It was a beautiful sunny day averaging 16 °C with a good breeze. The scheduled cruise along Paraná River sounded good. Our associates here had assured us that it would be a very stable boat with shelter. I was extremely skeptical. From what I've seen of LatAm's work styles, it probably wouldn't quite turn out like that. The river is like the Mekong, not exactly placid at certain times of the year. But everyone else was enthusiastic, so I went along.
I was not pleased when I heard from the others that the guide had told them that there would be a mid-point break where we would hop off at an island for tea, and we needn't bring anything except for mosquito repellent because the mosquitoes there were bigger than what we would have experienced. WTF. I choked on that. I was seriously ready to slap the guide and tell her it was NOT the least bit funny. If you know there're mosquitoes, what stupid logic in the world makes you think it's okay to stop us there FOR TEA, and for us to feed the mosquitoes?!!!!! Damn cheeee-byeee lor.
When we got to the mosquito-infested pier (what's new?), there was a little speedboat waiting for us. I was still calm at that point. I thought it was the transfer boat to a bigger yacht. But I scanned the horizon, and there was no pretty yacht in the distance. After some frank and brusque questioning, to a gasp of collective horror, we realized that tiny little speedboat was IT. It was meant to be THE boat to seat 20 people huddled together for the next 4 hours along the river.
That speedboat is not meant to take more than 5 people. Our sheer weight would capsize the boat if anyone shifted their asses during the ride. The boatman said he had 5 life vests. 5. There was no first aid kit or medication tailored for sea injuries, no drinking water prepared, no shelter from the blazing sun, nothing. What in the fuck are these people thinking? I wanted to murder the organizers. It isn't just a mortal insult to common sense and intelligence. It's this heck-care attitude to safety that's so friggin typical of LatAm. You can send us a security detail to follow us all day and you think it's fine and dandy to squeeze us into 1 tiny boat? And, do we look like friggin refugees?!
I stared at the boatman and the tour guide, and threw a royal fit. I.was.not.getting.into.the.fucking.boat. If anyone else would like a taste of drowning in the murky Paraná River, they were more than welcome to do so. Before I could shriek any louder, someone told the guide that this had gotta be a really bad joke. We walked away from the pier and reorganized the schedule.
7 comments:
Come home already, will ya!
good for you. they need to be shrieked at. i would have hollered my banshee scream too.
hahaha! I'm used to this already.. squeezing into a little speedboat. That's how I used to travel home from the airport every school holiday! Two whole hours in the open sea, and during year-end, when the seas are very rough no less. It was very very scary. I don't know how I survived all that. :D
yes! agree with tuti. good for all of you to call off the deal.
eveeleva: in another week. :(
tuti + sinlady: we have to.
jomel: normal trips easy peasy, if it's a sightseeing thing. but on this trip, it's a big no-no. in fact, it's quite an insult.
Imagine if someone got seasick on that boat. Eww!!!
~5-Cat Style
5-Cat Style: Oh man, that too. But I think someone will fall out of the boat first!
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