Yesterday Karen and I taught the "Preach My Gospel" class at the branch. Had about 10 present including 4 missionaries. Elder Topham interpreted. It went ok. But getting there is what is noteworthy. It was typical. . . but noteworthy. There is no Metro (subway) in Krasnoyarsk. They could use one since the traffic is heavy most of the day. So our transportation is all by city bus or taxi. Since taxis are more expensive we almost always take the bus. The buses are fairly old. Each one has a driver and a conductor. The conductor collects the fares. Right now the fare is 16 roubles or about 50 cents each. We ride the bus about 2-4 times per day. The buses are about 25 feet long and have one or two seats running most of the length of the bus (except where you get on and off and that area is open.) There is an isle down the middle where people stand that is about two to three feet wide. Barely room for two people to stand side by side (and the conductor has to squeeze by these people to go back and forth collecting the fares). There are bars and handgrips for people to hang on to, which is good because there are a lot of fast starts and stops. You have to be aware or you will go flying. . . .except last night, as you will see.
If you take the bus before rush hour then sometimes you can get a seat. We get a seat about half the time. But if it is at rush hour, which is from about 4:00 p.m. to well into the evening at about 8:30 or 9:00 p.m., then forget it. There have been many times (in fact most times) we have come home from the branch building after 9:00 and have not been able to get a seat because the bus is full. Most of our work is at night and we spend most evenings visiting or at the branch building. If things go well and there is little traffic then we can get to the branch in about 30 to 35 minutes. If things go as they usually do then it is anywhere from 45 minutes to almost 1 1/2 hours (like last night.)
Yesterday was as bad as it has ever been. It was full rush hour. When we first got on the bus it was packed with hardly any standing room. They never limit the number that can get on so if more get on then you just have to squeeze in tighter. And believe me riders are not shy about squeezing and forcing their way in. Last night I was pushed so hard against one of the posts that I could hardly breathe and then 5 more people got on and no one got off. Some young man had his arm around Karen just so he could find a place to hang on. Of course it became so tight at this point that you didn't need to hang on because no one could have ever fallen down. Then the conductor had to squeeze by to collect fares. It was actually quite hysterical. I counted 55 people standing in the isle holding on to something (or someone) or other. (Now think of this same scene with everyone wearing their heavy winter coats, scarves and fur hoods and hats.) And then for some reason they started pouring the heat into the bus. It was like an oven on wheels. It took us almost 1 1/2 hours to get to the branch. And then we had to fight thru the crush of people to get off. We have missed our stop before because we couldn't get through the crowd to the door in time.
So last night we got back on the bus at about 9:00 pm and, of course it was full. However the conductor spotted a seat and motioned Karen over to take it. (The people here are very nice) The traffic at this time was heavy. When we finally got to within about two to three blocks of our bus stop (ostanovka) the bus stopped completely. After about 5 minutes going nowhere we decided to get off and walk. Usually they don't let you get off between bus stops but we pushed the button and the driver kindly let us off. We walked to our street, with busses lined up all the way, went into a little grocery store, did some shopping and when we came out our bus still had not reached that store. We finally got home at about 10:00 p.m.
Just riding the bus is an adventure for us. We have met all kinds of people on the bus. But we will save that for a later day. These photos were taken at the bus stop about 1 block from our apartment.
We love it here in Russia. Everyday is a new adventure. And on top of that we get to serve the Lord with these beautiful members in the Krasnoyarsk branch.
If you take the bus before rush hour then sometimes you can get a seat. We get a seat about half the time. But if it is at rush hour, which is from about 4:00 p.m. to well into the evening at about 8:30 or 9:00 p.m., then forget it. There have been many times (in fact most times) we have come home from the branch building after 9:00 and have not been able to get a seat because the bus is full. Most of our work is at night and we spend most evenings visiting or at the branch building. If things go well and there is little traffic then we can get to the branch in about 30 to 35 minutes. If things go as they usually do then it is anywhere from 45 minutes to almost 1 1/2 hours (like last night.)
Yesterday was as bad as it has ever been. It was full rush hour. When we first got on the bus it was packed with hardly any standing room. They never limit the number that can get on so if more get on then you just have to squeeze in tighter. And believe me riders are not shy about squeezing and forcing their way in. Last night I was pushed so hard against one of the posts that I could hardly breathe and then 5 more people got on and no one got off. Some young man had his arm around Karen just so he could find a place to hang on. Of course it became so tight at this point that you didn't need to hang on because no one could have ever fallen down. Then the conductor had to squeeze by to collect fares. It was actually quite hysterical. I counted 55 people standing in the isle holding on to something (or someone) or other. (Now think of this same scene with everyone wearing their heavy winter coats, scarves and fur hoods and hats.) And then for some reason they started pouring the heat into the bus. It was like an oven on wheels. It took us almost 1 1/2 hours to get to the branch. And then we had to fight thru the crush of people to get off. We have missed our stop before because we couldn't get through the crowd to the door in time.
So last night we got back on the bus at about 9:00 pm and, of course it was full. However the conductor spotted a seat and motioned Karen over to take it. (The people here are very nice) The traffic at this time was heavy. When we finally got to within about two to three blocks of our bus stop (ostanovka) the bus stopped completely. After about 5 minutes going nowhere we decided to get off and walk. Usually they don't let you get off between bus stops but we pushed the button and the driver kindly let us off. We walked to our street, with busses lined up all the way, went into a little grocery store, did some shopping and when we came out our bus still had not reached that store. We finally got home at about 10:00 p.m.
Just riding the bus is an adventure for us. We have met all kinds of people on the bus. But we will save that for a later day. These photos were taken at the bus stop about 1 block from our apartment.
We love it here in Russia. Everyday is a new adventure. And on top of that we get to serve the Lord with these beautiful members in the Krasnoyarsk branch.
Thanks for sharing the stories and the photos. We made so many friends on the buses in Atlanta during the Olympics. The buses then were crowded too but nothing like your crowds. WOW!
ReplyDeleteShould I give thanks or feel guilty when I climb, all alone, in my 5 seater jeep and drive directly to each errand?
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