortunately learning can be both exhillirating and painful. Looking forward to your return and some good conversation.
oh and one more thing, good idea to write a blog eh? :)
dave oh my god i just read the snoop bloggy there,that sounds like a horrific time for you and all the other people involved…take care of yourself you may be 10 foot tall but you still need to be careful pet!:)el presidente