So when we first arrived in Bulgaria Jeff wrote a funny post about a somewhat crazy taxi driver we had one evening entitled, "Taxi Driver #1." We expected to have many more taxi drivers to talk about but for the most part all the drivers we've had have been courteous and friendly. Until this evening.
Margaret, a friend of my coworker, Lindsay, arrived in Sofia tonight and seeing as how I was the only international staff on campus, I went to greet her at the gate (you have to have a gate pass to get in and she doesn't have one yet). Lindsay will be arriving later tonight.
Anyway, when the taxi pulled up to the gate I expected Margaret to pay, jump out, get her bags, and we would be on our way back onto campus. But instead it looked like she and the taxi driver were arguing. Did she forget to get leva at the airport? Did she not have enough? Finally, she stepped out of the car and said, "Are you Shannon? I'm Margaret. He's charging me 37 lv for this ride and I don't have enough money." I was dumbfounded! It costs no more than 8 lv to get from the airport to campus. This is when I realized that this was not OK Taxi (the reliable and trustworthy company that we always use). And according to the sign on his window, he charges 4.99 lv for every km. This is absurd!
So we argued with him - me saying it should only be 8 lv, Margaret saying she would pay 15 lv if he would just give her bags to her (they were in the trunk), him saying it's his company and that's what he charges and he would call the police. He wouldn't budge. Grr. I hadn't brought any cash with me to meet her, so she finally convinced him that if he would take her to an ATM she would pay 30 lv. What a rip off! So off they went.
When they got back about 10 minutes later she got out of the car and said, "I'm really sorry to do this to you Shannon, but the ATM wouldn't take my card, so can I borrow 10 lv?" Poor thing! What a terrible welcome to this country (although she had been here before). So I ran back to my house, grabbed some cash, and ran back to Margaret and the taxi driver (probably took me more than 5 minutes - it's a bit of a distance from the gate). I gave her a ten, she had 15, the driver demanded 30 and finally accepted the 2 American dollars she had in her wallet. We both told him how rude this was, what a rip-off it was, how if he had just accepted the 15 in the first place he could have gotten other fairs already, and finally, how he made an incredibly poor welcome to foreigners here. His response was, "It's not my problem." Jackass.
The sad thing about this is that Margaret was well-prepared for this. Lindsay had given her enough cash for a snack and a cab ride from the airport. She had instructed her to only take OK Taxi and to beware of impostors. Margaret even asked the person helping her to the taxi if it was OK Taxi and he said yes. The truth was that the O in OK had a slash in it and they were called Softrans instead of Supertrans (in Cyrillic of course: софтранс vs. супертранс - how is someone who doesn't read Cyrillic supposed to tell the difference?!?). In fact, their phone number was off by only one digit from OK's phone number. So having only been here once before, having been told this was OK Taxi, and, I suppose, believing that people are inherently good, Margaret got in and didn't think to look at the price. And paid a price for the corruption that is so common in this country.
So, to finish this story, we love OK Taxi and really hate those nasty impostors. Here is a good description of how to tell the real OK Taxi from the fake ones (especially at the airport) by our friend Carolyn http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/yeah-o-k-taxi/. This will be especially useful to anyone who might be traveling here.
We'd heard about this sort of bad experience with the taxis here, but until this evening had not had the pleasure of actually having one of these experiences.
Welcome to Bulgaria, Margaret. I hope the rest of your stay is much more pleasant.
Showing posts with label taxi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taxi. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Clouds Lifting
The clouds lifted over Sofia today, and my spirits did as well. We've had 10 days or so of pretty much solid cold, drizzly, windy, misty nastiness. A few nights it got below freezing, and the heat is not yet turned on in our classrooms or offices. They have been trying to turn it on for a few days now, but it's an old, creaky system, and no significant amount of heat is coming out yet. Oh well...maybe next week (until then the little portable electric heater Shannon and I bought last weekend is coming in quite handy).
