Home » Outdoor & Recreation » Hitchhiking » One Night in Hell

One Night in Hell

© Bernd Wechner

In the year 2000 I experienced a night that was unique in my experience. It comes close to rivaling The Worst Day of My Life ... and I've left 2 years before revisiting the article I wrote then to capture the experience. It's a long a convolved tale, with many threads converging on one theme I think: just what are the depths of human ineptitude?

If you have a moment to spare, kick back and explore this one.

---

Rob was planning to shoot a documentary on hitch-hiking if he could get the funding for it. I was on a tour of hitch-hiking personalities myself and accordingly dropped in on Rob. I stayed a few days but he made almost no time for us to discuss the documentary alas. In fact, I had the first draft of a proposal thrust at me in one heated rush and a completely misfired interview with a producer in another heated rush.

I was invited to talk about the documentary proposal with this producer. I had with me on CD a rather healthy bibliography and much scanned material useful as background research for any seriously factual proposal and Rob thrust us together with no real introduction and had me demonstrate this material. To my repeated complaint, I saw no reason to walk through, however cursorily, a dry and factual list of data and research papers with a television producer. Work which can be performed diligently much later. I was expecting to discuss the documentary, for some strange reason.

So when Rob went to the men's me and the producer could finally thrust this nonsense aside and discuss the real meat, however briefly. Meat which turned out to be minced. He had no interest in Rob's documentary!

Much rather, he wanted to produce a kind of game show format hitch to Asia for television. He asked me if I knew any people with experience hitching to Asia. I cited the two or three that came to mind. Our business was done. Rob returned. The producer excused himself.

On my departure I'm sure Rob was saliently aware of the lack of meaningful discourse between us during my visit, his not having offered any time for it, and asked me to drop in again when I pass next week so we could pursue that. I was heading north, and on returning south would be able to drop in. I promised nothing, expected nothing, and expressed hesitance, but left the option open. The documentary interested me. Rob's passion for it lacked sufficient depth though to lay even a few hours aside for some mutual discussion, or organise a mutually beneficial meeting with others. I found it accordingly difficult to imagine he'd find the depth of passion to execute it.

The copyright of the article One Night in Hell in Hitchhiking is owned by Bernd Wechner. Permission to republish One Night in Hell in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.