Yes, strange, but the first post in Lithuania category – about Poland. There are lots of jokes about it, guess why 🙂 ? Here’s one – „South Lithuania” 🙂 Its about near border region, lets say about Suwalki, Augustow… Yep, you’re right – in the shops there are more Lithuanian people than local. So… Each day driving to work I am passing several fuel stations… Surprisingly, but the prices each day goes higher… Smart heads from TV are talking about improved fuel quality, about rising of oil prices… The strange thing is that nowadays oil prices are even lower than a year ago, but the price of fuel is bigger that back in those days… And WTF is going on when price goes higher and they say – OK, oil price got higher, so we increased the fuel price. Then suddenly the oil price becomes lower… So, you might think that fuel prices also gets lower. You wish! They just say – we had purchased more expensive fuel, filled all the tanks, so until its sold – cant make the price lower. And keeps the price. Even if they are refilled tanks several times with already cheaper fuel. Then oil price gets a bit higher. Well, you might think – tanks are filled with cheaper fuel, so the price wouldn’t go high. Wrong again! The same second, or maybe even a second before the higher oil price is announced – the fuel price is increased again. So, the only conclusion – no matter what the fuel price will get higher. Why shouldn’t they ? Did I mentioned that we have our own (well, almost) oil refinery. For some mystical reason it was sold to Poland. I wonder – where is the money for it ? Anyway, with fuel prices we all agree to a Russian saying – Куда солдата не целуй везде жопа (wherever you kiss a soldier – you’ll hit in the ass). So, I was in the Poland. Compared prices, nothing special, just food and fuel. Damn, the same crap we buy here is 10 to 20 % cheaper there. So, loaded my fridge with Polish chicken meat, rice, buckwheat, macaroni… Eggs! For 10 eggs in Lithuania I would pay about 7 litas (1 EUR ~ 3.4528 Lt), in Poland – 4,23 Lt for 10. Surely – next time I go shopping – I will drive to Poland. And that is worth even knowing that I live in Kaunas – center of Lithuania. Especially if I take one or two friends, wanting to join and split the travel cost. I will try to take the same products as I would buy in Lithuania and put a price comparison in here. Conclusion – lots of money goes abroad. By the way – average salary is from 1000 Lt to 1500 Lt. More is considered big salary. Now, go outside, look at the fuel price and say – how is it in your country ? How can people having ~300 EUR salary pay about 1,5 EUR per liter of 95 rated fuel. And lots of people have even smaller salary. Well… Thats all my mumbling for this evening… Poland is a life saver for Lithuanian people… We have our independence 🙁