Heading back home

Our flight home was scheduled for 12:15h on Monday.

Determined to take a more knowledgeable and local approach to our way home, we went to the central bus station of Yalta one day prior to our return trip. There we found a bus to Simferopol airport leaving at 9:20h and we were told that the bus would take approximately 2-2,5 hours. Brave as we were, we purchased two tickets for us and two tickets for our luggage and paid 48 UAH altogether (compare this with the 450 UAH for the taxi!).

The marshrutka took us back to the hotel for a nice last evening.

The next morning, we were surprised by the fantastic check-out routine performed by the overstaffed reception desk at our hotel: super quick, super efficient, super friendly and super correct. Most hotels in Austria could take a lesson here!

After breakfast, we headed to the marshrutka bus stop where we saw our last chance to try the legendary trolley bus linking Yalta with Simferopol....... because it stops on the way at the central bus station ;-) It worked well!

We were there way too early, but when we had identified our bus and the driver summoned everyone to get on board, he told us, that we had to go and buy new tickets for our luggage. So Peter ran off to the cash counter, they told him to pay directly at the driver's.... in the meantime the latter had realized his mistake (the ticket for the luggage was printed on our passenger tickets) and had hauled the suitcases into the bus.

Everyone waited for departure, but at 9:24h, the driver was still smoking. He was constantly looking at the public clock of the railway station that was running several minutes late! In the end, we got on board and took off. The bus was supposed to be a direct link with Simferopol central bus station (and onwards to the airport), but the driver wouldn't miss out on the chance to earn some extra money by letting passengers in and out on the way. Many of the other passengers on board were headed for a train or plane and didn't want to arrive late. Tension grew along the way. At some point, the driver stopped to let a group of four people in. The first newbe stepped in and asked, if there were 4 places left. The driver said "yes" and the rest of the passengers was quick to said "no" in chorus..... they were squeezed in anyway.

After the stop at the central bus station we were looking forward to arriving on time at the airport after all. The tension began to relax. People were looking forward to arriving to their planes on time. But a new surprise-move by our driver shook us out of our dreams: he pulls up at a car repair shop and steps out of the bus. He starts a discussion with the workers and shortly after, the air pressure in all four tires is meticulously checked. A lot of the passengers get out of the bus (no aircondition!) and wait in the shade. What else can you do?

Finally, the trip continues and we arrive at the airport at 11:30am. And - oh wonder! - our return tickets have not been cancelled! We may actually board.

And we return home safely.

Having landed at the domestic terminal, the pre-ordered taxi driver is not there. So we head off for the international terminal, find the driver with the sign of Peter's company and let him take us home. On the way, our phone rings and the taxi-boss asks us, where we are. We tell him, we sit in one of his taxis, but he says, that his driver is looking for us at the airport.......
One of Peter's colleagues had arrived at the same time and we had apparently taken his taxi (he found a guerilla way to town). Our driver then began wild discussions on the phone with our phone and his two phones, sometime in parallel. Surprisingly, we arrived home safely :-) and paid the pre-arranged price.