Some people think that they like new places and adventure, that is -- until they are confronted with unexpected adventure in new places, then they suddenly realize that --hey, this can get dangerous! and get me out of here!
Unfortunately, that's what happened to me and two friends, as we toured this typical island in the Caribbean. We had booked a package deal, which included a guy picking us up from, and taking us back to -- the airport. The trip from the airport to the resort went fine, no problem. It was the trip from the hotel back to the airport that proved to be challenging.
The driver that was sent to pick us up, was driving this small shuttle bus, with heavily tinted windows, and very nicely air-conditioned. When I asked why the windows were so heavily tinted, the driver explained that it was so that people couldn't see that we were tourists, what with all the luggage, it was for our own protection. My two friends were totally oblivious, all they wanted was to have fun and enjoy this tropical paradise.
We spent the week really enjoying ourselves at the resort, and too soon -- it was time to leave. So we packed our luggage, and the same driver came to take us back to the airport. He liked us, and asked if he could take us on a different route, through the mountains, so that we could enjoy the natural beauty of the island. Naturally we liked the idea and quickly agreed to this. And I must admit, the scenery we were driving by was breathtaking, so we told ourselves that this was a great idea. That is, until all hell broke loose.
As we were making our way down the mountainside, we were driving on this winding, dirt road, when all of a sudden this young man shouts to the driver -- be careful! don't go down this road, go back! Our driver just thought this was nothing, and we keep going. When suddenly -- as we get to an intersection -- we see a huge pile of tires that had been soaked with gasoline and turned into a bonfire. Around this, several young men, their faces covered with handkerchiefs, were firing rifles into the air and telling everyone turn back! you can't go through here!
Our driver quickly assessed that this was a dangerous situation and made a u-turn to get the hell out of there. As he's driving away from this, he yells at me to ask this woman on the street what the heck is going on, and how do we get out of here, as those hooligans were blocking the main road. She pointed us to a back alley, which we, along with many other drivers got onto.
We thought -- thank goodness, we were almost in the clear -- but then...disaster! just as we were almost out, there was just one truck ahead of us...when this pack of young men, armed with rifles got in front of the truck and told the driver to get out! Now this man was carrying assorted junk metal parts, and asked them what did they want from him. They told him to offload all the metal and get out of the truck. Now, my driver looked at us (me and my two friends) and tells me -- if they see that you're tourists -- it's bad news, let me try to reason with them, as we were next on line, and he certainly didn't want these people to see us. He tells my two very-foreign-looking friends to stay way back so that they couldn't be seen.
Look my friend, he tells the apparent leader, I'm a poor working man like yourself, trying to make a living bringing this passenger to church. I support your cause, my brother...but he wasn't selling it. And we looked at each other, oh no, what next? Then--as if by divine intervention -- this old man came out of nowhere and started chastising the young punks -- what the hell are you people doing?! Put down those guns! Have you no respect for the law?! This stunned the rowdies, and left them momentarily speechless. At this, the old man told us-- get the heck out of here, before they realize I'm just a powerless old man.
He didn't have to say that twice, our driver sped off as fast as we could, out of that messy situation. Now, I must mention, I was really thrilled by the whole situation--here I was living something you only see in the news or a movie. Not so my two friends-- they were shaking, and once we were safely at the airport, pledged to never, ever! revisit this forsaken island, for as long as they lived! Mind you, this was coming from two guys who were mister-I'm-so-tough back home. But that, when cold reality came to them, proved that they were just all words and no substance.
