Autostop en Afganistán (Hitchhiking in Afghanistan)
Dec 12, 2018
After the September 11th attacks in 2001, Juan Pablo Villarino was dismayed to see how people were starting to lose trust in the ultimate good of humanity. So he figured the best way to prove he was still right to trust total strangers was to hitchhike through the epicenter of the war on terror.
Study materials and a transcript of this episode are available at https://podcast.duolingo.com.
in Argentina it isn't uncommon to hitchhike they call it out though stop and also viajar are there though which literally means to travel by finger who I'm Pablo Vijay Dino knows all about it Otto stop is his way of life me primitive in Auto Stop way and febrero the mil novecientos no entire Cho I wish Hazel La ciudad Que está siendo deescalate
► 00:00:30al Norte de Mar del Plata donde show Vivia
► 00:00:36Embassy I calculated the distance a total diva a tener que caminar see Nadia Petrova
► 00:00:45eventually someone did stop they took him 30 kilometers and then another family took him the rest of the way a towel would have um Bonita on Mundo Nuevo
► 00:00:56once he reached his destination he spent the night on the beach and woke up to see a man sitting close to him apparently meditating they got to chatting and Juan Pablo decided to tell him about his dream of quitting school and dedicating his life to traveling alambre maybe hope palabras que todavía recuerdo is Dancin Seashore Como que puedes hacerlo
► 00:01:22which means it's as simple as just doing it that advice would kick off epic Journeys for Juan Pablo and eventually lead him to his most challenging hitchhike route yet good idea Ysidro to stop in Afghanistan
► 00:01:45Bienvenidos and welcome to the Duolingo Spanish podcast I'm Martina Castro every episode we bring you fascinating true stories to help you improve your Spanish listening and gain New Perspectives on the world the Storyteller will be using intermediate Spanish and I'll be chiming in for context in English if you miss something you can always skip back and listen again and we also offer full transcripts a podcast dot Duolingo.com
► 00:02:13today's story comes from Argentina it's called Auto Stop in Afghanistan or hitchhiking in Afghanistan and it's told by Juan Pablo bjd no please note that you'll be hearing from Paolo speaking in Argentine accent they pronounce their double else and wise with a shutter sound as in a shed or Kashi instead of a yid or kayaking
► 00:02:41it's how Korean donate to mementos algo que sera Le notitia en el mundo entero La próxima so when Pablo was at home in Mar del Plata a coastal town in Argentina on the morning of September 11th 2001 he saw the news of what happened like most people around the world on TV
► 00:03:02Camila cuando be a Las Torres gemelas and wash org care see Mickey D's in Belarus in shock most of us know what happened next the u.s. invaded Afghanistan to go after Al Qaeda the terrorist group behind the September 11th attacks we condemn the Taliban regime
► 00:03:25the war on terror officially began and it seemed to Juan Pablo like people were quick to divide the world into allies and enemies Cindy que era El momento de usar Mythos position has the haredi dough is clear is tourist area Professor or trapunto the Vista Mission Surya comprar Caleb on doll hospital sun on your solace
► 00:03:55me the sting of final Syria Afghanistan Argentina was in the midst of an economic crisis so it was going to be tough for Juan Pablo to save enough money to pay for a flight to Afghanistan but in 2002 when Juan Pablo was working at a hotel he met an Irish family that invited him to stay with them back in Ireland this CD you remember Linda era Mio por Todo para Mas dinero assume grandma
► 00:04:31Juan Pablo spent another year saving up money and then in 2003 he quit his studies and used up all of his savings on a ticket to Ireland
► 00:04:41Shaggy I'll under consoelo DS arrows and me or see a show at first Juan Pablo worked as a receptionist in a hotel and then as a machine operator at a cheese factory El Tiempo que tenía la verdad es La Posada De investigación de leus the amoeba a la biblioteca pública information Sabrina Price's visitor
► 00:05:08he say con cuidado me plan the reaction but Afghanistan
► 00:05:15it took one Pablo two years to save up enough money to leave Ireland the first few places he visited Poland Romania Bulgaria they felt familiar and similar to places he had visited before but everything changed when he got to Istanbul
► 00:05:33Luca is Todd oh and who pays Muscle Man Muscle Man means Muslim it although Iran were able para me last chimeras surreal alfombra Las Vegas are es la ropa de Hombres de mujeres maybe it would be much harder than he had imagined to hitchhike in a place like turkey beta foil must facile the lo que pasaba his usual hitchhiking tricks ended up working just the same there as
► 00:06:03where else
► 00:06:05Eva a la Salida de los Pueblos ocellaris yell he and CTO donde Los vehículos parent class intersection is a real goddess hylia Alice porque Los vehículos even Maslin though there's one hitch hiking role in particular that Juan Pablo followed everywhere he went La regla Universal in qualcare Lugar Harrison rare yes sir contact oh swell
► 00:06:35Las Vegas separation con la sonrisa no Cornelia
