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Colombia. Hostels. Conversations with not-so-friendly fellow travelers.

2016-04-10 00:00
For every really nice person we meet, there is one of these:
Ext. Taganga Hostel — Pool area. Day
Two girls are speaking in a foreign language. They finish speaking.
Avri — Hey, are you by any chance Danish? I thought I recognized the sound of it.
Girl — Yes.
Avri — That’s cool. My grandfather was Danish so I grew up listening to it.
Girl forces half a grin and walks off.
Int. Coco Bamboo Hostel Reception. Night.
A couple is standing at the entrance of the hostel. Pola already spoke to the guy at breakfast so she introduces herself to her:
Pola — Hi, I’m Pola.
Girl — Oh, hi.
Pola — I was talking to (guy) this morning and he was telling me all about your travels.
Girl — Oh.
Awkward silence. Guy breaks it.
Guy — We found a cheap flight so we are leaving tomorrow night.
Pola — Wow, you guys move fast! (Note: they had just arrived the previous morning) So are you still going to the national park tomorrow?
(Note: we were planning on inviting them to join us)
Girl — Yeah, we are but I’m sorry, we’re just really busy now.
Pola — Ok, good talking to you.
Ext. Hostel Hang-Out Area. Night.
A couple sits next to our table in the hostel hang-out area. He is writing something that looks like homework. She is playing solitaire on her tablet.
Avri — Oh, is that Spanish? Are you studying Spanish?
Guy — Yeah.
Avri — That’s cool. I’m going to start tomorrow.
Guy — Good luck.
The guy goes back to his homework, the girl looks at Avri.
Avri — Are you not studying with him?
Girl — No, I am, but he is in a more advanced class.
Avri — Ah, I know the feeling. My girlfriend (signals to me) is from Mexico so… Where are you from?
Girl — UK. Manchester.
Avri — I’ve been to Manchester! I traveled around the UK a couple of years ago.
Girl — Oh.
Girl goes back to playing solitaire. Guy puts headphones on and plays with his phone.
At this rate, I expect to be writing a follow-up to this post pretty soon…