14

Train Gain.

speed, metal, and a race against the tracks - biarritz to bordeaux

i'm missing photos here. i was either too bored or too excited to remember... two days after getting to the beach i decided to go back to paris. i decided i'd had enough walking and thought i'd afford the ticket north (i'd been living on about 15 dollars a day).

the last train for the day left from bayonne, which was south, so i got a ride with some millionaire rich british brat kid that spends his days golfing and fucking. i dont like talking about sex. he did. so he talked and i listened and i got to hear about his exploits and conquers from the last month. and how good his golf game is. maybe its nice to be him, all pounds and sticks and balls. i dont think so, though. millionaires are never happy.

he left me at the train station in bayonne and i was an hour early. the last train to paris left bayonne at 6. it was 4:50. so i was supposed to sit there for an hour and twiddle my thumbs so i could sit on the train for 5 hours and twiddle my thumbs so that i could pay 70 bucks for the whole shoo.

fuck that. i decided to walk back to the highway and started hitching north and race the train to bordeaux.

it took a long time and i was getting nervous before the God of Thumb graced me with the perfect sleigh.

no one travels between bayonne and bordeaux faster than a basque asphalt worker named "Cancha" ..a death-metal motorhead who was carrying loads of good hash, a dog, a head full of craziness, and a collection of good music.

he pulled over and asked me where i was going. i told him i was racing a train and i needed his help. he asked when the train left. i said in 90 minutes. he smiled, told me we'd hit it but it'd be close... i got in the car we pulled straight across lanes into the fastlane. i liked this guy in the first 20 seconds i knew him. he looked at me with a serious eye. i looked back. we were accelerating. he said we'd need a little help. pops in a CD with "dark tranquillity" written on the label. and hit the pedal.

we lit a boogie, he slalomed traffic and we spent the two hours talking about politics, freedom, and having his dog spade.

he let me out in front of the train station with, as you see, less than 10 minutes to spare.