► 00:06:42from Turkey he crossed into Syria and then into Iraq and Iran everywhere he felt very welcomed in Iran nobody would let Juan Pablo set up his tent instead they'd invite him to stay in their homes
► 00:06:56marcion or Lugar en sus Casas he conversación con Mio Durante Horas Neurosis de la Cultura De Mi Pais they would chat into the night relying on Juan Pablos basic Farsi when the Yahoo Siempre Tengo una Lista está siendo cincuenta palabras important as any Lydia my local la lista no Gambia etn a periscope
► 00:07:27one you comida de agua Etc in Syria he was pleasantly surprised to see that many people drink a tea that's typical in Argentina called mate no necesitamos hablar de El mismo aroma so local mirar Masala so hos Sevilla - Sierra Tiempo de poner must share of amati Ocilla estaba demasiado Caliente
► 00:07:54in Iran he mad intellectuals writers theater directors and magazine editors
► 00:08:01oh no gee maybe that on our own aronian if we're gonna Revelation last week has second our own and he gave obligatory o que corre Asuka show a hijab is a veil or headscarf often worn by Muslim women in public Una de las mujeres De Niro niveau De Sade alcohol and some mozzarella Que comprar in La farmacia Sylveon Poco and wasö comedy Cola
► 00:08:31Como vendor Vedas alcoholic has stopped covid o anxious Vivian Eternal poro
► 00:08:39yes they drank pure ethanol that was the only alcohol they could access it was a hot day in 2006 when Juan Pablo finally reached Afghanistan
► 00:08:53the country was at War the US invasion removed the Taliban from power but they had reorganized and launched an Insurgency it was a violent year
► 00:09:04Miss India optimistic purple are cigar Afghanistan people hospitalized had received a la Gente para el mismo dia que je explote Ona one bangle Amato a Cassie cincuenta personas
► 00:09:20miravalle and Artesia internet television and Blanco negro mientras esperaba para entrar en el país as Juan Pablo passed through customs many families were leaving desperate to escape the violence in their country the Border Police told Juan Pablo he was headed into very dangerous territory Cindy que no está listo para lo que más para que Todo lo que es sobre el país lost
► 00:09:52no Miss survey and the mucho Cynthia Kia Ora realmente in trouble Mundo que no Kenosha
► 00:10:01it was getting dark when Juan Pablo started walking along the road that would take him to hit at and from there to Kabul the landscape was Barren Casino passive ambiguous the MPC a tener miedo de Roda Pronto be home tomorrow he'll say Poirot
► 00:10:21L conductor Sesshomaru Kareem tenía Uno's quarantine has a Bestia ritorna Casablanca Bavaria and Pueblo Shinoda pequeñas Cassidy right away Simba and Donna's it'll Miss Smoak Alors que El desierto Juan Pablo spent the night in Kareem's house where he lived with his two young daughters and father a man with a very long and white beard in his limited Farsi Juan Pablo told them of his plans to hitchhike
► 00:10:51along the central route to Kabul maybe hit on Cara muy peligroso luego Veniero's Vecinos the Kareem Hamas a Las cartas para la escena comemos arose then take has ensalada tomatis epinephrine it all went well until everyone went to bed maybe you don't algo para dormir en el suelo de la sala
► 00:11:21por Primera vez MPC a tener miedo de la situation
► 00:11:27bass a la Carrera El final de CV dormir Colucci show Mahalo mahalo
► 00:11:35Juan Pablos mind was racing as he laid with his hand wrapped tightly around the pocket knife below his pillow what if they decide to kidnap me what if they sell me to the Taliban
► 00:11:56I la Mañana siguiente el padre de Karim constituency guy so character tranquilo we know Colonel desuno mesenchymal por Toda today shows after having tea and bread for breakfast Juan Pablo expressed his gratitude and said goodbye La misma Cosa Paso muchas veces Durante El principio show today this is intention is
► 00:12:23payroll final La Gente que Siempre result oh sir Wayne economy or 11 months into his trip Juan Pablo made it to her at one of the few cities in Afghanistan considered safe at the time instead of where El primer Lugar en El Agave mujeres en público Juan Pablos other women arrived in carts pulled by horses they got off to buy groceries for their households Goldust las mujeres they
► 00:12:53tienen El mismo Forecastle Carlos Correa desde la cabeza Hasta la Pious unlike the hijab the burqa covers the entire face and body around the eyes there are holes just large enough to allow the women to see
► 00:13:10las mujeres come in a van coming fantasmas for Elvis are
► 00:13:16at the time the road that connects head out with Kabul was one of the most dangerous in the country more than 800 kilometres with almost no security forces Juan Pablos plan was to hitchhike it in receptionist the new style in here at session Muhammad are only student in the chemical you have La Buena English L Max Plinko show so you have Grano Vino voyageurs she
► 00:13:45I muchos Bandidos Italy virus the morning he was leaving a group of Afghan Military Officers tried to convince him to turn around this time his resolve to continue faltered
► 00:14:00well momentum Mass difícil de Toda Mi Vida messenger and rasool' oh he pens a in Todo lo que se para sacar I still wear the heel only versatile my free Islander console ODS arrows to extra hard muchísimo para el dinero para Este área que también es tu día de Todo lo que podría ser loras
