Taxi Hell

I read in a local paper here that "Athens is heaven, it just looks like hell." On at least one count I can agree. And trying to navigate the taxi system is a rapid descent into Dante's seventh circle of hell. The metro system here is outstanding. The trains and stations are immaculately clean, no smoking is allowed, trains run frequently and there's plenty of seats. There is no trash anywhere in the metro stations and there are police everywhere, and always plenty of people so you feel safe. Taxis, well, it's the last bastion of an uncivilized world. I already reported about my taxi debacle in Dafni and I was hoping that was an aberration. Some Aussies I met in Delphi told me they had no trouble with taxis going to and from the place they were staying and the metro. Of course they didn't live in Kamatero, the armpit of Athens according to my taxi driver last night. I took two taxis yesterday but was actually in about 5 taxis. The first time was on my way to work and everything was crowded so I thought it might be quicker to take a taxi to the Metro station where the Olympic bus lines meet the Metro to take people to the area where I'm working. I asked about 5 cabs before I found one who would agree to take me to the Agios Demetrios metro station. Unfortunately he didn't know where it was. So every cab he saw, he honked and shouted at the driver something which usually included the words Agios Demetrios. I'm assuming he wasn't telling his friends where he was going. After stopping the 3rd taxi, he apparently got some directions and we headed off on a harrowing drive towards who knows where. His driving was legendary. I'm sure he took the gold medal at the International Taxi Olympics. But he was busy staring at me in the rearview mirror. And smoking, his cigarettes perched in front of the No Smoking sign near the meter. After he drives around and around (I knew I wasn't going to make it to work on time), he finally stops at a metro station and says "Agios Demetrios here." Now, I've been to Agios Demetrios and it's basically at the beach and this station was not at the beach. In fact, the station looked very familiar. Hey Homer, this is the Dafni station. You can't fool me. I've been here before. So he gets out and asks someone where the correct station is and jumps back in the cab, closes his eyes and peels out into traffic. He does eventually end up at the Agios Demetrios station, about 20 mintues later. By metro it's about 8 minutes.

Yesterday was my first day back at work and I'll be working a grueling 4 days in a row. The shocking thing was that I actually had to work yesterday, and I don't mean work, I HAD TO START AN IV. Did anyone think I would be doing this? MLD, yes, wrapping sprained limbs, yes, handing out aspirin, probably, but starting an IV and cleaning up vomit? Uh, no, this is why I left the hospital. One of the volunteers was sitting there happy and perky one minute and doubled over in acute pain and vomiting the next. They thought she had appendicitis and said "someone" ought to start an IV but no someone came forward, in fact they all went to sit down. So I said I would do it and I gathered all the stuff. Greek stuff I might add, which is not quite like ours, so that made me a little nervous. As soon as I was ready to start, all the doctors and staff appeared to watch me, which was really helpful under the circumstances. I was looking for my friend Mary to come over and say she would do it because I was too nervous (like she sometimes has to do at work), but no Mary. Anyways, I got the IV in and they ended up shipping the girl off to the hospital. Whew. That's enough work for one day. Time for a coffee break. But about 30 mintues later another volunteer came in who had fallen 3 days prior and sustained a class 3 sprain of his ankle. His foot was huge and purple everywhere and he said it wasn't getting any better. They had him in a walking boot even though he couldn't walk. So here was my first MLD (lymphatic massage) patient. I worked on him for about 30 minutes. We had a few other patients throughout the night-2 referees (don't know why they keep getting hurt) and 1 coach.

I was pretty tired when I headed home at 1 and usually I have to wait about 20-30 minutes for the bus to go home. I had already decided that if I waited more than 5 minutes on this night, I would take a taxi. Of course I did wait and decided to hail a taxi. Which is not really what you do. You stand in the middle of the road and hope the driver stops, then you hope he'll take you where you want to go. Since I wanted to go home, I knew the odds were against me so I thought I would just shanghai a cab, get in and THEN tell him where I wanted to go. So, that's what I did. The first guy drove me about 50 feet and when I told him Kamatero, he basically told me to get my ass out of the cab, which I did. This repeated itself one more time until one cab driver agreed to take me. Luckily, I guess, he spoke English. He asked where I was staying and when I told him Kamatero he said "what in the hell you staying there for?" I tried to explain to him that I had not intentionally chosen this neighborhood. I had found a place in Athens to stay and it seemed like the only place I could find that was less than $150 euros/night. He asked how much I paid and when I told him of course he told me I was getting screwed. Then he said, "I can't believe you're staying there-it's all gypsies and drug dealers." Great, excellent. I knew it was a good neighborhood, but thanks for confirming that. But enough of the pleasantries, could you just get me home? But he didn't know how to get to Kamatero so he consulted his map, all the while shaking his head. He turned out to be a very nice guy and talked to me the whole way. When I recognized my bus stop, I told him to let me out there. When I opened the door he said "Do you notice that smell?" Well, yes, I admit I had noticed an occasional stench. But it seemed to go with the neighborhood. He said about 10 km away is the city garbage dump. That's why it stinks over here.

So, I was really kind of depressed to hear this news and I walked home in the stench, past the rattiest crack den in the neighborhood. Tomorrow I'll have to tell you about the Cops episode that came out of that house shortly after I passed it. But I have to go home now. It's 1:45 am and I won't get home until about 2:30. Because I"m waiting for the bus tonight.