Bus Stories thus far
So, in the bus scene, it's been a bit interesting. In inter city buses, nothing really ever seems to go right.
My first experience was when I was traveling on a one hour minibus from Sighisoara to Targu Mures. It seems like a fairly simple idea. Just wait to you get to a big city and then get off at the main bus station, doesn't it? No no, that'd be way too easy. First, what you have to do is wait til you get to the city, clearly say only the city's name and point outside. When they don't understand you, you say it again with more vigor. When they nod, you look really scared because the bus didn't stop at a station and has already left the station. You get up, run to the front of the bus where an old lady is standing and look at her in despair trying to get her attention. You say the city's name again and she nods in agreement. You look more scared then and try and get her to tell the bus driver that you don't want to leave this city. She says something in Romanian to the effect of "Where are you going?" You mutter "here" with other nonsensical noises and point downwards. After a few minutes she does the same thing, as well as you do. But wait!... the bus is beginning to slow down and stop. But is this a bus station? No.... it's just a normal city bus stop. What am I doing here? you get off either way. you look around totally confused, but luckily you have the number of the guy who was supposed to meet you. You call him and say you have no idea where you are. He asks you to describe it. You say... well, I'm on the main street and there's a big yellow building and a sign with the date, time, and temperature. Later, you find out it's the Polyclinic and he makes it there. And it leaves you thinking... What in the hell just happened here?
Here's a photo of a minibus which are everywhere and act as real buses. Oh yea, it was an hour late also which is normal.
Story number two comes when I was planning on traveling from Targu Mures to Sigheti Maramures in the north. What is supposed to be a 5 hour trip. In the morning we went there because there was supposed to be a bus that leaves daily. We get there and apparently this bus is on holiday for the next two weeks. Oh, great, awesome, maybe they should update the national bus website sometime. Ok, no problem... luckily I don't care about keeping a schedule... where could i go. Where does the next bus go to? There was a bus (a real bus this time) going to a big city 2 hours away called Cluj. I really hadn't been planning on visiting this place, but I thought ok why not. So i went to the bus and tried to get on... you'd think it would be simple enough, wouldn't you? Just buy a ticket and get on, right? Well... you forget my friend that I'm traveling in Romania, the land where the traveller always gets the shaft.
I walked up and asked for one ticket please (actually my friend did cuz i don't speak Romanian if you didn't know). Yes? one ticket you want huh? Sorry, we have a few spots open still but I'm not gonna sell it to you right now, said the bus driver. (You see, the bus didn't end in Cluj, but in a big city 4 hours farther.) So, he said, if no one comes who wants to go to the farther city, then you can go, but you'll have to wait until right up to the time when we're ready to go. (Sounds like a reasonable sentence from a reasonable SOB, huh?)
Anyways, by the time we left, we went and asked again and there happened to be one seat left, and he said that it's "somewhere in the back". Well... of course it would have to be the one in the back corner. I'm carrying my satchel, backpack and some lunch and I look back and think, "There is no way me and all my stuff are getting back there, no freakin way." I walk and i try to put my satchel up top but it doesn't fit. Ok, no problem, i say to myself. But as i get closer to the back, people's stuff was strewn all over aisle so that I couldn't even get back there. So, first i put my lunch up top. Then kinda throw my satchel in the seat, and carefully take my backpack off and put it in the floor. And then i grabbed my lunch. So i'm sitting there, in the back corner of a crowded bus, jam packed, with my backpack between my legs, my satchel in my lap, and me trying somehow to make myself a sandwich from a loaf of bread, packaged cheese, and slices of ham, wriggling out my knife several times to cut something else open. And squooshed by the big gentleman next to me up against the window, and then trying to write something down. Wow, that was a good experience
My first experience was when I was traveling on a one hour minibus from Sighisoara to Targu Mures. It seems like a fairly simple idea. Just wait to you get to a big city and then get off at the main bus station, doesn't it? No no, that'd be way too easy. First, what you have to do is wait til you get to the city, clearly say only the city's name and point outside. When they don't understand you, you say it again with more vigor. When they nod, you look really scared because the bus didn't stop at a station and has already left the station. You get up, run to the front of the bus where an old lady is standing and look at her in despair trying to get her attention. You say the city's name again and she nods in agreement. You look more scared then and try and get her to tell the bus driver that you don't want to leave this city. She says something in Romanian to the effect of "Where are you going?" You mutter "here" with other nonsensical noises and point downwards. After a few minutes she does the same thing, as well as you do. But wait!... the bus is beginning to slow down and stop. But is this a bus station? No.... it's just a normal city bus stop. What am I doing here? you get off either way. you look around totally confused, but luckily you have the number of the guy who was supposed to meet you. You call him and say you have no idea where you are. He asks you to describe it. You say... well, I'm on the main street and there's a big yellow building and a sign with the date, time, and temperature. Later, you find out it's the Polyclinic and he makes it there. And it leaves you thinking... What in the hell just happened here?
Here's a photo of a minibus which are everywhere and act as real buses. Oh yea, it was an hour late also which is normal.
Story number two comes when I was planning on traveling from Targu Mures to Sigheti Maramures in the north. What is supposed to be a 5 hour trip. In the morning we went there because there was supposed to be a bus that leaves daily. We get there and apparently this bus is on holiday for the next two weeks. Oh, great, awesome, maybe they should update the national bus website sometime. Ok, no problem... luckily I don't care about keeping a schedule... where could i go. Where does the next bus go to? There was a bus (a real bus this time) going to a big city 2 hours away called Cluj. I really hadn't been planning on visiting this place, but I thought ok why not. So i went to the bus and tried to get on... you'd think it would be simple enough, wouldn't you? Just buy a ticket and get on, right? Well... you forget my friend that I'm traveling in Romania, the land where the traveller always gets the shaft.
I walked up and asked for one ticket please (actually my friend did cuz i don't speak Romanian if you didn't know). Yes? one ticket you want huh? Sorry, we have a few spots open still but I'm not gonna sell it to you right now, said the bus driver. (You see, the bus didn't end in Cluj, but in a big city 4 hours farther.) So, he said, if no one comes who wants to go to the farther city, then you can go, but you'll have to wait until right up to the time when we're ready to go. (Sounds like a reasonable sentence from a reasonable SOB, huh?)
Anyways, by the time we left, we went and asked again and there happened to be one seat left, and he said that it's "somewhere in the back". Well... of course it would have to be the one in the back corner. I'm carrying my satchel, backpack and some lunch and I look back and think, "There is no way me and all my stuff are getting back there, no freakin way." I walk and i try to put my satchel up top but it doesn't fit. Ok, no problem, i say to myself. But as i get closer to the back, people's stuff was strewn all over aisle so that I couldn't even get back there. So, first i put my lunch up top. Then kinda throw my satchel in the seat, and carefully take my backpack off and put it in the floor. And then i grabbed my lunch. So i'm sitting there, in the back corner of a crowded bus, jam packed, with my backpack between my legs, my satchel in my lap, and me trying somehow to make myself a sandwich from a loaf of bread, packaged cheese, and slices of ham, wriggling out my knife several times to cut something else open. And squooshed by the big gentleman next to me up against the window, and then trying to write something down. Wow, that was a good experience
posted by Zach Barnes at 12:25 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home