Suspicious Taxi

I left the town famous of the Virgin Mary to the near by city today. The place is OK for staying with enough restaurants and stores, just has limited Internet connection. I decided to move to the place about 30 minutes from there in order to get better Internet connection in the emergency case and to prepare for other needs... Things could cost less including the rent. If I commute from there to the town, it would still cost 2EURO less for the rent even adding the fare. That means I can give extra alms on the extra masses I attend.

I tried to take a bus from the bus station near the post office in the town. Then I saw a young man stopped a taxi near the bus stop. He was looking at the people at the bus stop and I was the only one with a big suitcase. He started asking me my destination, I replied him the city near by. I knew it would cost about 40EURO for one way by the taxi reading the billboard near the taxi station. I asked him how much it would be as the next bus was about one and a half hours later. Because of the fasting (not entire day but with only bread and water for some meals.. I'm just trying to adopt the new habit into my life style), I thought I could get a taxi this time if it's necessary. I knew I can save money after I got to the city with cheap supermarkets and Internet included rooms. The driver said it would be 30EURO. So, I agreed to take it - this is the result of the calculation from having a large suitcase to get a ride on the local bus that probably does not come with enough space for a suitcase. Thinking about holding a suitcase across the hills, I thought to take taxi. And time is money, you know. I was paying 20EURO per night and can pay about 10EURO if I get to the city. So, the cost would be like few good meals at a restaurant that I can exchange with cooking at the new room. Things are cheap in Eastern Europe if you know how to find a good SOBE(room in Croatian).

When I ride the taxi, I noticed the rosary hanged on the rear view mirror. Since this is a place famous of the Virgin Mary, so many cars has that. I did not get sensitized as I know it as a normal situation. Then I saw the partial TAXI certificate with blue ink. The driver seemed young and the taxi is an old Benz with red dragon sheet covers. The taxi comes with the taxi sign on top of the car, so nothing seemed suspicious at the beginning.

Since I took a tourist bus from the city, I knew the way. And it was just about noon. Nothing seemed so suspicious. If something happens, I can just ask help on the road or try to disturb the driver if he tries to go somewhere strange from the main road. Actually, there was only one way to get to the city because the town locates in the countryside middle of nothing.

The driver asked me if he could stop at the gas station before the hills. As it was just off from the main road and I thought it seemed no problem. Then he filled the tank. When he went back to the driver's sheet, he had the TAXI sign on his hand and put it on the backseat. Then he started driving the car back to the main road to continue traveling. He was talking normally and a car from Wien is in front of us. The car in front of it was a car with "AUTOSCOLA" sign with L on top. The road is just one way, and the driver was talking normally. I kept asking about how far the city is and talked about the church. He seemed to have the taxi certificate of some sort, so I thought it was much like a skit for claiming the target driving with a guy for prostitute or something. During the conversation, he asked me about where I'm going to sleep, I told him I have rooms ready in the city we were heading. Something happened during the journey, people could see where something happened from my credit record of the deposit. There was only the road to cross the hill, so no way the car would go. When the car crossed the hill, he asked me where I would like to get off. I mentioned him about the bus station which is the biggest spot in the city and I am able to figure out the way. The car headed toward the bus station and the driver parked the car in the nearby parking. So, nothing happened except the taxi took off the TAXI sign from the car.

For the religious people, making up the story of having boy friends or promiscuous is quite a good strategy. I wonder if I would get a rumor of people going to the church working the organized stalking. In such case, I am able to share the picture of the taxi with no TAXI sign. If the car is really a taxi, then it should prove how the car had no taxi sign when it arrived at the bus station. The driver was quite generous except for asking where I sleep tonight.

Another incident happened yesterday was that there was a leaflet about Sarajevo with circles on a mosque, a Siberian Orthodox church, and a catholic church at the bathroom of the guest house I stayed. Some Italian group stayed there till few days ago, but the room on the ground floor got empty after that. I stayed in the basement. Well, it happened as the rooms full at the first day of my arrival and then I was offered the room on the second floor of the annex which I could not take because of the injury of walking on the hill related with the Virgin Mary. I could explain what happened on the trip to the hill maybe later. The room I had was something like St. Francis or St. Bernadette would prefer.. probably the modest room in the house next to the kitchen and the dining room. I just stayed there as it seemed to solve the convenience of moving around with right foot injury. Anyway, the building seemed empty yesterday. Nobody's voice would be heard from the above rooms. But somehow the leaflet was on the washing machine. First, I thought it might be of mine and tried to check it. As it had a map of Sarajevo with three religious buildings circled, I recognized that one was not mine. Moreover, the map had an X mark near the train station. It looked like someone got advice from the travel information center and got these circles. So, I left it as where it was. In this morning, the leaflet was gone. It seemed someone took it away from the bathroom. My guess is that the perps might make rumors about me just visiting religious buildings randomly. I have seen some mosques when I travel in East Europe, but never had intention to visit one. Because I don't know their religion and don't want to cause problem entering it even as a tourist. Instead, I go to Franciscan churches and the ones related with Catholicism. If perps want to spread rumors about me just doing the sightseeing without seriously into any religion, they can do so with such strange thing on where I stayed with the help of the owner. What I am expecting is how people will react from those incidents. Things have causes and effects. I correct what happens after the observation of these things.

By the way, this is a country some backpackers do hitchhiking. I saw the TAXI certificate on the side pocket left of the driver's seat before I took the ride from the bus stop where some people could be the eye witness if they could remember me in case of some incidents. Before taking the taxi from the bus stop, I calculated the risks and decided to take the ride.

I got room for 10EURO tonight in the center of the city, so that means I paid the taxi ride and the room for the cost of the original suggested fare at the taxi station. It was nice attending the Mass in German this morning. I was able to do before leaving the town in peace. That one was quite touchy than the Italian one.. I have better understanding of the Mass in English than Italian nor German, but still I like Italian one as that is what people do in Switzerland..