Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Monday, December 2, 2013

Expecting the unexpected in Georgia

Georgia has the best drivers


Once a Turk told me, all Georgian drivers on the road remained by natural selection, hence, those remained on the road alive and kicking, are best of the best. Many cars on the road got smashed front window, missing bumper, broken doors, license plate loosely hammered, bumps all over and many look disastrous. Of course, they could be cheap second hand, but they could also be road warriors. With so much mountain in the Caucasus
region, roads are bad. Though most currently under construction, more are still work-in-progress and - Georgian love to speed. We saw crashed car a few times while traveling around Georgia. Police and road maintenance guys seem to be very experienced. They handled the situation with extreme efficiency. Cars will drive on the pedestrian path for parking, take some unexpected U-turn anywhere, drive backward in full speed, make quick turn at the corner and would seldom slow down to let you cross even if its a zebra crossing or a green pedestrian light. They always take priority over pedestrians. LOOK TWICE while you cross or even drive (well, we dared not rent a car) if you want to leave Georgia alive!


Life warning II


Hold on to the handrails when you are on the escalator of the metro in Tbilisi. I encountered the escalator stopping abruptly twice, during one of my short weekend stay in the capital. The long, deep, speedy escalator heading underground had then appeared in my nightmare.
 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Wine and Georgian



drink and lunch after mass
Georgians are proud of their 7000 years (or some said 8000 years) wine making history, probably the first wine making country in the entire world. Every family have their own homemade wine and chacha (hard alcohol made with stems and skins of grapes or local fruits sometimes). These homemade wine and chacha could be wild and raw, but you may find really good ones if you are lucky. The thing is, they dont really need good wine with the way they drink. If they are having a feast or gathering, named assupra’, guests gathered at a long table, with a toastmaster, orTamadasaying a poem, or toast with a long speech every time and drink bottom up after each toast, then accompany with a piece of bread or grilled meat or for chacha or vodka, accompanying a sip of water or soft drink. And that could go on all night. We only saw them gathered in a restaurant having such big feast and unluckily havent been to one at home during our month stay in Georgia.



home-made chacha distillation
home cellar in Kutaisi
Georgians are very generous about alcohol too. Many a time, we were walking down the street, bumped into some gathering, usually guys, in a flee market, a wedding preparation, a construction site, or even in front of a grave, we were invited to join and were offered chacha or homemade wine. Once, in Kutaisi, we even got a whole two liter of wine when we were passing someones garden. All I could say is, Georgians are extremely hospitable. We are told that its normal for a Georgian man to drink 10 litres of alcohol for one evening!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Top five attraction in Katowice, Poland

We love exploring cities without tourists and Katowice is a place skipped by most guidebook. Our couchsurfing friends took us around during our 3 days' stay and we are happy to explore something special about this small city.

1) Miners Quarter
There is a small town called Nikiszowiec where miners used to live and the windows are distinguished by a yellow frame. You will then know, they are miners. In the residential complex itself, they are all brick buildings with red frames, where artists move in, and brides take pictures with.






 

2) gallery near miners quarter - Galeria Szyb Wilson
The miners are actually talented artists. The gallery displayed artwork by amateur artists, including talented miners. 







3) stadium that played third encounter music at 7pm every evening
In the city centre, there is a stadium playing "the five notes" of the movie "Close encounter of the third kind" every evening. My friend didn't realized what it was until they talked about this familiar tune.

 

4) horrible Le Corbuersier high rise complex for 2000 residence
I am a big fans of organic design, like Gaudi, Hunderwasser. Le Corbuersier had this aweful high rise complex built in the middle of the city to suffocate individualism, this kind of compacted high rise apartment is also a characteristic of the once communistic society and a mark of horror to me.

5) bar area - 
drinking in the street is illegal but there are bar area which is popular to this university town. youngsters would be sitting near the square for a drink and hide their bottle if a police pass by. Polices are known to prosecute those who drink in the street and deliberately avoid big guys street fighting on the other end!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

小心成為埃及騙子盜賊提款機

在埃及各城,尤其遊客區,每次離開機場、車站、或經過碼頭、古跡、巿集,總會被一群「售貨員」包圍。被日語、普通話或韓語問候,(對不起!你們全估錯了!)然後硬推的士、帆船、馬車、三輪電單車服務、或旅館、食肆、紀念品不等。當你說,不用了,謝謝,他們會充耳不聞,繼續硬銷。最常用的對白係,「好平喎,你估下幾多錢 ?」一天聽十幾次,其實都幾好笑。有幾次仲有馬車話免費!
 
有緣在埃及認識了不少亞洲旅客,有大陸內地的,有台灣的,也有韓國的。大家不約而同的互相警告說,如在街上遇上英文了得的本地人,便要特別小心!

不只一次,在坐公共小巴、三輪電單車或買東西時,若司機或老闆不善英語,總會有一位路人甲出現,代當時人講價。這種「街上即時傳譯員」總會將價格提高一點,從中取利!

