Dans le royaume de l'inconnu, les difficultés doivent être considérées comme un trésor caché!
Alexandre SOLJENITSYNE


Day 56

am

pm (90F)

Rides = nil
Arrival = Amarillo
KM travelled = nil
$ spent = $0.28
Time passed on the road = nil
km walked = 6

The Salvation Army accommodation was excellent and people there were nice. When I woke up my big toe was sore and all puffed up. I had cut it two days ago near Holbrook while walking with Thomas on the highway under construction. I thought that it was getting better but I was wrong and now it was all infected.

As predicted by my Californian friends, dangerous Texas came out like a beast and I was just in the panhandle. I still could not believe that I had been robbed. I walked to the Greyhound station to check the cost of a bus ticket to get out of there. It was very cold outside and I felt naked without my packsack. I had carried it everywhere for 55 days. I knew which string to pull and what to push to adjust the weight. I knew its strengths and its weaknesses. It was like my home on my back. I wished that the bag had legs, so it could run away and escape.

On my way to the station I was flooded with all kinds of thoughts. I was also trying to work out what I had lost and what I still owned, where I had to go, how many days I could last as I had only 32 cents. Well the logic was pretty easy to figure and it was hard to take. I called the police to have an update on the investigation and realized that there was no investigation.

The inventory of what was in my packsack was: sleeping bag, tent, sandals, water flask, one pair of pants, 2 shirts, 4 pair of socks, underwear, flashlight, a few maps, 2 books, my collection of rocks, passport, match books, pepper spray, plastic tube for food, my beautiful straw hat and 40.00 in cash.

Now the good news is that I kept my side bag with me. It contained: 2 harmonicas - those are like money in the bank - my address book, my journal - the one you are reading - my wallet with my identity cards and my knife.

When I arrived at the bus depot I went directly to the gum machines and my eye was caught by the flashing Bio-Rhythmic display. I put 25 cents to get my bio future. What the heck, I thought. The piece of paper said that I was in a very good financial position right now and that I should take advantage of every opportunity. I made a little ball with the paper and let it fall on the floor. I had 7 cents left. I was looking at the gum machines. I put 1 penny in one of the machines and turned the handle. The machine took the cent and kept the gum. I tried another time with the same outcome. After 3 cents I got a gum and it tasted good. I had 4 cents left.

After realizing that a ticket for New Orleans would cost $80.00, I made a collect call to my Parents for help. They were really worried for me but I assured them that I was doing all right. My father said without hesitation that he was going to wire $150.00 through the Western Union first thing in the morning.



On my way back to the Salvation Army, I noticed that the whole town was infested with red ants. They were small unlike the jumbos I saw in South America the previous year, but aggressive like most things in Texas. Some of the clients that I met at Sally Ann that night told me horror stories about hitchhiking in Texas. They all said that I should take the bus and get out as soon as I could.

- Daniel


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