Lost in translation (but still got the job done)

So I took a trip over to the mountain the other day. It wasn’t a big deal, it’s only a 25 minute taxi ride. I was going out there to scope out this conference center that is located inside this park area that is on one part of the mountain range around the city. I knew going out that I would just have to get lucky to get a taxi back to the city because taxis don’t run back there unless they are dropping someone off. I had only planned on spending a couple of hours max out there. I just wanted to check out the banquet rooms and then enjoy a little bit of the scenery then come back. I was supposed to meet some people for lunch at 12:30 so I started to walk down to the gate of the park at 11:30 and arrived at 11:45. Like I said before, it’s a 25 minute drive by taxi back the edge of the city and I actually needed to be in the middle of the city by 12:30 so I start to wonder if I’m gonna be late. There are no taxis and there is actually a bus that comes out there but I had not seen it either. It’s now 12:00 and I’m getting a little worried. I saw these two guys standing near a little white van near the gate to the park. I thought to myself, “ok, worst-case scenario, I could go over there and ask these guys if I can ride back to town with them”. The only thing was that I didn’t speak their language and I knew that they probably did not speak mine either. They began to walk over towards where I was sitting to buy an ice-cream bar and then they walked back over to their little van. They got in like they were going to take off so I thought fast and ran over to the van and said (in the local language) “you going to town?” He said “yes”. I said “can-I-to-there-with-you?” He began to reply and of course I couldn’t understand and so then I said, “I can’t?” then he said some more stuff I couldn’t understand so I said “I can?” then he said “yes”. So I get into the van with them and we just sit there. It turns out that they are waiting on some officials to come down from the conference center and they were the drivers sent to bring them back to town. So eventually a black car comes from inside the park and as it stops the two guys in the van with me get out to greet the men that have started getting out of the car. I get out of the van too and we all begin to shake hands and greet the officials. You could tell there was a thought in the air of “who is this foreigner?” but no one said anything that I could understand so…. we all get into the van and take off back into town. For a while no one is talking to me then one of the officials asks me (in the local language who I was and if I was working here and blah, blah, blah) I was able to answer him simply. Then the driver asked me where I was going and I motioned to the official guys and said “the same” (as in the same place as them). I assume he understood what I was trying to say because he shook his head with understanding. So we get back to town finally and we get stuck at a busy intersection so I try to tell the driver that I want to just get out here because I was already late and my plan was to just catch a taxi to where I needed to meet my lunch appointment. He says, “no, no, we can drop you off at the corner after we get through this traffic light.” So I agree with him. We get through the intersection and I get out. I try to pay him about as much as my taxi ride to the mountain cost me but he wouldn’t take the money. So, after all that, not only did I get back from the mountain but I didn’t even have to pay for it. Sweet!