Frogger

September 30, 2009

The drivers here are crazier than drivers on NJ Rt-17!!! Speed limits don’t matter and the lanes on the line are there for decoration. Cars also DO NOT yield to pedestrians. I am not using my NY jaywalking habits here. Yesterday, I saw road construction and I expected traffic to slow down because only one lane could get through at a time. Nope! Road construction is no different than a pedestrian--you don’t have to yield. I asked a Russian girl if there are many car accidents. She said, “No, Russian drivers have great reaction.” HAH.

I rely on public transportation to get around. In Samara, there are trams (electrically powered and runs on a train-like track), trolleys (electrically powered but no track), buses, and marchutkas.


Marchutkas are vans with the craziest drivers, but they get you to your destination very quickly. I usually don’t get carsick--unless I’m in a Mazda Miada--but I walk out pretty dizzy when I get off these vans. Now, the thing with marchutkas is that they only stop when someone wants to get on or off. That means I have to announce to the whole van that I am a foreigner and would like to get off at the next stop. Then, everybody looks at me--I am a superstar in Russia.

Tram on my street. These are very slow because it stops at every stop, but it is 5 rubles cheaper than the marchutkas. Every cent counts for me.