stupid. I left Jurmala and got on a bus to Vilnius (Lithuania) that
was arriving at about 10pm. That was stupid move #1. Having fully
lost track of schedule, I did this on a Friday. Stupid move #2.
After hauling ass from the bus station and into Old Town and hitting
up some hostels and hotels, it started to dawn on me that arriving
into a new town, late, on a Friday, at the start of the summer travel
season was a pretty shit idea. Everything was booked to the hilt. A
nice receptionist at a full hotel took pity on me, and started to call
around on my behalf. Eventually he located something outside of town
that had a free room for a totally outrageous fee. It was midnight at
this point, and I was happy to solve this problem with cash and
readily hopped into a cab. When I got to "The Flamingo", my little
hotel, the guy at the door took a look at me and just told me to go
and sleep, and to settle in bill in the AM-- which was the first of
many nice things that this hotel would do for me.
The next morning I woke up early and packed my knapsack, ready to get
to a cheaper, more central location, and to see the city. This marks
the occasion of stupid move #3, the most colossal and inane of all the
stupid moves, as this is when I discovered I had lost my bank card--my
one source of cash in Eastern Europe. To paint the picture a bit more
clearly, I am in Lithuania-- a country that nearly shuts down entirely
on the weekend (besides the clubs and shops, and restaurants). My
only credit card (Amex) is not accepted readily here-- only at the
most posh of hotels and retail shops, NEVER at a restaurant. I am in
a hotel that I have not paid for, and I have roughly 40 Litus in
cash-- about the equivalent of 14€, or 20 bucks. Also,
English...well, not so much here. Perfect.
My first reaction is, "Aww fuck, Alison is going to go nuts." She has
been sort of saintly about me taking this trip; understanding my need
to travel solo, doing all the house and pet chores (considerable work)
while I am gone, and I know she is worried that I will get into some
hairy situation-- and now here it is.
I tried earnestly to take care of shit before calling her for help.
Both Wells Fargo and Amex have free international calling numbers for
emergency situations, and BOTH of these companies have suspended this
service for Lithuania (Zimbabwe or American Samoa- no problem), which
I discovered after an hour of tinkering around on the iPhone, surely
burning up crazy roaming charges. The "I am super-super-fucked"
feeling is now beginning to set in.
I call Billings, it is nearly midnight in Seattle, the only reason she
hears me over the Sonicare is that Wyatt starts barking (thank you
puppy). Basically, Alison makes a bunch of calls, and manages not to
freak out on me, and within about 45 minutes a rep from American
Express is calling me. Before I continue on to wax rhapsodic about
how amazing Amex is, let me just mention that Wells Fargo was fully
unsympathetic, and told Alison there was nothing they could do-- there
was no number I could call, they would not call me, they had no
partners in Lithuania...blahblah. Basically, they were like: "she's
fucked, we have all her money, but we won't help". I am withdrawing
every penny I have in my various accounts as soon as I am in the US.
Screw you Wells Fargo, any shred of regret I have for not going to
work for you after B-school is so completely gone, I would rather sell
supositories door-to-door.l Amex, on the other hand- is basically
angelic. Jennifer, from Wisonsin, explains to me that they can make
an emergency wire transfer, and procedes to find the one and only
Western Union affiliate in all Lithuania that is operational on
Saturday. She offers to call me back, and does so repeatedly
throughout the day's adventures, making sure I am OK and that the
transaction happens smoothly. Alison, Jennifer, and AMEX-- I don't
know what I would have done without you, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
The people at the Flamingo were also really nice. After explaining my
situation, they agreed to reduce the nightly rate down to near-hostel
prices, and even offered to lend me cash so I could eat and get around
(this is when I thought I would have to wait until Mon. to get the
wire).
This was one of those times when people's graciousness and
friendliness is so overwhelming, it makes you want to step up and be a
better person. Hopefully I can live up to it.
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