SEP 30, 19 .. A MIRACLE ?
Insanity.
One definition is : Doing the same thing, over and over and over again, knowing what the results will be, and doing it yet again expecting different results thinking ‘this time it will be different’.
I, your Captain, know full well that I should not be out riding public transportation here in Ulaanbaatar during the morning and evening rush hour periods. I know full well that the buses will be jam-packed. Often the buses are so jam-packed that I can not even begin to think of opening up my cane-seat and sitting.
Further, I know that I may have to wait a considerable period of time to even get onto a bus.
And yet Sports Fans, again today, I went downtown at 4PM and began my trek home at 5:30PM. This was in the heart of the madness that is the combination of automobile traffic that moves at a standstill and the jam-packed buses.
A Miracle?
The Miracle is NOT getting onto the bus. Oh no. Not at all.
The Miracle is getting OFF the bus.
This evening I had a single seat (yet another very considerate commuter gave me her seat) beside an open window. The people standing in the aisle were packed so tightly against me I could hardly change my seating position.
Finally my stop was coming up next.
I debated : Should I just ride to the end of the line and get off the bus as it returns downtown?
I decided to try to get off. It was almost impossible to stand up. But I wiggled my way up. The bus driver (had been doing this all along) stopped the bus about 200 feet before the bus stop to allow people to get off the bus ahead of the crowd of people who would be fighting to get on at the bus stop.
How I got off I’ll never know. I had a lot of help from the other riders. Then we were a crowd of people, walking single-file on the pavement along side the traffic, between the traffic and a fence that kept us from the sidewalk. This fence is to prevent jay-walkers. Luckily the traffic was practically standing dead-still. Keep in mind that it was now dark.
“Captain! Coming downtown during rush hour is absolute insanity. There is no reason in this world that you can’t make your bus trips downtown between 10AM and 2PM and be outbound by 4PM.”
My next scheduled trip downtown is this Thursday. With God as my witness, I swear that I will go early and avoid the craziness that is the rush hour.
I’ll wrap this up with more insanity : I did NOT even have to go downtown. I could have mailed my post cards to YOU at my local Post Office here in my apartment complex. I just prefer to go downtown to the main Post Office where they have a drop box for International Mail ONLY.
Change Captain : Embrace CHANGE.
Stop this craziness of spending two hours of your time just to mail post cards at the Main Post Office.
While I am at the downtown Post Office I buy more post cards and stamps. Also, by the way, I like to get a Burger King Whopper while I am out!
Below is a link to my blogspot Post dated today, SEP 30, 19, showing more scenes of Vladivostok. I hope you check it out.
https://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2019/09/sep-30-19-vladivostok-bolshevik-memorial.html
Much Joy to all of you from the two of us..
Patti and Cap
- SEP 29, 19 .. A PROMISE MADE IS A DEBT UNPAID
- OCT 1, 19 .. WELCOME TO AUTUMN with a few TIDBITS FOR PATTI
8 thoughts on “SEP 30, 19 .. A MIRACLE ?”
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I have seen and been in that rush hour(s) traffic with you there in Ulaanbattar. I am happy to hear that you are up for a change .. to avoid being out during the rush hour whenever possible. Good thinking Captain!
Love, Patti
Yes indeed : The time has come for me to MAKE A CHANGE. There is no intellectually-sound-reason in this World that I need to be out during the morning and evening rush hours. Now that I’ve made-this-decision, the time has come to act upon said decision. Mark it : Tuesday October the 1st 2019, I did NOT go out during the rush hours. Actually I did NOT go out at all but that still counts doesn’t it? Love Cap
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 – 2:30 pm
Hi Cap,
Just a question my friend, would you say the traffic you are encounting at rush hour is just about the same here as in any big city? Of course the traffic here at 5:00 pm is very heavy – every night and of course worst on a Friday as the “herd” is all heading to Las Vegas!! That traffic is on a 4-line divided highway. Luckily when I go to a hockey game the traffic headed to LA is “resonably” light – thank goodness! And since I don’t return to the desert until late in the evening the traffic has improved to a “nice” pace – busy but the traffic is moving along at 70 mph. One thing I have noticed in the few months, most folks are driving closer to 80 mph just about anytime on the Interstate.
zilla
No it is not ‘just about the same’. In my opinion, foreign traffic is in an entirely different league from anything we have in the U.S. because the foreign drivers are in a different league. That there are few accidents speaks to the fact they are excellent drivers. The roads themselves seem to be too small for the volume they are handling. Hard to explain because I’ve been both places, here and there. I’m NOT saying we don’t have traffic in the U.S. You’re thinking : How could it possibly get worse that what I’ve seen here? All I can say is that it ‘feels’ worse to me. The time periods where there is absolutely NO movement whatsoever seem longer. How’s this for a non-answer? Cap
In China and Russia, the roads were not built in anticipation of large amounts of traffic because the governing entities never thought the common folks would own vehicles.
Amazing. Makes sense doesn’t it. Smiles .. Cap
Timing is everything. I did the same thing myself. I had an errand to do – no pressure, could of done it anytime, but lack of planning on my part – I found myself at the bank & grocery store on the 1st of the month – by far the busiest day when in an area full of retirees! The bad part – no one to blame, but ME ! Oh well.
I think we all are very good at berating ourselves Tom. Me too! Cap