The Passport story
I am now going to write down the story about how I lost my passport in Charneca, Portugal 12 hours before the plane home left.
The plane was scheduled to leave at 0915 on the Saturday morning. Me and a friend, Johnnie, was on a golf holiday at Aroiera Golf Resort 30 minutes south of Lisbon, Portugal.
The weather during the week had been so so. We had been able to play but also caught in showers. What we really had missed out of was the shining sun. But then, on the friday, the last day of golf. SUN, 26 degrees Celsius. We rented trolleys and aimed for 36 holes in the nice weather. All went smoothly with the normal effects of playing in nice weather. Slowplay by the group ahead of us and quick by the ones behind us.
We lived through the 36 holes with a bigger and bigger hole growing in our stomaches so we decided to drive the 2 minutes to the bigger clubhouse to be able to buy a greasy hamburger and a caneca. At the clubhouse we were informed that the kitchen was closed and no canecas were to be had. So we decided to drive to the ‘Hipermercado’ two minutes outside the gated community in wich our apartment was located.
When we registred for our round the second day the course personell ased for my passport so they could copy it to verify that I was me. When me and Johnnie came home that night I removed my passport from my suitcase (were it alwas is located on my travels) to my green folder that contained the golf vouchers needed to play. After the copying the third day I left my passport in the folder because the personell were always asking for something new so I wanted beat them to the punch. And punched I was.
Back to the friday. On our way out of the community I opened the folder and looked through the papers to see what was needed to check out. I told Johnnie that we needed to fill a form and not to forget my passport. I put the folder back on the carfloor on the passenger side. And we shopped.
Back outside our apartment after the shopping we lifted out our golf equipment, and as I remember I put the green folder in the shopping bag. We rebuilt the car. We had lain the backseat in order to fit the bags easier in the car for the day to day carrying of the bags. We went up to the apartment, Johnnie unpacked the bag and started to cook while I made us each a Caipirinha.
After drinks, dinner and a beer it was time to start packing. I began the search for the folder. I looked around, but nowhere. I asked Johnnie about the bag and said that he hadn’t seen any folder in the bag. I said WHAT? and ran out to the car. I went through the car 3 times, I looked on the ground around the car. I went around in the close neighborhood. Nowhere! I took the car to the gate, asked the on duty guard. ‘No!!?!’ I went to the store and asked them ‘No!!???!’. I went back to the apartment where Jonnie had searched. Nowhere. We repeated my search of the car, guard and store. NO! Now only 12 hours until liftoff. FUCK! What to do?