a trip from Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany
to Lethem, Guyana, South America
by way of Georgetown and just read on.




chapter_01

- Between Order and Chaos -

Trip from Saarbrücken to Lethem.

It's started. The train. I took the streetcar for the first time in Saarbrücken. Not my first streetcar but the first time I used the Saarbrücken streetcar.

Now the train has pulled out of Saarbrücken. The milk run we'd call it if it were a bus in Canada.

But it's the train and it is just a short run to Kaiserslauten where Ernst will pick me up and we continue on to Frankfurt.

We are both nervous, excited and somewhat out of our heads about the whole thing. But we have great expectations and know that the decision has been made and there is no turning back. Like jumping out of the plane years ago. The decision was made to do it and when we were up in the sky, there was nothing to do but jump.

And it was beautiful like I expect our trip will turn out to be. A few people have told us we are mad to go down to a land where electricity is a new discovery but -

The ticket man. He's talking to someone about tickets. That's what a ticket man does. He does it well. He knows his job and seems to be a friend of the people. Saarland is quite friendly. I'm sure where we are going is similar. Just watch for drug runners and mosquitoes. They tell us.

There's an older couple on the train. The man is relaxed and has no worries; the woman is on the lookout for problems. She wants attention. She wants to hear herself.

I will sign off until there is something to write about.

_bunnie stop_

Well, it's time for bed. Ernst is trying to make an alarm work, otherwise we sleep through our flight. Found one on my bed. A classic made in Taiwan.

We went for a pie at Ernst's favourite bar in Frankfurt. Our waitress was an animated Italian sex queen. Entertainment even as she walked.

Alas, we chatted about other adventures, mostly Ernst and his near death events. And tomorrow will be a hard one so forget Frankfurt, we'll pick up again over the Atlantic.

_bunnie stop_

It was nearly another ticket; it will be more when you add return trip, for the extra kilos. So much shit to drag around the country. I was just wondering if it will be much different when we have space ports instead or as well as airports. The band comes back from space station E46Barora and their friends are there to pick them up in their flying car and other than the destinations, it will still be rolling luggage around, giving money to the airlines, spacelines and people from every land and every space station walking over the same floor. Exchange booths might disappear but the café and McDonald's will likely be around.

As for the update, it was 893 marks for a one way ticket for Ernst's Gepack. Slept maybe 3 hours. Had amazing dreams.

There was a man and a woman who were somehow different, dangerous and almost impossible to track down. Sometimes you saw where they had been or a shadow, sometimes; I think if they didn't feel threatened, you might catch a glimpse of them in the bushes before they jumped over a stone wall and disappeared again.

I had to go down in a fenced off area to sleep. I wasn't being put in jail or held against my will but the kids there weren't likely to leave.

I think I know where this comes from.

They weren't dangerous but they weren't sure if they liked me being there. We talked and I told them about the outside world. When one of them said let's go to Scotland and stay in a hotel and fuck.

No. Ernst is here now.

_bunnie stop_


That's the last bit of Europe out the window there. Next stop, St. Lucia, then Trinidad, then Georgetown.

At Heathrow airport I had to be a little like my dad and talk to everyone that would talk. They all spoke English as their native language. Nothing completely new. Tim & Toby speak the language but talking to strangers in English was fun. The next 4 weeks, all the strangers will speak English. Except maybe the Wai Wai Indians.

Oh, look, some more coast. Bloody hell, here we go.

Talked to Frieda for a half an hour in the lounge at Heathrow. That was after sending a couple e-mails from a free info connection. Germany is so far behind in Internet. Frieda was telling me about her son who had a Web site. He was in the army till he was 40.

She has a grand daughter who is a model and Frieda thinks we should shoot a documentary in Jamaica; that's where she comes from. She lives in Miami with all the Cubans.

We're going up hill again.

It's always sunny above the clouds.

_bunnie stop_

As we listen to children singing propaganda songs for the celebration of the anniversary of Trinidad, god bless our country, we wait a few hours for our flight to Georgetown. It's a different world in the Caribbean than in Germany.

Funny nobody wants the TV on but it is blaring away as if it's some great new discovery. And it's not a very good reception. I can't see the screen so I have no worries about seeing it.

They like to be very official here. We landed in St. Lucia and were ordered to stay in our seats. We are locked in this room like prisoners. Perhaps for our own protection by the sound of some of the advice the kids are getting on TV.

I'm tempted to get a drink. Maybe I see if I can negotiate with American dollars.

Wait.

_bunnie stop_

The old English fellow wants to go on the earlier flight. But no go. He's a little drunk already. He was drinking a little; it's his hobby. I have a feeling I'll hear from him soon.

Oh, the air has gone out; I forgot what mattered here. It's no problem really. Everything will be fine. I might shut my eyes.

_bunnie stop_

There are some awful hot women in this country. Trinidad and Tobago is going full out with tourism. New hotels, renovating hotels, making hotels bigger. They understand the money in it. Sounds like a nice place to invest as well. Thing -

The woman is going off again. People just talk when they have something to say. Fair enough.

Funny, we aren't really to where we are going yet and everything is slowed down to Caribbean mode. Ernst already wants to stay and he's only seen a bit out the plane or the airport. I've been in 3 soon 4 countries I've never been to before. Couple hours London, St. Lucia. Oh, Olympics. I go see a little.

_bunnie stop_


taken from:
a trip from saarbrücken to lethem
by john rah

go to number two



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