Gone Postal - Past Tense!

....So back I went the following day. If you don't know what I'm talking about you need to start here first. Just to throw some complication into the mix, a friend who had heard about my saga/adventure the previous day, politely asked, if I could enquire about her missing package (a book), sent from her Grandma in Portugal to Buenos Aires back in May, that had never showed up. She had called the post office but got no answer. She had the details (registration #) and was told by the Portugese Post office the package was in the international post office in Buenos Aires. (kill 2 birds with one stone n' all that!)

I like a challenge, so I accepted. Forty minutes by subway and walking, take a number, forty minute wait, show passport as i.d. and I get handed the magic ticket with a magic number, to go to the next room and wait with the 300 people, waiting for the package.

Then I ask about my friends M.I.A. package and am told, low and behold it's here!

• Me:- "Why wasn't it delivered?"
• Rather Hot Postal Working Girl:- "Dunno!"
• Me:- "Why didn't you send a notice to make my friend shlep down to the local sorting office as a tease and then tell them they needed to shlep down to this out of the way office, you know, like you did to me?"
• Rather Hot Postal Working Girl:- "Dunno!"
• Me:- "OK - so what now?"
• Rather Hot Postal Working Girl:- "Hmmm... Well You need to go the next room and wait for your number to be called out for YOUR package!......But you need to be in this room too, so we can advise you about your friends package!"
• Me:- "Talented as I am my Dear, I cannae be in two places at the same time, what do you recommend?"
• Rather Hot Postal Working Girl:- "If I was you I would wait halfway, between this room and the next and just keep your ears open - very open!"
• Me:- "Fair enough, I like a challenge!"

Be careful for you wish for. This was not a digital display with luminous numbers incrementing, there was no visual display what so ever! Only an inaudible version of crazy bingo!

In Spanish - Over a really bad speaker....numero...12??34, 183???, 34???,45???? - NOT EVEN THE SAME SEQUENCE OF NUMBERS??????

Even the locals were stupified..What? Que? Que dice? No entiendo? TOTAL FRIKKIN' chaos ensued! 300 pissed off confused people, wanting to kick some postal ass!

Once your number was called you passed thru a turnstile and then two doors. There was a big sign on the wall - "Don't enter unless your number has been called!"

After an agonising hour of this farce, I stormed in and by a stroke of luck, my number had been called. I picked up my first package and walked past the security guards (without hassle or signing - make note for later on!) and back to the other waiting room for package #2.

After an hour, I heard a scream of "Portugal!"

"That's me!" I said and waited for the package to be handed over but alas NO, this was just the line to get the ticket to go back to the dreaded room with the 300 people and wait your turn!

I picked up the ticket and waited an eternity trying to decipher the inaudible drivel and finally picked up package # 2.

Free, Free Free at last!, I marched out of this hell hole!.... well not exactly.. I got stopped by security because I hadn't signed my packages out, (despite having no trouble the first exit?) so had to return and sign, countersign, initial etc.

NOTE: DON'T POST ME ANYTHING HERE. EVER! NOT EVEN A CHEQUE. JUST WIRE $$$ TO MY ACCOUNT! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GO BACK THERE! PRETTY PLEASE!

So what was in the package that was worth all this shi$ I hear you ask?
No frikkin' idea - I haven't even opened it yet! - See Photo above! - Tune in tomorrow!

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