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.

 

We've got fined again! by corruptive Bolivian official - photo proof

Leaving Bolivia, on the way from Copacabana to Cusco, we passed the customs at Puno. When showing our passport with the custom form, the officer told us to complete a new form as the one we've kept is torn and broken on the edge. Alright, we filled it up and then he asked for TWENTY BOLIVIANO EACH! Adley tried to argue with him but no use. We have finished all Boliviano, except a few coins before leaving the country and he need to rush out for exchanging some money.


We then asked for a receipt after he chopped exit on our passport and the guy keep saying no. Another tourist helped us translate but the guy pretended not to listen and acted busy. Again, no receipt means no proof and means corruption.


Gosh! We've got robbed by another corrupting official again!


To kept ourselves safe, leaving the country in one piece and  able to catch the same bus, I rushed Adley away, to avoid more trouble.


Lesson to learn: keep your custom form nice, clean, neat and tidy to avoid giving them an excuse to fine you!

在玻利維亞漫長的泥路上...沈船

離開有高樓大廈的小城Santa Cruz，我們往北走，坐了12小時通宵車到Trinidad。其實我們的目的地是再坐12至30小時巴士的 Rurrenabaque。（究竟是12定30？似乎距離很大呢！？）


Rurrenabaque 又名Rurre，是玻利維亞景點中少有的低地，只有海拔105米，因地近亞馬遜盆地，是經河流 Río Bení遊熱帶雨林及到國家公園Parque Nacional Madidi 的出發點。


我們早上6時到Trinidad，沒有幾家巴士公司開門，問了一間是明天早上才出發。其實，我們的理想時間是坐夜車，既可省一晩旅館錢，又可到城中逛一天。



巴士公司末開，先去醫肚。車站旁有個小街巿，有一排食店，我們來了兩客現造的芝士empanadas，兩客frita，一杯咖啡，一杯朱古力，合共B$9。




巴士公司開始開門，最快開出的是上午9時的車。我們怱怱用15分鐘走入城，在銀行換了錢，再買了點麵包好上路。


8:40am趕回巴士公司，巴士公司叔叔叫我們稍等，但後來店裡的媽媽又說車10點才到。


10點多，有個大隻哥哥搬貨上車，搬搬下，我們的背囊也有份。但那是駕貨車！我們嘗試查詢是否有另一駕乘客坐的車，他們只說再等一下吧，快了。


終於，貨搬好，貨車內加兩條長木板便是我們的座位了。

幸好，乘客不多，我倆外，只有一男、一女及一家四口-媽媽、手抱大bb和兩兄妹，位置足夠大家各據一方。另坐車頭的是司機兼老闆、其女兒及另一司機。



車上滿是貨物，有番茄、枱、櫈、一堆木磨、大大小小的箱子，用滿是沙麈的帆布包裹。木板以外，我們便靠在帆布上。車上可能實在太髒，不到一天我臉上已長出粒粒，雙手又開始敏感起來，長出一排排的小泡泡。自巴西Isla Grande開始的，擦了近一個月敏感藥本來痊愈，真麻煩。

車行到中午，停了下來，原來要等船過河。我們下車飲了碗雞湯飯，喝了瓶啤酒，又再上路。

這段路是這國出名的難路, 好多貨車中途停了,我哋估就算我們等多一日撘巴士,也會遭同一命運,可能更慘,因為大巴士上唔到木筏

全程不是黃泥路、沙麈，就是水潭，癲波非常，有老闆女兒在車上，司機似乎相當小心，我們的速度亦慢，前行又要經過另一水道，這程很短，亦立即有船。但車行不久，又停下了。前路半泥半河，無法前行，面前亦有一條長車龍，居然在此要等兩小時，才有摩打木筏送我們走。

日落時份，終於等到隻木筏，忽然變成半小時遊船之遊，在車上看到兩岸的鷺、鴨、鵝、鷹、鱷魚、甚至河豚。最恐怖是水上一條條白色光柱，原來是蚊群，我倆雖已由頭到腳重重包裹，但也不能幸免被餓蚊襲撃。

終於到岸，繼續在泥路上前行。九時多，到了一小鎭，才吃到街邊阿姐最後一碟牛肉飯，只好兩份分。


貨車在鎭上又多了三名乘客。

其實路程經過另一國家公園,出名有好多雀在兩旁,可算是唯一免費娛樂

 
起行了末夠一小時，我睡到半夢半醒，正被旁邊細路的臭腳踢在我肚子上，車停了下來。司機可能太疲倦 ，居然泥足深陷，剷進泥潭中，不能動彈。


老闆與女兒好像是跑回村找幫手。


其他人沒事可做，只有等及睡。

真正的泥足深陷

老公在車上掛起吊床，我倆鑽了進去，一睡到天光。


一覺起來，那三個新乘客棄車走了。車上媽媽坐了駕電單車的士進村買早餐。我們言語不通，怕不會回來，只好留下繼續等。四野無人，幸好有對公公婆婆經過，拿著木瓜到村子賣，我們才有早餐吃。


老闆與女兒坐了駕中型車回來，試拉不果，又叫司機掘泥，最後有一輛拖拉機經過，把貨車拉離了泥，但又要等換電池，終於到近十時才開車。


車行龜速，終於到晩上才到了San Borja。


車停了，我們才知道這是終站。。


被騙了！（或許人家有解釋，是我們聽不明。）


要到Rurrenabaque原來要在此再轉兩次車。那種小巴或的士，又要等齊人才開車。


半夜，終於到了Rurrenabaque，找到旅館落腳。

呢段路程 (Trinidad-Rurre)，如果你唔嫌辛苦或好鍾意睇雀，咁就去啦，我哋就一定無下次，寧願經Cochabamba。

We are over with the coins, but still have problems getting on a bus!

