Astran - How do they hire?

[orys]

Riho:
Sometimes it is easier to pay, not to spend 3 days on the border waiting for them to put a stamp in the paperwork.

Thats true.

But paying is not the only option.

I was through this years ago on Bulgarian-Turkish and Bulgarian-Serbian borders. We came up with idea wchich turned out to work perfectly:

They were suggesting that we might be there for long and there is a way to speed the things up. I made it very clear that I can wait even 3 days. We demonstratively slowly unloaded half of our car and set up a small picnic site on the side of the road. So they saw that no chance for bribe, so at least they wanted to spite us and gived all our documents back to us and told us to move immediately. Off course, we were prepared to pack up in 15 secs so we went trough before they had changed their mind

It worked three times (at the fourth times we came to the border just after some Polish TV lorry and they were just bargaining on how much they will have to pay and when they saw us they said “OK, we pay that, but the Polish kids are going as well” and Bulgarians agreed to the deal. So I used the bribe, but I did not paid it myself

The “picnic” is one of the thousands of ways to evade paying bribe. But the basic point is:
If they feel that they can break you and that you will pay (if not this time, the next time you will be there) they will keep you three days. If they feel that you might be waiting there till the next coming of jesus christ and dont pay them, they won’t keep you, as you are only annoying them.

And as I said before there is no point to ask for a bribe from an english driver because of the language barier, so they just let them go.

Oh, believe me, it’s very easy to say. I was asked for a bribe by Hungarian policeman and by Turkish one and they were VERY clear what they expect. I managed to let them know VERY CLEAR that I would rather prefere to pay regular ticket, and on BOTH occasions I was let to go my way without need to pay neither the bribe, nor the ticket.

But I really doubt that your friends have not paid on the border.

Lucky for them, your doubts has as much influence on the reality as your guarantees

[muckles]

I was waiting in the wings trying to work out how I got could get a job at Astran. I thought I was perfectly qualified as I have seen Destination Doha and have read Cola Cowboys. But now I’m not so sure, please tell me, do I bribe everybody going or not.?

[orys]

muckles:
I was waiting in the wings trying to work out how I got could get a job at Astran. I thought I was perfectly qualified as I have seen Destination Doha and have read Cola Cowboys. But now I’m not so sure, please tell me, do I bribe everybody going or not.?

You have to. 95%. Guaranted by Riho

(or you can ignore that and just go as normal, civilized man )

[muckles]

orys:

muckles:
I was waiting in the wings trying to work out how I got could get a job at Astran. I thought I was perfectly qualified as I have seen Destination Doha and have read Cola Cowboys. But now I’m not so sure, please tell me, do I bribe everybody going or not.?

You have to. 95%. Guaranted by Riho

(or you can ignore that and just go as normal, civilized man )

And I should take advise from somebody who gets paid to sit on beaches looking at scantily clad ladies.

Hang on you get paid to sit on beaches looking at scantily clad ladies. Oh great Orys let me be one of your disciples and teach me the ways of the hard working Polish

[orys]

muckles:
Hang on you get paid to sit on beaches looking at scantily clad ladies. Oh great Orys let me be one of your disciples and teach me the ways of the hard working Polish

Is that the other way of saying “can you get me job at your place”? Than you are about 12th in the queue (but first one who is not asking by PM )

[muckles]

orys:

muckles:
Hang on you get paid to sit on beaches looking at scantily clad ladies. Oh great Orys let me be one of your disciples and teach me the ways of the hard working Polish

Is that the other way of saying “can you get me job at your place”? Than you are about 12th in the queue (but first one who is not asking by PM )

You mean there are 12 of us, you might have to get some sandals and grow a beard, you any good at catering for large groups of people?

Although to be honest Orys, I get paid to travel round Europe and ogle scantily clad Grid Girls. I spoke to one, once. God I’m such a stud.

[orys]

■■■■. I don’t get that one. But I already have sandals (a karrimor ones, very comfy) and I have a beard… Is that good or bad?

[wheel_nut]

Riho:
There is no point to argue with you, because you haven’t been to Russia not once.

And those drivers who haven’t payed bribes haven’t been to Russia often enough, or another thing it is easier not to ask a bribe from a person who doesn’t speak Russian, and a lot of Polish people tend to forget or not know Russian, when someone is asking them something.

Any way you have your opinion about Russia and I have my own.

Riho, it would be interesting to hear of your experiences on the borders and further into Russia. If you ask your schoolteacher she may let you do it as a school project!

In your post you say people haven’t done it often enough, surely the idea is to learn the border experience and never pay anything.

[welshboyinspain]

orys:
■■■■. I don’t get that one. But I already have sandals (a karrimor ones, very comfy) and I have a beard… Is that good or bad?

i thought the poles were more religious than the brits orys, surely you got his reference?
as for sandals thats guaranteed being polish isn’t it? always worn with grey socks?

orys thats a joke by the way

[orys]

Yeah, sandals and socks, that the Polish style nightmare

And as for religion, don’t believe in that. It’s just the church propaganda, as they want to keep their influences on politics, therefore they count everyone who ever was baptised as their member. So if you include people, who are moved to other religion, you have already about 140% of Poles who are religious people… And then add the atheists etc

The fact is that as church being only big institution in opposition to the communist rule, people were baptising their children not because they were religious but because they wanted to show on what side they are - since so high rate of catholics.

In fact less than 30% of Poles goes to church regularly.

[welshboyinspain]

orys, a reference was made to a bloke with a beard wearing sandals with 12 mates who managed to feed thousands of people and that doesn’t ring any bells

as for religion and the polish, lots of churches in the UK are only surviving because attendances have risen since the poles have arrived and started attending as more and more brits are becoming agnostic

[orys]

welshboyinspain:
orys, a reference was made to a bloke with a beard wearing sandals with 12 mates who managed to feed thousands of people and that doesn’t ring any bells

as for religion and the polish, lots of churches in the UK are only surviving because attendances have risen since the poles have arrived and started attending as more and more brits are becoming agnostic

I know I know, just explained to you why for many Poles religion is not the first reference which comes into mind. But it’s true, many of them still are religious (as I told, 30% regularly attend church and further number goes there on occasions).

[milodon]

…

[v8lenny]

You pay bribes only when you have real problems like missing or false paperwork, not just because they ask. I always hated to see Turks with 20 or 50 euro notes between they TIR carnets at the Hungary-Austria border. Did they always had something wrong with their paperwork?

I never paid no one at the Russian/Finnish border and my crossing time was usually 2-4 hours, but it was 15 years ago.

Only once I have bribed, it was at the Kenya/Tanzania border, 200 dollars to cross the border without any vehicle papers.