I'm leading a field trip tomorrow for my International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology class. Field trips are not a common thing at our school, to the extent that one of my students had to ask "What's a field trip?" We're studying ecology right now, and we've got this mountain with a national park just a few miles from campus, and it seemed a crime not to go outside a little. This time of year planning an outdoor field trip, especially one up a mountain, involves having a little luck with the weather gods. Fingers still crossed, but right now it is supposed to be clear and rather warm and pleasant tomorrow (highs in the 60s F down here, but of course cooler up top).
I've been freaking out trying to figure out how I would get my class there, where we would go, what we would do, all that stuff. I only have 5 students in that class, so I get to be a little flexible, but I still wanted to have some sort of a plan. I thought we would take the ski lift up, but it's down for maintenance during October, so I'm having the school driver take us up the access road in a van to the top of the ski lift. Problem is, I have never been up that road to see what ecological communities are along it that might be worth investigating, or what the logistics of such a trip would be.
I had thought I might do a scouting trip a few days ago, but the weather continued to be lousy. Finally, today, the clouds parted, and the sun came out, revealing a lovely snowy mountaintop.
After school, I weighed my options. On my mountain map it shows a public bus line running up the mountain road, although I've been unable to determine how often it comes, where or when it stops. I decided to take a taxi. That's right: I took a taxi up the mountain today. :) Growing up in Michigan I think I took one taxi before the age of 18, so I never thought I'd be taking one up a mountain.
The driver was friendly enough, but spoke very little English (a common theme of taxi drivers around here, you'll notice). We managed to communicate that I spoke some German, and his daughter was fluent in German. He called his daughter on his cell while he was battling ring road traffic (scary). I attempted to explain to her in German, then English (I discovered her English was better than my German, at the moment) where I wanted to go, and then she translated for her father. It was pretty comical. I was surprised at how hard it was for me to speak German all of a sudden, especially since I keep trying to use German or Spanish phrases when I'm wracking my brain for Bulgarian words.
It was a beautiful drive up the mountain...fall colors, a clear view of the city, and no other cars. It was about a 30 minute trip from my house, and my total bill was about $15, including tip. Not bad, and if there were two of us it probably would have been cheaper than the gondola ride.
I didn't really have a plan of what I was doing at the top (there are hotels/restaurants up there, but all closed in this off-season between summer hiking and winter skiing). Mostly I wanted to poke around, see where some trails went, look at the vegetation, figure out where to take my students. I also wanted to be able to get home, and not freeze. I had not dressed warmly enough (that's twice in a row now for Vitosha...that mountain keeps surprising me).
Once again we called the cab driver's daughter. I asked her to ask her father if he knew if the one and only bus was still running that time of day, and if so when/where it might come. She translated for her father, who found some random guy outside and asked him in Bulgarian. The verdict was that I should be able to pick up a bus back down in 30 minutes or 1.5 hours. Though I didn't really believe I could catch this bus (if only catching buses were as easy as catching colds...), I felt confident with my new cell phone in my pocket that I could extricate myself from most unforeseen circumstances, so I paid the driver (with a healthy tip) and set off. As I walked away, I asked a bystander if spoke English (a little), and if he knew anything about the fabled bus (he didn't). I thanked him and moved on.
I walked around aimlessly for about 30 minutes, getting chilly but enjoying being out of the city on a silly after-school adventure. I considered walking down the mountain to a new town I hadn't been to yet, but thought better of it. I talked to a random maintenance guy about the bus, who was confident that I had definitely missed the last bus for the day, but I could probably hitch a ride if I walked down along the road. I decided I would walk down a forest path that frequently intersected the road, so that I could bail and hitch a ride (or call another taxi) if I wanted, or (hopefully) have a pleasant woodsy walk back to town if things went well.
Right about as I was about to set off down the path, I discovered the first gentleman I had encountered and asked about the bus. He was waiting in his late-model Audi (engine running) with his wife and kids in the back seat (empty passenger seat).
"You go to Sofia?"
"Yes."
"Want ride?"
[of course]
"Get in."
This nice man had actually tried to follow me on my walk to hail me back, to warn me that I had missed the bus (I had seen some weird guy whistling and waving in the distance, but didn't know he was trying to get my attention). When he couldn't get my attention, he waited for me, just so that he could give me a ride back home! (A ride that I hadn't asked for, and didn't expect!)