Now we've got Sube! Once we join the 'club', life is much more easier. Despite the fixed office hour for the small shops in recharging the card, (even if the shop still open, recharge service may have already finished)...at least it's easy finding some recharge place than to get the card and we don't need to worry about no coins to get on a bus anymore!


The next problem is finding the bus stop!


We found these two sites helpful in searching which bus to take:


http://www.omnilineas.com/argentina/buenos-aires/city-bus/


http://www.mapa.buenosaires.gov.ar/


But they can't tell you exactly where the bus stop is!


Well, we know the street where that bus located, so we usually have to walk along the street to find it.


But the bus stops are so hidden! Unless a group of people waiting, which make it easier, sometimes you can't really tell where the bus stop sign is. The post is sometime tilted, hidden under a tree or it's just an old torn piece paper stick on a pole! It's almost like treasure hunt!


Okay, even when we get on a bus, we need to tell the driver in Spanish where we wanna go, and according to each destination, he would charged you differently. Lonely Planet only told us most bus fare are Ar$1.25, but we found that a shorter trip could be something like Ar$1.1. So we need to search on the street before we go somewhere and remember the streets of our neighborhood in order to head home!


What's more? There are different route for the same numbered bus, sometimes it's listed as a,b,c but other times, it's only shown on the destination. We are tricked twice taking a bus in the same station to Salon Canning and ended up a completely different route each time even though we got on a same numbered bus!


Last problem is the bus schedule, we seems unable to find bus time even in Guia T, the bus system guidebook nor online. It's not a big problem in daytime, but we had been waited almost an hour for a bus outside Sunderland at 3am!


Well, we are still learning to become a porteña. Way to go!

Buenos Aires 買啤酒的故事

我們兩次去Carrefour買啤酒cerveza（1liter, Ar$5.85-$6.85) 也附加了不明所以的收費，Ar$2.5@!! 是Carrefour不老實，濫收？還是啤酒稅？但紅酒也沒收稅...


因為西語太爛，上網找了很久，終於真相大白。


在這𥚃的超市、士多買大支裝（1L)啤酒，必須要交回同樣大的吉樽，否則要加每支Ar$2-3的按樽費! 難怪住處的廚房放滿玻璃樽！不只啤酒，大支的玻璃瓶可樂也一樣有價！


還有，每家店的按樽費價錢不一，當你拿樽去再買啤酒時，有些可直接在cashier收樽，有些則要在入口服務台，先收樽再發出一張當店樽價的單讓你結算時出示。今日做了測試，那張紙仔只可用來再買啤酒，Ar$2也好、Ar$2.75也好，只代表啤酒按樽費，不可用來購物。 (AT: 喺 Coto 可以呀 !!!)


另外，有些外表一樣，但價錢貴點的啤酒，其實係用不可回收瓶 (no retorno)...


總之，宜家我倆見樽如見錢！！！


Funny story about the beer bottle:
http://www.gringoes.com/articles.asp?ID_Noticia=1806


More info:
http://www.travelsur.net/forum/messages/199/2745.html

Finding Vitamin M along the journey

A good journey needs vitamin M to make it healthy (to us and to the Earth), innovative (to give you insight), memorable (brain cell needs vitamin too), attractive (so more of you can follow our journey). We have been thinking about different ways to find Vitamin M along the way. Some are suggested by friends and we brainstorm some. If you have more ideas and even better, help on the following, please comment and feedback.


1) writing Chinese calligraphy and sell them on the road


2) selling small egg tart (雞蛋仔) on the road


3) playing music on the road (I know harmonica and dizi)


4) cooking meals for each home hosting us (I can do Chinese, Italian, some French cuisines, Maria is good on desserts)


5) any online job (I can do psychological research, online search, statistical analysis, journal article drafting). Please write us email and I'll send you my CV, you can also search me in google scholar "Adley Tsang"


6) online counselling session through MSN, Skype, Tango


7) selling good photo along the journey : you can find the low resolution here, once you pay we sell you the full use and copyright of the high-resolution photos


8) anymore ? please suggest.

Are we specially pessemistic or born worriers ?

Last night I had a Christmas party with the GA crew. The crew I have been with on the boat called GA since 2006. They were very excited about our world trip, also having concern such as medical insurance, the difference between pickpocket and robbery (as the later can claim insurance), transportation, food, money, work and living place after the trip etc. To them we are doing a very bold move, to me they have too many worries. A typical Hong-konger certainly has a lot of worries about such a trip with concern about what next and money. I shared a view that if next year is the end of the world, would there be difference between facing it next to the Iguazu Fall and facing it in your office with piles of work around you. I regretted not going further talking about Jesus's coming at anytime. My point at that time was to challenge their lifeviews. I sensed that they did have some reflection about "would we do that ?". They also suggested many ways of earning money along the way. They are very creative, such as writing Chinese calligraphy of sale (I should buy brush and ink, which are easier to carry than electrical egg pie machine), merchandising local products and selling online etc. They were excited, also mixed an atmosphere of missing and nostalgia.



(watching Maria doing belaying in climbing exam at the moment, kind of distracted now)




Another information I got is the trip from South America in Antarctica. The cheapest way is to wait in the port for budget seat, and that still cost USD5000 per person for a 20 days trip. It is so expensive and we may not go there.


Finally, I won the lucky draw of 3 sunscreen lip balms, which should be enough for use in these 2 years.


It was a good farewell gathering. I left 2 race shirts for Arthur for my successors, don't know if we shall take the same boat when we are back. When I said in a humorous tone that we shall not be back (who knows, but with an idea that we may settle somewhere), they were very worried, with implication that we shall lose our lives somewhere. Why do HK people so pessimistic ? No matter what, they are good people and friends of mine




Thanks to GA and crew for these years of good sailing.