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Half way to Miami the gravity of the day’s actions suddenly hit me. I hadn't had
time to really think about what I was up to. I just was doing it. What suddenly hit
me was the fact that I had just spent over $800 on cellular phones in an effort to
put on a concert that I didn't even have a clue I could achieve, let alone make
any money from it. Then the thought arose that I was acting in a manner my
grandfather had acted near the end of his life. A man of meager means all of his
life, he suddenly believed he had a lot of money. He started spending money he
didn't have making improvements to his house and traveling. Eventually he
became senile and was placed into a nursing home. I turned all flushed for
several minutes, to the point where it became difficult to drive. I was seriously
questioning my sanity. I thought to myself “I'd better return the phones and call
the whole thing off.”

After a few minutes however I calmed myself and realized I was still sane. I
indeed had the money to back up my venture. I was not becoming my
grandfather. I had money. I had plenty of money. I had over $20,000 in the
bank for my travels and for house payments while traveling as well as $19,000 in
my retirement account, which I could use if really necessary. Of course I realized
I may need to curtail my travels in order to pay for some of the concert
investments but I was willing to do just that. I drove on into the night toward Miami
Beach at peace with my sanity, arriving safely at the hostel shortly after midnight.
I checked into the hostel and sat down at the snack bar across from the front
desk. The fellow at the snack bar, Martin, was cleaning up for the night. I asked
him if I could still order something to eat. He told me that I was too late but that
Denny's across the street was open all night. So I talked with Martin a while
longer and then headed across the street to Denny's for a bite to eat before
heading up to my room. Once in my room I showered, plugged my cellular phone
in to charge the battery, and fell soundly to sleep.

I awoke around 6 a.m. I checked the cellular phone to be sure it was charged.
Oddly enough, the recharge indicator light still indicated it needed to be
charged. Great! Since my room had 3 other guys still sleeping in it, I packed the
phone in my backpack and head downstairs to the pay phone to call TAI, my
travel insurer, to see if they could arrange auto insurance for René to drive my
rental car back to Ft. Lauderdale. I also needed to head to René 's room to see
if he was in.

I walked out the door and started to head down the hall and to my surprise
Nurettim and Robert, carrying all of their belongings, pop out at the top of the
stairs at the end of the hallway. As well, they were surprised to see me. We
exchanged greetings after which I asked them, "What are you guys doing here?"
They answered that the girl they stayed with last night dropped them off at the
hostel on her way to work. She apparently didn’t want them staying at her place
when she wasn’t around. We headed to their room, which happened to be
directly across from my room. Unfortunately their room was occupied so I couldn’
t use the phone in their room either, I still needed to use the pay phone in the
lobby. I told them I'd be back in a few minutes and I headed to the lobby.

Since it was quickly approaching 9:00, I headed downstairs and phoned Pan Am
to see if they would allow me to change my 9:00 a.m. departure. They stood firm
on the departure time and told me I would have to buy another ticket if I missed
the flight. So now I needed to know if René had made it back to the hostel last
night. I phoned his room and his hostel mate answered the phone. He stated
that indeed René had not made it back last night. I phoned TAI to see about
insurance for René but they couldn't insure anybody for a rental car. So René
would have to drive the car without insurance. No big deal!

I sat and thought about how I would get to the airport and re-thought how I could
get the car back to Ft. Lauderdale. An idea came to me... I needed to talk to
Nurettim and Robert. So I headed upstairs to tell Nurettim and Robert about my
latest plan.

I entered Nurettim and Robert's room and saw that the other fellow was still trying
to sleep but was half awake. I tried to tell him we were going to be talking to each
other and that he could move to my room if he wished. He groaned a little but he
never really woke up. He remained asleep the whole time Nurettim and I talked. I
explained to Nurettim that I needed to be at Miami International airport for my 9:
00 a.m. flight and that René was supposed to take me as well as return my rental
car. I then explained that René had not returned yet from his date with Misha. I
asked Nurettim if he and Robert would drive with me to the airport and return the
car here to the hostel and leave the keys with René so he could return the car
today.