"I like mountains, and I like people. I want to help you," he said.
Turns out he owns a construction firm, he didn't work today because his kids were sick (they were coughing all over me from the back seat...yay, swine flu!), and he likes to ski. He learned some English back in the early 1990s by living in Cyprus. I didn't know that Cypriots speak English, but now I do. He drove me all the way back to campus (I kept offering to get out and catch a bus/taxi once we were in "civilization," but he wouldn't let me). We exchanged phone numbers (so happy to finally have a phone!) and said he wants to take me skiing this winter. Nice.
So...a taxi up the mountain for $15, a free ride down. Not bad for a Wednesday afternoon. I didn't really get a hike in, but just knowing for the future that I could get to a trailhead or three on my own makes me feel so much more independent. This is my first time in 10 years I haven't had a car, and my first time since age 5 that I haven't had a bike. It's a hard adjustment for my independence, especially as it's been hard to figure out the public transit system. The knowledge that I can call a taxi (yay, cell phone) and go hiking after school for a reasonable fee makes me feel very happy, even if that road will close for the winter soon. At least I know it's there.
Shannon also noted new-found independence today. She ran some errands that included taking a bus, calling her Bulgarian tailor on the phone (who doesn't speak English), and then going to the grocery store. Today was apparently the first time Shannon has left campus alone since coming to Bulgaria, venturing into the strange, strange world we live in without assistance (I hadn't realized until now that she hadn't done this yet!) Having her cell phone helped give her the confidence to do that also (who knew how reliant we have become on our phones?). We both felt proud/satisfied with our after school activities today. Gaining independence makes everything feel more surmountable.
One more thing that makes me happy: I downloaded on my cell phone a bulgarian-english dictionary which came in very very useful for my pidgin communications today. Yay, technological gadgets!
G'night, all!
I'm leading a field trip tomorrow for my International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology class. Field trips are not a common thing at our school, to the extent that one of my students had to ask "What's a field trip?" We're studying ecology right now, and we've got this mountain with a national park just a few miles from campus, and it seemed a crime not to go outside a little. This time of year planning an outdoor field trip, especially one up a mountain, involves having a little luck with the weather gods. Fingers still crossed, but right now it is supposed to be clear and rather warm and pleasant tomorrow (highs in the 60s F down here, but of course cooler up top).
I've been freaking out trying to figure out how I would get my class there, where we would go, what we would do, all that stuff. I only have 5 students in that class, so I get to be a little flexible, but I still wanted to have some sort of a plan. I thought we would take the ski lift up, but it's down for maintenance during October, so I'm having the school driver take us up the access road in a van to the top of the ski lift. Problem is, I have never been up that road to see what ecological communities are along it that might be worth investigating, or what the logistics of such a trip would be.
I had thought I might do a scouting trip a few days ago, but the weather continued to be lousy. Finally, today, the clouds parted, and the sun came out, revealing a lovely snowy mountaintop.
After school, I weighed my options. On my mountain map it shows a public bus line running up the mountain road, although I've been unable to determine how often it comes, where or when it stops. I decided to take a taxi. That's right: I took a taxi up the mountain today. :) Growing up in Michigan I think I took one taxi before the age of 18, so I never thought I'd be taking one up a mountain.
The driver was friendly enough, but spoke very little English (a common theme of taxi drivers around here, you'll notice). We managed to communicate that I spoke some German, and his daughter was fluent in German. He called his daughter on his cell while he was battling ring road traffic (scary). I attempted to explain to her in German, then English (I discovered her English was better than my German, at the moment) where I wanted to go, and then she translated for her father. It was pretty comical. I was surprised at how hard it was for me to speak German all of a sudden, especially since I keep trying to use German or Spanish phrases when I'm wracking my brain for Bulgarian words.
It was a beautiful drive up the mountain...fall colors, a clear view of the city, and no other cars. It was about a 30 minute trip from my house, and my total bill was about $15, including tip. Not bad, and if there were two of us it probably would have been cheaper than the gondola ride.
