The drivers typically get a kick out of it, too.
The local modes of transit are absolutely connected to their environment! Kosovo is a mountainous region with winding roads, so it's easier to have a strong bus system than it would be to build railways. It's also more cost-efficient, given the size of the country. Kosovo is small. You can get anywhere you want from the center in about an hour, so it doesn't make sense to have a high-speed train. People typically travel short distances, so there's no need.
Now, before I go, you're probably wondering what the title of this post is all about. It's an inside joke between my friends and me, but I want to let you in on it. While the buses in the Balkans are absolutely phenomenal, they differ from those back in the U.S. in that they constantly pull over. As I wrote in this week's Journal entry, life here seems to be more relaxed than it is back home. Tthat easy-going mentality seeps into all aspects of life, transportation included.
The bus will occasionally pull over for one of the following reasons:
It certainly keeps things interesting! We're thinking of writing a coffee table book of all of the reasons our bus pulled over! Do you think it would sell!?