► 00:14:30from Pablo had invested too much to give up now they see the continue our maple sap a agarra la mochila evil be a mirar el Horizonte Asia cool
► 00:14:46Juan Pablo continued his journey along the main road he was mostly picked up by old trucks which moved along very slowly obvious is shocked I mean Allah who knew a Gente con tomatoes
► 00:15:00cameos are camels Juan Pablo wasn't able to communicate with those men because they spoke pashtun and he didn't have a handy list of those words Beto be a heart condition camera shows basis until tranquilo Edom en masse for de El viaje era tan antiguo Como La moneda during those weeks he spent hitchhiking to Kabul pom Pablo face challenges that he hadn't anticipated
► 00:15:29in basis con mucho tráfico Lo más difícil estrogen are silicon fianza the conductor has haciendo contact with soil Canisius in Afghanistan El problema Iraqi Novia tráfico most cars would pick him up but sometimes he had to wait up to 10 hours for a car to even pass by do I get the net mucha paciencia
► 00:15:56along the Route he met members of a non-profit who were building a school he also met teachers who held their classes in buildings without roofs
► 00:16:05muchas veces Latoya - Attica van Las escuelas de los maestros sayin in Sydney and oh
► 00:16:14gracias I chose and then D que la Gente local Taniya Miro I lost Olive honest when he got the charger on Juan Pablo was halfway to Kabul as he approached the town he heard a helicopter overhead and saw a military Convoy he had arrived at a NATO base a stark reminder that all this time he had been walking through a war zone
► 00:16:42V tank is the era of ecological muchas protection SMS or regular Kami Vida estaba en peligro Caza kilometric of ahava a few US soldiers invited Juan Pablo to visit the base they drank beers together and Juan Pablo told them about the people he had met along the road loss Allah knows Jonathan Ian Cassie contacto con la Gente local economy Como Ayer and Joseph Gallows
► 00:17:12scooch our own soap and eidos mrs. sutorius soldiers Maestro's lost construct or has he lost no Mass piracy occasion shows the Taliban and Al mismo país que show Juan Pablo continued his course as he crossed through small villages children would run up to him curious about this Foreigner who wasn't in military clothing but not everyone was kind
► 00:17:40a new boy below a la Gente que no le gusta mucho my presence here danian miedo de me depends on K show around spear they thought he was a spy Juan Pablo went on to bomb Iran a city known for having the largest Buddha statues in the world before they were destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban there Juan Pablo was offered a ride by the Afghan Army
► 00:18:08El comandante me pregunta es esta Loco Miracle of Taliban he's a vegan at ocado Los Pueblos Anessa Ruta Blossom an interior attack our own and Grupo the soldado's Afghan owes it told us more are en el médico 27 air con Nosotros a Kabul pero tienen que saber que somos El objetivo
► 00:18:35we are the target they told him Juan Pablo accepted the ride anyway
► 00:18:43inside the military Jeep the atmosphere was extremely tense the soldiers had their machine guns out and ready to shoot as they scanned nearby mountains and rooftops for snipers Choice table where to the middle pin sale of Maestro's associated with the considers New Capital C and this has been a sentient estimated or todos Los días
► 00:19:11SI mockin me assure a surfboard
► 00:19:16three weeks later Juan Pablo finally arrived to Kabul safely the Afghan Capital was slowly recovering from the worst moments of the war he got in touch with an Argentine couple Fabian and Betty Who were living there with their children Fabien you ready Aaron and firm a rose lit Rohan parent organization religiosa
► 00:19:38Su misión de Surah Yusuf Khan owes the spermatozoa Vivir en Este Tipo de Lugar es donde Los ataques alas bombers are on frequencies
► 00:19:49this couple was willing to face the same dangers Juan Pablo had faced except they did that every day all in order to help others and prove their faith in humanity all of a sudden Juan Pablo felt like his trip paled in comparison Las personas Como éstos son lucky cambian Al Mundo sure simplemente estar aquí para pelear Contra La historia
► 00:20:18the end of Juan Pablos trip to Afghanistan marked the beginning of his nomadic life now he writes about his travels for a living Juan Pablo often thinks back to that man he met on the beach when all of this was just a dream
► 00:20:33require those of palabras a stance incision Como que puedes hacer lo que así Como puede Vivir Mi sueño de comprar kill a bundle in the hospital sun on your solace
► 00:20:55Juan Pablo is a dino is a professional hitchhiker and author in the more than a year that it took him to make his way back to Argentina from Afghanistan he wrote the first edition of his book vagabundeando in the leafy Del Mal or hitchhiking in the axis of Evil it's about his travels through Iran Iraq and Afghanistan the book is now in its fifth edition
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► 00:21:47to join download the app today or find out more a Duolingo.com I'm the executive producer Martina Castro gracias por escucha