I didn't really have a plan of what I was doing at the top (there are hotels/restaurants up there, but all closed in this off-season between summer hiking and winter skiing). Mostly I wanted to poke around, see where some trails went, look at the vegetation, figure out where to take my students. I also wanted to be able to get home, and not freeze. I had not dressed warmly enough (that's twice in a row now for Vitosha...that mountain keeps surprising me).
Once again we called the cab driver's daughter. I asked her to ask her father if he knew if the one and only bus was still running that time of day, and if so when/where it might come. She translated for her father, who found some random guy outside and asked him in Bulgarian. The verdict was that I should be able to pick up a bus back down in 30 minutes or 1.5 hours. Though I didn't really believe I could catch this bus (if only catching buses were as easy as catching colds...), I felt confident with my new cell phone in my pocket that I could extricate myself from most unforeseen circumstances, so I paid the driver (with a healthy tip) and set off. As I walked away, I asked a bystander if spoke English (a little), and if he knew anything about the fabled bus (he didn't). I thanked him and moved on.
I walked around aimlessly for about 30 minutes, getting chilly but enjoying being out of the city on a silly after-school adventure. I considered walking down the mountain to a new town I hadn't been to yet, but thought better of it. I talked to a random maintenance guy about the bus, who was confident that I had definitely missed the last bus for the day, but I could probably hitch a ride if I walked down along the road. I decided I would walk down a forest path that frequently intersected the road, so that I could bail and hitch a ride (or call another taxi) if I wanted, or (hopefully) have a pleasant woodsy walk back to town if things went well.
Right about as I was about to set off down the path, I discovered the first gentleman I had encountered and asked about the bus. He was waiting in his late-model Audi (engine running) with his wife and kids in the back seat (empty passenger seat).
"You go to Sofia?"
"Yes."
"Want ride?"
[of course]
"Get in."
This nice man had actually tried to follow me on my walk to hail me back, to warn me that I had missed the bus (I had seen some weird guy whistling and waving in the distance, but didn't know he was trying to get my attention). When he couldn't get my attention, he waited for me, just so that he could give me a ride back home! (A ride that I hadn't asked for, and didn't expect!)
"I like mountains, and I like people. I want to help you," he said.
Turns out he owns a construction firm, he didn't work today because his kids were sick (they were coughing all over me from the back seat...yay, swine flu!), and he likes to ski. He learned some English back in the early 1990s by living in Cyprus. I didn't know that Cypriots speak English, but now I do. He drove me all the way back to campus (I kept offering to get out and catch a bus/taxi once we were in "civilization," but he wouldn't let me). We exchanged phone numbers (so happy to finally have a phone!) and said he wants to take me skiing this winter. Nice.
So...a taxi up the mountain for $15, a free ride down. Not bad for a Wednesday afternoon. I didn't really get a hike in, but just knowing for the future that I could get to a trailhead or three on my own makes me feel so much more independent. This is my first time in 10 years I haven't had a car, and my first time since age 5 that I haven't had a bike. It's a hard adjustment for my independence, especially as it's been hard to figure out the public transit system. The knowledge that I can call a taxi (yay, cell phone) and go hiking after school for a reasonable fee makes me feel very happy, even if that road will close for the winter soon. At least I know it's there.
Shannon also noted new-found independence today. She ran some errands that included taking a bus, calling her Bulgarian tailor on the phone (who doesn't speak English), and then going to the grocery store. Today was apparently the first time Shannon has left campus alone since coming to Bulgaria, venturing into the strange, strange world we live in without assistance (I hadn't realized until now that she hadn't done this yet!) Having her cell phone helped give her the confidence to do that also (who knew how reliant we have become on our phones?). We both felt proud/satisfied with our after school activities today. Gaining independence makes everything feel more surmountable.
One more thing that makes me happy: I downloaded on my cell phone a bulgarian-english dictionary which came in very very useful for my pidgin communications today. Yay, technological gadgets!
G'night, all!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Taxi Driver #1
[This is called "Taxi Driver #1" because I assume there will be many more interesting taxi drivers in our future.]