Neither Nurettim nor Robert, unfortunately, felt comfortable enough to drive the
car. So they said they would ride to the airport with me, see where I parked the
car, return to the hostel by bus, find René and return to the airport with him to
lead him to the parked car. They could then ride with René up to Ft. Lauderdale
to fetch the bikes and be on their way to Key West. René would still have to take
the bus back to the Miami Beach hostel or he could see Misha again. We agreed
this plan would work.

By now it was nearing 8:00 a.m. We had to rush to make my 9:00 a.m. flight. I
wrote up a note for René explaining what we were up to. On my way out of the
hostel I decided I wouldn't need my sleeping bag while in Puerto Rico so I left it
with Martin, the hostel snack bar attendant. I asked if he would be willing to also
keep a suitcase for me which Nurettim and Robert would bring back with them
from the airport. He agreed and we headed off to the airport.

Unfortunately it wasn't as simple as just heading to the airport because we first
needed to head to the Miami train station to pick up the suitcase I had stashed in
a locker upon my arrival in Miami. The only reason I needed this suitcase was
because I needed my passport. I had left it in the suitcase at the train station for
safe keeping. And as Pan Am indicated in my itinerary, I must have my passport
to travel to Puerto Rico. So, we were off first to the train station and then to the
Miami airport.

With Robert looking over the map to find the directions to the train station and me
driving and explaining all of my concert plans to the interested ears of Nurettim,
we made it to the train station in good time. I ran into the station, unlocked the
storage locker, retrieved my suitcase, and ran back to the car. It was now just
past 8:30 a.m. and we weren’t too far from the airport. I might still make my 9 o’
clock flight.

Robert had found the route to the airport on the map. We headed out of the
train station and not listening to Robert’s instructions, I turned right instead of
going straight. So, to correct my error, I turned left at the next main intersection.
This did not make up for the earlier error however. We eventually ended up in a
cul-de-sac and we had to turn around. We could clearly see the overpass
leading into the airport but we couldn't find any entrance for us to take which
would lead us to the overpass. It was getting ever near to 9 o'clock and I didn't
want to lose out on my $150 ticket.

While I drove and Robert mulled over the map, Nurettim sat in the back seat
going through my suitcase looking for my passport and a few other items I had
requested. With only fifteen minutes before nine, I finally found the entrance to
the airport. We headed into the terminal area and parked near the Pan Am
ticketing area. I grabbed the things I needed, made sure Nurettim and Robert
could remember where the car was parked, gave them the keys and some
money, and we all three headed into the terminal. I arrived at the ticket counter
with ten minutes to spare.

Once at the ticket counter I proudly display my passport and ticket to the Pan Am
agent. He looks at my ticket and tells me "Oh, you don't need your passport to
go to Puerto Rico. It’s a part of the United States." My eyes opened very wide as
I recalled the rush to the train station to pick up the unneeded passport. I grew
red with anger. I said nothing. I calmed down and checked in my large travel bag
with the agent. Then I said good-bye to Nurettim and Robert, knowing we would
meet a week from today in Key West. I wished them well on their ride through the
Keys and I ran off to the plane (much easier without all that security we have
today).

As I ran down the ramp to the plane the agent closed the door to the jet-way
behind me. I was seated near the back of the plane in an empty row of three
seats. The plane left a little late (probably waiting for my suitcase) but once off
the ground breakfast was served. After eating I listened to my CD player and
layed myself across the three seats and immediately I fell asleep and awakening
only to glance out at the beautiful white puffy clouds and strikingly blue water
interspersed with tiny islands. I awoke for the last time just as the plane was
coming in for the landing, flying over a beautiful lagoon juxtaposed with rusted
red and green tin roofed shacks near the San Juan International Airport. As the
plane touched ground (even before it had stopped!) everyone broke into
applause - as I know now a true Puerto Rican custom.

As in boarding, I was last to deplane. As I walked into the terminal I instinctively
began looking around the boarding area to see if anyone I knew was waiting for
me. Mostly I was hoping Carlos was there. But as he promised, he was not
there. Since his grandfather was ill and dying he had to rush off immediately to
his home town. Thus, I was left to fend for my self in San Juan, Puerto Rico - my
first stop in a foreign speaking land - and a language of which I knew very little.