Unlike May 1, the last time the opposition held a rally in Yerevan, today is no state holiday. There were large numbers of people who had to get into the city. Students and workers were seen lining up at bus stops to catch a ride into Yerevan. There were no buses or minivans to take them. The situation in Etchmiadzin is a bit different. Instead of the minivans and the #111 bus, the "Karavan" taxi fleet belonging to Republican Party MP Hrant Grigoryan was seen plying the streets looking for fares. It was a bonanza day for the taxi drivers who could charge up to 2,000 drams for a ride into the capital. As on previous rally days, Manvel Vardanyan, the director of "Etchmiadzin Transport" which services the Etchmiadzin-Yerevan commuter route, was "not reachable" by phone. Naturally he hadn't turned off his cell phone but was simply screening calls and not answering those from numbers of known reporters. Amazingly, he is quite accessible on normal days. Today, he wasn't answering our calls, so I called from another number that wouldn't set off a red flag. He took he call but when he understood why I was calling he panicked and said that he wasn't Manvel Vardanyan but a regular company employee and that the "real" Manvel Vardanyan had stepped outside the office to take care of some business. Mr. Vardanyan, claiming to be someone else, told me, "Yeah, sometimes he goes out and leaves his cell phone on the desk. I'm looking out the window but don't see him. Otherwise I'd call him back to talk to you." I should add that the residents of Etchmiadzin are so fed up with this type of treatment that they are preparing to demonstrate outside the Government Building in Yerevan. An irate Ayida Kirakosyan, who works in Yerevan, said, "Are we hostages in their hands? It's a disgrace. They should have some respect. We know they've closed down the roads because there's a rally in Yerevan today. But I have to get to work. Why should I have to suffer?"