可以做的,唯有多做功課,先看旅遊書的價錢作參考,價問三家,再由一折開始大膽講價,可能的話,學兩句阿拉伯語加上手語及用寫的直接只與當時人講價。不用理會路人甲、乙、丙。

因不想成為水魚,我們堅決拒絕乖乖的付外國人價,每天小心翼翼、秒秒議價,實在累斃了。

聽說,在開羅金字塔區坐駱駝,一輪千辛萬苦的議價後,駱夫又會在半路停下,坐地起價,並要求索取駝夫、助手、助手的助手的貼士,沒完沒了。




我們初到開羅,想買電話咭,便在巿中心,開羅博物館附近找電話公司,一英語流利(危險!)的中年男子在路上問我們是否要幫忙,我們婉拒,但他堅持說,「放心,不收錢的,埃及人其實很友善嘛!況且,女士你長得跟我太太很像;先生你的小鬍子也像埃及人,特有親切感。」我們想,只是帶路到電話公司上台,也騙不到什麼錢,便隨他走。我們本想去品牌專門店,但好心先生卻領我們到了一家類似先達的小店。繼而搶著議價,不讓我們與店員直接對話。唉!又上當了!價錢比我們所知的高出十倍。我們調頭便走。他還在後面還價呢!

稍後,可靠埃及朋友告訴我們,電話咭還是到品牌店買比較靠得住,街頭電話店最多只適宜買增值咭。

又有一次,我們在舊開羅區遇上一埃及人,英語流利(危險!)但十分友善的說自己與我們同路,正在回家,可順路帶我們走折徑,並介紹我們到附近一些必到名勝,不收錢的,叫我們放心。我們一起走了近二十分鐘,路上他說他下月結婚,若我們仍在開羅,歡迎我們參加他的婚禮。他更從口袋,拿出未婚妻的照片給我們看,並說要交換電郵,好讓他寄結婚日的照片給我們看。一路走著,他說要帶我們到藍清真寺,更說寺內有一高㙮,居高臨下,是看日落及四處景色的好地方。入寺有建議收費而高㙮另須收費,也是為區內兒童的教育、醫療謀福利的。(我們心想,開始不妥)其實,我們前幾天已到過清真寺區,建築甚獨特,但已看個飽了,並不想再看。況且,很多清真寺也是免費參觀的,要花錢的高㙮也去過一個了。但見他善心滿載的樣子,還是跟著他走。到了他所謂的藍色清真寺(好像跟旅遊書的有點出入),寺算是中小型,亦有點破舊。好心先生帶了我進寺內的辦公室,叫我在箱中捐款。我覺得難以拒絕,給了一點零錢,但我們並沒有興趣參觀。他便說,我帶你走了好一段路,看,我一臉是汗,請給我點什麼吧!喂,先生,你不是說不要錢,又剛好順路的嗎?我說,那給你支原子筆吧!他拒絕我的小心意...終於說,我結婚缺錢呢!

真的假的?!方法較有創意,還是在拿導遊費。在他的叫嚷聲下,我倆急歩離開現場。

幸好,此類騙導遊費的人物沒有多大攻擊性,亦不會跟蹤我們。順利脫險!

另一次,在艾夫(Elfu),一個阿斯旺(Aswan)與六合所(Luxor)之間的小鎭看完一神廟古蹟,剛好遇上一大群小朋友放學,相信他們少見外國人,最初由興奮異常的前來跟我們握手,漸漸變成一大群的前後族擁,再演變成拍手臂、踼大腿,場面愈發失控。有一個見義勇為的十來歲小朋友為我們護航,亦有路人幫忙喝罵。走了一小段路,我跑到一家影印店,向老闆娘問路。老闆娘即時先行喝罵開始過份的小人兒。因路上太多人圍觀,一馬車經過,車主顧著看熱鬧,撞上路上停泊的車,一時間弄致人馬翻。亂攪出一場小鎮風雲。我們剛好跳上公車,逃之夭夭。



又有朋友在阿斯旺的岸邊想上公共船渡河到象島,被騙上了一艘私家船,開船才得知被騙,進退兩難,只好老大不願意地付上十倍價錢。雖然埃及物價偏低,但狠狠的被騙還是心有不甘。



亦是阿斯旺巿集,有小販推銷絲巾,蓋一下路人的面,蓋一下背包,再添一下踫撞,老公及兩位同行台灣女生的背包通通被打開了。幸好,他們眼明手快,大聲喝止,幸保不失。



好像將埃及說成危機處處,立入禁止之地,但她的遠古歷史、在聖經古籍中的地位、古蹟之多,實在是一個寶地。在我們一年多的旅程中,埃及亦是數一數二物價最低廉的地方。只好說生活艱難,令窮人無可奈何而已。不得不說,我們在開羅、阿斯旺、象島、六合所、阿力山大、海格特也有遇上真心相對,不心計的好埃及人。如我們不是背包客,只是遊客心態,不計價錢,只為盡興,可能會玩得舒服點,像旅遊書說,畢竟要接受他們國民的平均收入較旅客的祖國低,因此,同一件貨物或服務有不同的預想價值也是合理不過。只要是你認為的目標價便是好價錢,高處末算高。

再者,值得欣賞的是,與埃及人議價後,他們定必講口齒,就算要找續,他們也會如實交貨,如數找換。總比在大陸那種騙財騙貨的情況好。相對,亦因議價的空間大,會議價的,撿到便宜也不定!