Tuesday Aug 5th = REI FUCKING SUCKS PIG BALLS

Moni's post-
We have two passenger vans that we are using throughout this trip...One van has the trailer where all the bikes get loaded up...We start the day by riding about 15 miles to a town outside of Tabor...we get our bike gear on and someone has monkied with my seat because it's to high up and now i've got to mess with it to bring it back down...about 10 minutes into the ride a gal named Mary falls off her bike...we later find out that she has cracked her knee...the van loads her up and takes her to the hospital...now mind you this is the van that's supposed to be following us...anyway, when i first met Mary yesterday i was thrilled because she was actually someone who was more nervous than myself about riding a bike...so hey, i wasn't the biggest spaz on the block...we bicycle again this morning for about 29 miles...we stop and have a 'picnic' lunch...okay when i read that in the REI description i thought oh maybe we'd be at a park...no, just there on the side of the road...okay, suck it up and go with the flow...after we eat you can do another 20 miles or go in the van but the van is going to the hospital because the guide needs to check on Mary...no biggie we thought...so i'm in the van with Mary's brother and his wife...everyone else decides they're gonna do the 20 miles...however, since now one van is at the hospital and we're in the second van, there will be no support van for the guys on this leg of their ride...great!!!!!!....i'm riding in the van and of course the guide is lost...his name is Slavak and he does not speak English...it takes us 2 and a half hours to find the hospital...talk about burning my whole afternoon...these guides are touted on the REI site as being familiar with the region and knowing the English language...LIES!!!!!...this guide had to stop 4 times to ax for directions...at one point i have to pee...so i see a mcdonalds...yes, a mcdonalds...so i start hollering from the back of the van to stop...he doesn't understand mcdonalds....finally i have to yell 'WC', 'WC' for water closet...that he understands...good lord!...we finally get to the hospital at almost 4pm...we ck on Mary...now, her brother Phil is a heart surgeon so he's trying to talk to the docs thru the guide interpreter that had taken Mary to the hospital...his name is Jan pronounced Yon (he speaks good English)...Slavak takes off and leaves us there so he can go and pick up the other riders...so, since we had both vans the riders not only had to do the 20 miles after lunch they had no option but to do the 10 optional miles too...we finally leave the hospital around 5-30pm...i axed Jan what time is dinner he said 8pm...so i decide to eat a cliff bar so i don't get so crazy...well, guess what...Jan doesn't know the way to Telc...he's got his map out and he's got to stop and ax 3 different times for directions...it's now almost 7pm and Jan tells us we have dinner reservations and we need to be back in the van by 7-20pm...okay i'm in this van stinkin' from the morning ride and now i may not have time to shower before dinner...fuck that...i get out the van and go up to my room and take a shower...big deal we leave a little late for dinner...if i hadn't burned my whole afternoon with these 'lost' drivers i wouldn't be in this position...my issue is not with checking up on Mary at the hospital my issue is with these drivers that are supposed to know the region...so REI fucking sucks pig balls and they will get an earful from me when i get back...for dinner we had duck with cabbage...no, i did not eat the cabbage but the duck was very tasty...that's all i got!

p.s....the only czech i understood was when we were waiting for Mary in her room, there were four other beds so i hop up on one and take off my shoes and relax...the crazy nurse comes in there hollering at me in czech but i understood she wanted me to get off the clean bed...WELL!