Crazy Christmas Adventure....

Just thought I'd send you what happened on our Christams.

The crazy story I didn't have time to tell you...Get some popcorn this is a really good story! It'll be better when I can tell you in person.  So a couple days before Christmas we were talking about going to this mountain  that is close to Berat and the idea got bounced around but we never really decided so we woke up Christmas morning ate breakfast(which I made... :)) and after we were like what are we going to do today.... Lets go to Mount Tomori.... Do you want to??.... Lets do it! So with no idea how we were going to get there we set off. We got a fergon (van) to Berat and it dropped us off about 2/3 of the way there and we started walking to Berat and realized it was a lot further than we thought so we started trying to flag some down on the side of the road and they were all full but finally one stopped and it was full. I had to sit on my comps lap for a little. So we are get going and I was like hey ask the guy next to you about how to get to the mountain... i moved to the other seats when people got out and my comp kept talking to him and he told us he could show us how to get there so we got to Berat and met up with one of his friends. They were in their early 20's so we walked around with them to the place you get taxis and they talked to some people and they said you couldn't get one in Berat we had to go to a village outside so they walked us down to the place where you can get a bus to the Village. Pelican. (not pronounced like you think it is and has a squiqqly on the c) So we went and got some money and then came back and had a drink with them while we waited for the bus to leave for about 10 minutes. So we go to get on the bus and it turns out the bus driver knows a guy in the village that can take us up so he was going to be ready when we get there. So we took this bus on a very excited curvy road to the village. We step off the bus and the guy is waiting for us there. So we get into his makine and start off. We go up the mountain. It's a very unpaved mountain road so it went really slow. So we get up to the muslim place and take some pictures and then left because we were short on time. ( keep in mind we have to be back in LUshnje to skype at 6 and it was about 3 when we got up there.) So we chilled up there for a little bit. Really beautiful.  So we start down the road and get back into the Village. Pelican. and they tell us that the fergon should be there at 5 30  so we are stuck in this little village waiting to go back to berat and we aren't going to be back in time to skype. So we find a little internet place and email our familes saying we won't be able to skype until 8. Then we ran and got food really quick. Really quick meaning we walked in and out of that place in 15 minutes. Run Back down and wait and wait.... and it's not showing up on time and it's getting closer to 6 so we are just stuck with no way to get out and then this machanic guy that the guy that drove us up the mountain talked to and told him to make sure we made it alright comes over and tells us follow me. We were really confused but followed him and he tells us to get in his makine so we're like alright. We get in and he tells us the fergon is late and he has to go to Berat for some makine parts so he can take us. He had spent time in England and had a mouth on him but he was super cool. Being the good missionary that I am we started talking about God and faith and he told us he's atheist and that there is no way we're working for free and I was pushing him pretty hard and talking about stuff and we were joking around and then at one point he pulls over and says fine if you think God can save you get out and get to Berat yourself....awkward silence.... Then I say why would we do that when God sent us you. He kept driving. We were really worried for a little though. He drops us off in Berat right as the bus out to Fergons is leaving so we get out and jump on it. Excited we are going to get back to Lushnje in time then we get out at the place where the fergons are and they are all stopped for the night.... Yet another time stuck in a city with no way back.... We ask around, try to hitch a ride back into Berat and think we are going to have to sleep there that night but then we were able to catch the bus back into the city. Get off and ask the first guy if there are taxis for lushnje and he says I work a taxi says how much and we looked at each other nodded then got in. He drove super slow!!! We left Berat at about 7 and got into Lushnje right at 8 ran tot he internet lokal and got on skype and that's when I started talking to you.... We BARELY made it back. It was quite a story and an adventure and we met some really awesome people. What I just wrote doesn't really describe it well it enough but ask me about it when I get back because it was awesome and a lot of meeting cool people and people having connections and things going smoothly and being stuck places and getting back with just enough time to skype. So I dont' know what you did for Christmas but that was mine....