The Visit - All Advantages Tossed to the Curb
The plan altered...
There are so many things I have planned to write about on my blog, but I wanted to make sure to finish up the pre and post stories related to the visitor that came to town. This and the last post having to do with a man of God, his stay, and all the planning I did to make his short time in this country fruitful and safe. He is visiting from another country and my communication with him was only by email and telegram up until last week . I laid out the plan I had for him last time on my blog. That was before ever meeting him face to face. At the time, there were some last minutes changes he had made just one day before his arrival.
Today I will let you know what actually happened last week. It seems that trust issues or internet searches made my knowledge of the terrain and advice void.
I was happy to tweak the plan and include places to see based on his wife's suggestions. She had all the top tourist attractions on her list. The apartment that I have, which is not in use, was cleaned and stocked full of food for the visitor and all items on her list of suggestions (sights to see) were all within a mile of the apartment that I had offered for free.
The day he was to arrive, his wife rented an Airbnb apartment and it was across town. I actually live just two miles from that Airbnb and I know the traffic woes of that particular area. It is nowhere near the highway that we would be using when it is time to take him to the airport and nowhere near where he is arriving, which is the international port.
He did not want to go sight seeing until the bags were safe at the apartment she had arranged. I agreed but the trip to that apartment and then back to the sights was an hour round trip on a Sunday morning. There is one item on the list that tends to have long lines at the door, so we stopped there to have something to eat before heading to the other side of the city. Avoiding long wait time was a good reason.
We stopped at a world famous cafe . I had planned to avoid that long line in my original plan and we got there early enough to avoid lines and were seated immediately. Then we were served and had the experience they were after. This was the only part of the home field advantage that was followed. The difference is that, had we followed the original plan, his baggage would have been in an apartment nearby and there would be nobody to meet and pay before breakfast.
As it is, internet planning (no home advantage) had the baggage stacked and very visible in my car. Risky if thieves were to break in and steal it. The car has an alarm but you never know. I assured him that this particular neighborhood has very little crime, especially on a Sunday. Still, I got up and checked on the car often during breakfast, popping my head out the door to see the car parked out front. By he time we left, there was a line outside and it was growing.
We passed by the church that we had planned to attend last Sunday on the way to the check in at his rented Airbnb apartment, got there, they checked him in but his bags were not able to be put in the room until other guests check out. Instead of having them under lock and key in my apartment, they were now with someone who likely overcharges tourists for a substandard apartment.
The neighborhood was technically within the boundaries of a popular neighborhood which tourist like to stay in, but it was not near any of the popular hot spots that people usually go to and then you may want to consider that there were impoverished citizens sleeping on the sidewalks outside of the Airbnb. I did not capture the poor souls - not appropriate.
After some time, we left and were on the road with no bags in the car, much safer. The plan to visit the church, but we missed attending it due to the distance and wait times to check in. We may have been able to go and meet the pastor of the local church but the service was ending and we still hd miles to drive to get there. I suggested we try to make it before everyone leaves but even if we were to find someone there, the famous preacher was not showered and changed, and therefore was not comfortable showing up just off the boat, so to speak.
We hit the next stop on the list. It is a famous stadium within a very old neighborhood just a few blocks from my extra apartment that he rejected and he did a video update for his fans on youtube. This is another sight that needs to be done early, not due to long lines but rather safety. It is known by locals as a place where many pick-pockets work their deeds. There was also a game scheduled to start in the early evening and violence can occur like the chaos that just occurred in Louisiana after the Superbowl ended in the USA. So we got to this item while it was still early.
Next on the list were the government's presidential house and the congressional buildings. We parked right near where we had parked for breakfast and saw the plaza and the place where the President spends a lot of time. I waited while he did an update video there, near the fountains and colonial buildings. Though we are not of the denomination, we went inside a grandiose Catholic Cathedral and I was surprised at how long he spent walking through it and taking photos. We actually got separated and had to use telegram to find each other.
Next we went to where the Congress makes laws and saw the statues in the plaza out front. Another video was made there, actually two videos. As we were walking away, we saw a couple of homeless people. One of them looked like Albert Einstein. I spoke to the pair in a language that the Pastor did not speak and he stood next to them and asked some questions. I am not sure how the men understood him or he them. I am guessing he will have someone put subtitles on this youtube video and it will all make sense when the video comes out.
There is a two-mile cobblestone street which was the last sight on the list. It is full of booths where people sell their arts and crafts. The weather was not such that we would walk the entire length but we did see some of it, along with a stop for smoothies and a snack.
From there we went to the apartment that I had offered and the Pastor got a nap and a shower. As it turns out, this was the only shower he was able to have all weekend. The one at the Airbnb only trickled - he was disappointed with that.
Back to Sunday's activities. I had taken the meat and side dishes down to the ground floor and started preparing for the evening's meal. There is a large area that one can reserve to have parties and cook for friends. The kids helped get the coals going and set the table. My family and some friends came to join us. I sent someone who is travelling with the Pastor to let him know that the food was in nearly done. He came down and we had some tie to think of something besides driving and filming. There was good company and great food. When all the guests left, I drove them back to the apartment they had across town. Sunday traffic was not much of a problem but it still took time to get them there and for me to get back to my place. I got home at midnight.
Monday
I was waiting for a call from him on Monday. We got a late start on the day because he had to check out and find a place for the baggage before we could go out and do anything. I worked on borrowing an SUV so that the people and baggage could ride comfortably on the long ride to the airport. My car did not do he job very well. Had we stayed at the tower (my extra apartment where we grilled the night before) we could have started sight seeing at 8:00 a.m.
He chose to have me pick them up first first and then change my car for the SUV. We did that and then were on the road with only three hours to see any other sights. He had chosen to go to a museum suggested by my son. We went and it was closed as most touristy places are on Mondays in this country.
We had lunch and then went back to get the baggage. As with most tourists, baggage (caring for it and its safety) usually decreases the amount of sight seeing one can do.
Monday traffic from the Airbnb was heavy. It was more like a parking lot on the way to the highway that goes to the airport. The apartment I had offered is three blocks from the on ramp and would have extended the time allowed for sight seeing. As it was, we waited in traffic and finally got on the highway after 30 minutes or so.
We got to the airport thirty minutes before they needed to be at the gate and we finally had some time to finally talk a bit rather than driving and checking / getting bags. He left one of his books, with a note and signed, for the pastor at the church we would have attended.
Then they were off to board their plane.
The Pastor was able to avoid lines at the door for breakfast on the first day and did not have to pay for taxi cabs to get around. Other than that, his friend (me) fell into all the other trappings of being a tourist at the mercy of baggage worries and people who will take your money offering sub standard accommodations.
I really tried to turn a short stay into an experience that would make every moment count for this person who I really respect.
It is all about planning 📜 and sticking to the plan.