(no subject)
Well, down to teh last two weeks here.
Been at least somewhat busy with my friend Bela, going to the Cosmo club, which her cousin is the manager of, and was absolutely dead on a Sunday, so it was just us. not a very spectacular weekend at all. It's mostly just oppressively hot. And apparently there's problems in South Ossetia, (Northern Georgia, near Chechnia & Russia) not too far from here. Not that I knew at all until a friend in the States told me.
And now, some words about everyobne's favorite form of transport, the minibus. Also known as the Marshutka. There are a million of them, all with numbers and where they go in Tbilisi (of course in Georgian). So if you know the right number, you flag one down, find a space (they usually hold 11-16 people), and hold on, s they hll have really crappy brakes. But once you're on, you don't have to think about traffic as the weave in & out. Plus they're only 15-20 cents a ride. And when you want to get off, you shout "Gaacheret!" "Stop it!" or 'Gaameecheret" "Let me the hell off of this thing!"
Constants about the marshutka:
--the one you want will always be crowded or behind another, slow-moving marshutka
--the numbers are put on the side so you can see your marshutka as it drives by
--The marshutka you want never arrives when you want it to or
--you'rre in a hurry and decide to take a different marshutka, only to find it goes ina different way entirely, thus making you miss your friend
Also, thins not to bring on a mashutka (that I've done or seen):
--your cat (even in a carrier, poor thing)
--ceramics
--lightbulbs
--lots of groceries
--very large bags
Although the most amusing thing I've seen:
A guy tells the driver to stop at a small grocery store, gets out, picks up two loaves of bread, pays, then gets back into the minibus and we drive off again. Crazy.
Unhappy b/c ours accidentally hit a dog on the way here. Horrible, horrible.
Also, have been groped and attempted to be pickpocketed of my sunglasses on the minibus. Bah.
Been at least somewhat busy with my friend Bela, going to the Cosmo club, which her cousin is the manager of, and was absolutely dead on a Sunday, so it was just us. not a very spectacular weekend at all. It's mostly just oppressively hot. And apparently there's problems in South Ossetia, (Northern Georgia, near Chechnia & Russia) not too far from here. Not that I knew at all until a friend in the States told me.
And now, some words about everyobne's favorite form of transport, the minibus. Also known as the Marshutka. There are a million of them, all with numbers and where they go in Tbilisi (of course in Georgian). So if you know the right number, you flag one down, find a space (they usually hold 11-16 people), and hold on, s they hll have really crappy brakes. But once you're on, you don't have to think about traffic as the weave in & out. Plus they're only 15-20 cents a ride. And when you want to get off, you shout "Gaacheret!" "Stop it!" or 'Gaameecheret" "Let me the hell off of this thing!"
Constants about the marshutka:
--the one you want will always be crowded or behind another, slow-moving marshutka
--the numbers are put on the side so you can see your marshutka as it drives by
--The marshutka you want never arrives when you want it to or
--you'rre in a hurry and decide to take a different marshutka, only to find it goes ina different way entirely, thus making you miss your friend
Also, thins not to bring on a mashutka (that I've done or seen):
--your cat (even in a carrier, poor thing)
--ceramics
--lightbulbs
--lots of groceries
--very large bags
Although the most amusing thing I've seen:
A guy tells the driver to stop at a small grocery store, gets out, picks up two loaves of bread, pays, then gets back into the minibus and we drive off again. Crazy.
Unhappy b/c ours accidentally hit a dog on the way here. Horrible, horrible.
Also, have been groped and attempted to be pickpocketed of my sunglasses on the minibus. Bah.