THE ANSWER IS NO-OFFICIALLY

WEATHER: Hot and 37C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: I’m alive

BUMMER OF THE DAY: That I cried last night and now have bags under my eyes

WORD OF THE DAY:  NO

Good morning from the floor of Rosita. 

What a depressing night.  I have to say I really don’t remember too much.  But I do know that Mark had tentatively said that he had heard that the London office have said no to the credit for Zeme and I.  This then set off an avalanche of tears that turned into a flood and wouldn’t stop.  I really thought, after taking whatever cancellation fees they wanted to impose that it would be no skin off their nose to be able to transfer the left over cash to a credit for next year.  I was gutted and I hadn’t had a good cry since receiving Z’s news so with the alcohol mix and the news was just a recipe for disaster.

Mid-morning Mark came back with the official news – THE ANSWER IS NO.

Mark, Gray and Zac all seemed quite shocked that they have taken this stance, but I know they tried everything they could, but it is apparently an operational decision, that has come directly from the owner, a sucky one at that and I think they are being totally unreasonable.  I even mentioned a credit for any other Tucan tour; it doesn’t have to be the same one which was still a definite NO.  Fuckers and excuse the French.  I’d love to tell them to jam their tour up their arse, but that would get me know where and I would LOVE to say that I would never travel them again, but they have a great South American product and secondly I am coming back to the tour, so it serves no purpose to carry on like a pork chop.  I will just leave it as I am totally disappointed in their compassion, lack of understanding and not even a compromise is also upsetting.

In saying that I now need to put Plan C into play.  There is no internet connection at the camp site, so I walked to the hostel and emailed Beth for her to make a booking for me to Ethiopia after Rio Carnival and I will go and visit Zeme for 4 weeks before re-joining the group in Manaus in the middle of March.  I had also checked with Mark on what I would exactly be missing on the 5 night Amazon cruise from Belem to Manaus and he said not much really, as you are just on a boat for 5 nights sleeping in a hammock.  I will still get an opportunity to experience the Amazon after my return to the tour when we actually head into the Amazon jungle for a 4 night stay after Manaus, so I am happy to miss the boat to get an additional 5 nights with Zeme.  A week after checking the cost of flights and today being Tuesday booking a flight for 7 days’ time I can imagine my 1600 flight will now be gone.  I am now past the point of no return and let’s just hope the cost hasn’t gone up too much.

So with the ball now rolling and I now have a plan that I can work to, even though it wasn’t the result I was after, I feel better now that I can work things out and get myself sorted.  Firstly I also had to make sure that Zeme could get the time off work for the time I was there, I had to go through all my things and as I was now returning getting all my stuff sorted and posted was not such a big priority now as I could leave some stuff on the truck in my absence.  I looked like shit when I went for my shower this morning, like I had been crying all night, oh that’s right I had and to have everyone checking up on me this morning was really sweet and their concern on my plans now, it is nice to see that when you do need shoulders to cry on literally that people are there for you.

So with all that sorted this morning, I needed to take this battered and hung-over body for some chill time.  It is SO HOT and the humidity is just oppressive.  So I packed a book, my towel and some water and crossed the road to pull up some shade and just chillax and try to forget my dramas for the afternoon.  The beach from the camp site is not that great and the water is warm and has some floaty things in it, but the breeze that was coming off the water was just like a natural air conditioner and it was an amazing spot to read my book all afternoon.  The café hadn’t opened yet, so I was able to get some reflective time to myself, as Kate and the others had decided to walk into town and they were going to join me when they got back.  I had time to put things in perspective and I have my friends, my health, people who care for me and also Zeme waiting for me in Addis, hell things could be a whole lot worse.  Shelly keeps me updated with things back home and people have bigger problems than me not having my boyfriend turn up for a tour.  We are talking deaths and suicides, so when I think about things like that, I need to take a step back and it makes me appreciate what I DO have and to be thankful.  I am now going to turn that frown upside down and I will still be seeing Zeme in 9 sleeps.  Now that does bring a smile to my dial.

The other 2 trucks are having a massive clean-up today in preparation of new tours starting in Rio and we have been told we will be doing the same thing tomorrow. They all look hot and sweaty and we are all dreading it tomorrow-ugh. 

So that was my day after the Party in Paraty and the Answer is NO. 

I also have a HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to Zeme – thinking of you baby and can’t wait to see you in 9 sleeps.