My high school friend Paul was visiting for 2 days (yay, our first visitor!), so we took a walking tour of Sofia (with a paid guide and everything), followed by a lovely meal of "traditional Bulgarian food." Perhaps Shannon will post on those later. Our previously summer-y weather changed dramatically on Sunday, and today was rainy and in the 50s Fahrenheit, making the walking tour rather chilling. [Sofia was actually the "coldest city in Europe" on Sunday and Monday. Awesome.]
We took the subway downtown (and got to use a station that is brand new...it opened yesterday.) We rewarded ourselves with a taxi ride home, trying our best to find a legitimate cabbie (many pirate cabbies will charge 10 times or more the standard rate to unsuspecting tourists).
I got in the front seat, closed the door normally, and was immediately scolded by the driver not to slam the door. I apologized. The scolding continued. I apologized again. The driver spoke pretty good English, and when I didn't hear/understand his question, he mocked me "What, do you not understand English?" "In the United States, what would a cab driver do if you slammed the door like that?"
I explained that in other countries I had been, such as Costa Rica, the cabbies are also very concerned that closing the door too hard will damage the car, and I tried to apologize for not treating his car with more respect. I was getting annoyed too, however (his smoking in the cab didn't help), so I also said that cabbies in the US really didn't care how you closed the door. He definitely did not believe this. We were stuck in downtown traffic going nowhere while the meter was running, and the cabbie was irate about me not gently nuzzling the door into my bosom. I considered getting out and finding a new cab, but then he seemed to shift his spiel from me to his government and Bulgaria in general. I will try to re-create this for you, but really, it's a poor reproduction.
I hardly asked any questions or responded with more than grunts at first, as he had a monologue that didn't seem to need input, as he narrowly dodged impacts with large, large buses.
Why, he began, after 20 years of "changes," [since the fall of communism], is Bulgaria "still a little bit shit," as he put it? You see that Mercedes S-Class. Bulgarian Mafia. So much corruption. The government and the mafia are "like this" (folding both hands to together...not sure how he was steering at this point). It is so hard to get by in this country. I have to drive 20-22 hours a day. I rent the car, pay the gas, pay the insurance, and I only get 30-35 euro a day. It is not enough. I had a cigarette today [I'm guessing more than one], a coffee. I had lunch. But not enough to take home.
We had a child this spring. The president goes on TV and encourages us to have children, to stay in Bulgaria, not go to other countries in Europe [Bulgaria has a declining population, with low birth rate and high emigration to countries with better economies]. The government promised us 300 euro when our daughter is born. I fill out the paperwork, they say "we have no money now. Maybe later." I apply again, no money. They never have any money.
Why does the USA have perfect roads, perfect economy, perfect government [I would beg to differ, but in comparison, I see his point]? It has been 20 years? Maybe it will take 20,000 years for Bulgaria to get like this.
[I asked if he liked Boiko Borisov, the new prime minister, former mayor of Sofia, and generally considered to have strong ties to the mafia, at least in his past. ]
I love Boiko Borisov. He is our Messiah. He is our Ba-rack O-bama. He is our Spider-Man. He is our...how you call...Bat-Man. I hope he will fix our county.
But...[as we veer around 2 more buses]...the problem is not with our government. It is our people [I've heard this frustration with their own countrymen/culture from some other Bulgarians as well]. We must fix ourselves. I don't know why our country is a little shit.
[He talks about his sister the teacher in Dallas. I don't really understand part of what he is saying about how $10,000 is a lot or little here/there...very confusing. I say we are teachers, and mention the school.]
Oh, that is a very good school. For many Bulgarians, that is the dream to teach there, to be able to send their kids there.
Why do people in your country have such a problem with Barack Obama because he is a black man? White, black, red, I don't care. We're a new generation [he is 31 years old, like me]. Why does it matter?
[and on and on...]
*********************
So that was Milo, Taxi Driver #1. I would have paid the $7 cab fare just for the cultural insight/discussion, never mind the transportation. He scribbled his cell phone number on a sheet of people for me, in case I want to call him and have my own personal cabbie in Sofia. I just might. Of course, I'll have to be a lot more careful with the door.
