Potentially Arrested, Deported and Fined...all in a days work..

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So my entries have been pretty standard lately. It's hard to get to a computer and really hash out whats going on....It's so hard to describe the experiences, the sights and the people...So this entry is all about my adventures when I was near death, deportation and the like...Enjoy.


Story #1

Budapest, Hungary

I already mentioned this story previously but it adds to the element of things.
I went to the Chinese outdoor market where in fact it was Vietnamese...but obviously no one cared to correct this mistake. There I am amongst the stalls of merchandise...many of which are counterfeit. I'm checking out the Prado bags and etc and just wandering around... Unbeknownst to me...counterfeit goods are also illegal in Hungary...but since the police are corrupt I didn't think anyone would care. I was DEAD wrong... all of a sudden the metal doors to the shops close up in unison with a HUGE bang. People are running and flying everywhere to hide their merchandise. Since I am also Viet...I was freaking out because I did not want to be associated with this whole mess and then get deported or something...Was not in the mood for Guilt by Ethnicity.... Turns out it was a false alarm or the particular cop didn't care...they probably bribed him or something....

Story # 2

Bucharest, Romania

My host Vera and I were trying to get somewhere but we had to take the tram to get to the actual metro station. Since she lives in a neighboorhood there aren't any available kiosks that sell tickets to the tram. We just hopped on the tram each morning because it was only a couple stops. Well the tram was late so we started walking down the road...we finally stop at the tram stop which was only one away from our destination. We hop on the overcrowded tram since it was morning rush hour. All of a sudden Vera says "shoot it's the controller" The controller stealthily made her way through the tram checking tickets. All we could think was "Oh F!" So the controller finally approaches us and I try to play dumb for as long as possible. We both rummage through our bags looking for our "lost tickets" I just stood there praying that the doors would open soon as we saw our stop looming by. The controller starts to grab Vera's wallet to take her ID away from her... Right before the door opens Vera whispers "run!" So the doors flies open and we book it out of there running until we get to the metro station.... Meanwhile the controller is yelling at us and yelling for the police...this would have cost us 100 US dollars...of which we didn't have.

Story #3

Romanian Border and Bulgaria

So on my way to Istanbul, I decided to take a bus versus a train for the main reason of not wanting strange peopel jumping on and off the train. So the bus it was for me....so for a mere $45 USD I was on my way across three countries. I settled in my window seat and fell asleep only to be woken up an hour later at the Romanian border. Apparently we had too many Gypsies on the bus and the border police were not having it. So they made us get off the bus and into the border control offices. We had to bring all our bags....I met a turkish man who knew english so he was explaining to me what was going on. The police were checking for drugs and gold because the "gypsies" are known to bring that across the border. So apparently they checked the air vents, pulled up carpets and the seats to search for the stuff but we were home free. Meanwhile other buses were crossing the border with ease. Then in the border control office they started to annouce baggage checks...keep in mind that there were at least 30 of us on the bus and they were checking EVERYTHING. With my bag so carefully packed in order to fit...I was none too pleased. The turkish man (Sami) explained don't worry...they're only saying that as a formality...they'll only check the gypsies and prostitutes bags... I was like "which people on the bus are gypsies and prostitutes??" I was so shocked to hear the answer.... They opened the bag of a women I like to call "Victoria Gotti" because she's got bright blond hair and obscene makeup just like Gotti except this lady was bigger boned and a little more rough looking. She was the ring leader of the group and had at least a thousand USD in her purse...of which I believe she paid off the border control to keep quiet.

We make it out of the border control and hop on the bus still on the Romanian side. All of a sudden the (G's and P's) start running out of the bus inlucding the driver and the bus attendents. The start running latterally to an unknown location and run back with bags upon bags of alcohol and Ciggarettes. Each person is allowed two fifths across the border and one package of ciggarettes. But the bags were brimming....they run to the bus and start distributing the goods for everyone to smuggle for them.... They kept trying to convince the me aka they affectionately named me "Americano" to smuggle goods in for them. I kept shaking my head no! Victoria Gotti said to leave me alone....I know I would have been F'd if I got caught with the goods. tHEY managed to bully other people into doing it and took careful inventory to see who had what. They opened up the air vents and seats and started stashing in there too...not only that Sami, the bus driver and the attendents that I trusted all did the same as well....I sat there thinking oh F!!! We made it to the Bulgarian border of which we were stopped by the Bulgarian border control...They searched our bus and found one bottle too many on Sami...they start screaming at him....the G's and P's on the bus turn on him and start yelling at him too. He insists that he will drink the bottle of Jack Daniels before the border of Turkey...the border guy lets us through...but I think they paid him off as well. We stop for a meal in Bulgaria....I think the G's and P's are worried about me...they didn't expect an Americano on the bus...so I'm scared worried that they'lll try to smuggle things on my bags in the bus... Sami insists on buying me food in the cafeteria and anything I want just to stop me from continually asking why they keep smuggling things in...Another turkish man turns to me and knows zero english...all he said was "whisky problem" So everyone continued to be nice to me the Americano to keep me happy and quiet... I forgot I left food on the bus and did not touch it in fear of them drugging me or something....

So as Sami said about the Jack...he drank it straight from the bottle before we reached the border. They kick us off the bus at the Turkish border and we walk across well he stumbles...The G's and P's buy more ciggerettes and distribute them accordingly. We get to Istanbul and they load the stuff in the bus office's storage unit...It's like a mini black market....

So those are my run in's with the police, border controls....and potential fining and deportation....

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Comments

[Heidi]

Crazy girl
Lil, I don't like reading your stories. They make me worry. Be careful and have fun. Can't wait to go rafting when you get home. And I need a full explaination of this couch surfing thing. Sounds like a good deal. Travelling alone through Europe does not sound like a good deal though.

[Ben Polly]

Oregon Girls ROCK!
Jeanie, you are so rock star and I love your stories. I hope you remembered that you will need a US $20 bill to enter Turkey. I crossed those same borders last summer, but my bus wasn't quite as eventful as yours. I've been hanging with some Couchsurfing friends in Portland recently, so much fun. Be safe and keep your wits about you. Nice work thus far. You can count on a high five and a night's worth of drinks and sharing stories about eastern Europe travels on me when you get back!