30 July 2016
Distance: 77.8km
Transportation: 2 cars
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
After few days just chilling on the beach with Manoela, it was hard to say goodbye. We tried to have the most valuable time together in Riomaggiore (now that sounds like we’re a couple). Since we wanted to stay as long as we could with the sea, I decided to take my time in the morning and to start hitchhike in the afternoon. I would say, it was not the best decision.
Hitchhiking in the afternoon was more likely difficult because the amount of traffic was not that big. On that day, it took me more than an hour to get a ride and it came not easy. The sun was pouring over my head and I had no where to hide. I was standing on the road which was the exit to the highway and expected to have a ride easily. But sadly no. After 40 minutes waiting under the sun, I started to lose hope. A guy called me over from his car. He didn’t speak any English and I had no clue what he was trying to tell me. The only word I could understand from him was SEX. At that point, it was not my first time being asked for sex anymore so I was calm enough to say no and left. I was not nervous or scared, instead, anger was in me. How ridiculous it is that men only want sex when they see a vulnerable girl alone!!!
I still kept my hope up and stood under the sun with my sign for another 30 minutes. That moment I realised that I wouldn’t have any chance because all vehicles drove very fast at the exit. A van was being filled and I told myself to come to the man and asked. He could not speak English but at least we could communicate by my sign that I wanted to go to Pisa. Luckily, he was heading to Pisa Nord which is not too far away from Pisa centre. He dropped me off at a bus stop but it seemed not so appealing to me. After 5 minutes, another ride got me and brought me to the centre of Pisa.
While in Pisa:
I was really sad that I couldn’t have a chance to see the city. After 1 hour standing in the sun, it really got me and it turned into the sun stroke. I had to experience dizziness and the sun really made me tired. Then, because of some greasy Chinese (since I was so sick of eating pasta everyday), I got a bit of food poisoning. It was my first time ever getting sick while travelling and nothing else I could do. Drink enough water, stay rested and keep your head positive – my tips for you if you get sick while travelling. Don’t force yourself too much because you still have a long way to go with your travels.
Angela Koblitz 