Yesterday looked as if it was going to be the usual Sunday. But it turned out to be a little bit more than usual. I was just settling in to watch a movie for the evening, when a best-friend who I haven't talked to in a while, popped up on MSN, so I thought I'd start the chat (something which I normally don't do, because I find it too tiresome to talk to "someone" when in fact it looks more like you're talking to a friggin computer program). Anyway, to sum it up, he was a bit pissed because after a long day at work, he had to take out the students his family are hosting, to Paceville. So, I took the opportunity to join him. I haven't gone to pv in a long while (i.e. probably a month, and I say long, because I was used to going over there every Saturday).

I started heading to the bus terminus, and when I reached it, I tried to find a bus driver / someone that has to do with buses to see if there were actually direct buses to pv. While looking out for someone that didn't seem to bite when I ask a question, I saw a tourist couple asking one of the drivers and the conversation went on something like this: (in a very funny accent)

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[tourist couple approaches driver, the guy doing the talk]

tourist guy: "How to go to Valletta tomorrow?"

[bus driver responding without even making eye contact]

bus driver: "No bus tomorrow!"

[tourist confused]

tourist guy: "uh?!"

[bus driver in broken english, with the tourist guy getting on his nerves]

bus driver: "Finish! Aq ulla!"

[tourist even more confused, like how can the bus service be "Finished" ?]

tourist guy: "Oh Finish?"

[finally light at the end of the tunnel, bus driver remembers in the word "strike"]

bus driver: "Strike!"

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When I overhear something like this, it's either a laugh or cry situation. It's a laughing matter, when you hear a bus driver muttering "Finish, Aq ulla!" and it's a crying matter because the driver doesn't even have a clue of what being nice is, especially to a tourist, on which this country depends on. Anyway, back on the hunt for the person to ask, I managed to find someone. As usual, they think I'm a tourist over here in Bugibba, so this guy (the one that checks the tickets on the bus) was already trying to get away from me, probably not having a clue of how to talk in English. So, I asked him in Maltese and he seemed kinda surprised. Anyway, he was helpful at least, and he told me from which bus top I have to catch the bus...

Continued.. (hopefully )