only in Italy - the taxi bell

I find the picture above really funny. This was taken just outside the Santa Margherita train station -- a small station that in Liguria, on the seaside.

There is a nice taxi sign with the number to call (the white sign on the left) -- and then this open yellow box right next to it... with the same number to call but handwritten. Inside the box is the best part -- and most perplexing.

There is a phone hooked up to the wall and a bell. The bell is like the one that hangs in the library at school where I work, which rings to begin and end each class period.

I'm not sure what this is all about or if he's really old fashioned. This is the first time I've noticed something like this -- and when I did notice it, I had to take a photo.

Only in Italy!   : )

carpet taxis! - Kathmandu

The taxis in Kathmandu are... iiiiiinteresting.

You will mostly likely find yourself sitting on an old, decorated rug in the back seat... with magazine pages pasted onto the door as a covering... and just hoping to yourself that you and the back-end of the car are not left behind when you bounce over a bump (or hole) in the road and hit your head on the roof! It's an experience!

Sarah was able to give me a roundabout fair price for my destinations each day and that helped a lot. The taxi drivers WILL bargain with you and usually want the job enough that they will come down to the goal price that Sarah listed for me. Perrrrrfect. I was royally ripped off my first day and learned from there on. (The driver had also taken me to exchange money... so he knew I that I had plenty. Mistake number one!)

Some photos from inside Kathmandu taxis:

And a local bus... with passengers literally hanging off the back because it is so full!

thank goodness for the Opera taxi man!

Friday night a group of us went out for a teacher's 30th birthday. (Happy birthday Todd!) We set out from Opera a bit after 7:00pm and made our way into the city. We went to the Navigli area in Milan, along the canal and had an apertivo... you order one drink and there is a buffet of food that you can help yourself to (this is my favorite way to Dinner!).

Another teacher, Angela, and I decided to head back to Opera after the aperitivo, while everyone else headed to a new venue. I'm still feeling a bit jet lagged and looked forward to a night's sleep... and sleeping in.

We took the 9 tram, to the 24 tram, (and if any Camp Stella Maris people are reading this... I taught Angela how to play both the Mom Game AND the Cowboy Game!) ...but then Angela looked at the time and gasped...

Neither of us realized that it was already 10:30pm... and the 222 bus, which we were catching next is scheduled to leave the stop at 10:45pm and does not come around again until 11:50pm. ...We were not going to make it to the 222 in 15 minutes.

We were 5 minutes late.

D'Oh!

It would be a loooong walk to Opera... on a busy road... with no lights... and no the greatest area to hang around in at night.

Soooo... thankfully, a returning teacher had given Angela the number for the taxi guy in Opera. (There is only ONE taxi in Opera.)

I called... and spoke enough Italian to let him know that we were at the Vigentino stop and needed a ride to Opera adesso (now). He was currently at the Linate airport and would be to us in about 20-25 minutes. Perrrrfect. ...Better than waiting an hour!

Sure enough, he pulled up... and for 15 euro we safely made our way back to Opera.

...Thank you Paolo the Taxi Man!