My high school friend Paul was visiting for 2 days (yay, our first visitor!), so we took a walking tour of Sofia (with a paid guide and everything), followed by a lovely meal of "traditional Bulgarian food." Perhaps Shannon will post on those later. Our previously summer-y weather changed dramatically on Sunday, and today was rainy and in the 50s Fahrenheit, making the walking tour rather chilling. [Sofia was actually the "coldest city in Europe" on Sunday and Monday. Awesome.]
We took the subway downtown (and got to use a station that is brand new...it opened yesterday.) We rewarded ourselves with a taxi ride home, trying our best to find a legitimate cabbie (many pirate cabbies will charge 10 times or more the standard rate to unsuspecting tourists).
I got in the front seat, closed the door normally, and was immediately scolded by the driver not to slam the door. I apologized. The scolding continued. I apologized again. The driver spoke pretty good English, and when I didn't hear/understand his question, he mocked me "What, do you not understand English?" "In the United States, what would a cab driver do if you slammed the door like that?"
I explained that in other countries I had been, such as Costa Rica, the cabbies are also very concerned that closing the door too hard will damage the car, and I tried to apologize for not treating his car with more respect. I was getting annoyed too, however (his smoking in the cab didn't help), so I also said that cabbies in the US really didn't care how you closed the door. He definitely did not believe this. We were stuck in downtown traffic going nowhere while the meter was running, and the cabbie was irate about me not gently nuzzling the door into my bosom. I considered getting out and finding a new cab, but then he seemed to shift his spiel from me to his government and Bulgaria in general. I will try to re-create this for you, but really, it's a poor reproduction.
I hardly asked any questions or responded with more than grunts at first, as he had a monologue that didn't seem to need input, as he narrowly dodged impacts with large, large buses.
Why, he began, after 20 years of "changes," [since the fall of communism], is Bulgaria "still a little bit shit," as he put it? You see that Mercedes S-Class. Bulgarian Mafia. So much corruption. The government and the mafia are "like this" (folding both hands to together...not sure how he was steering at this point). It is so hard to get by in this country. I have to drive 20-22 hours a day. I rent the car, pay the gas, pay the insurance, and I only get 30-35 euro a day. It is not enough. I had a cigarette today [I'm guessing more than one], a coffee. I had lunch. But not enough to take home.
We had a child this spring. The president goes on TV and encourages us to have children, to stay in Bulgaria, not go to other countries in Europe [Bulgaria has a declining population, with low birth rate and high emigration to countries with better economies]. The government promised us 300 euro when our daughter is born. I fill out the paperwork, they say "we have no money now. Maybe later." I apply again, no money. They never have any money.
Why does the USA have perfect roads, perfect economy, perfect government [I would beg to differ, but in comparison, I see his point]? It has been 20 years? Maybe it will take 20,000 years for Bulgaria to get like this.
[I asked if he liked Boiko Borisov, the new prime minister, former mayor of Sofia, and generally considered to have strong ties to the mafia, at least in his past. ]
I love Boiko Borisov. He is our Messiah. He is our Ba-rack O-bama. He is our Spider-Man. He is our...how you call...Bat-Man. I hope he will fix our county.
But...[as we veer around 2 more buses]...the problem is not with our government. It is our people [I've heard this frustration with their own countrymen/culture from some other Bulgarians as well]. We must fix ourselves. I don't know why our country is a little shit.
[He talks about his sister the teacher in Dallas. I don't really understand part of what he is saying about how $10,000 is a lot or little here/there...very confusing. I say we are teachers, and mention the school.]
Oh, that is a very good school. For many Bulgarians, that is the dream to teach there, to be able to send their kids there.
Why do people in your country have such a problem with Barack Obama because he is a black man? White, black, red, I don't care. We're a new generation [he is 31 years old, like me]. Why does it matter?
[and on and on...]
*********************
So that was Milo, Taxi Driver #1. I would have paid the $7 cab fare just for the cultural insight/discussion, never mind the transportation. He scribbled his cell phone number on a sheet of people for me, in case I want to call him and have my own personal cabbie in Sofia. I just might. Of course, I'll have to be a lot more careful with the door.
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