Blogs :: The Chicken Bus
So here I sit in a small internet cafe in Quetzeltenango Guatemala. We have been here for a couple of days, and if the ride out of here is anything like the ride in I may be a little afraid to get on that bus out of town.
The trip from Oaxaca to the Mexican border was fairly uneventful. It consisted of a night bus and watching the Butterfly Effect in Spanish. Buses in Mexico are nice. I really wish I would have appreciated them more. OK... so we get off at a small little border town and opt for the colectivo instead of the taxi. I mean really, who wants to err on the safe side? Side note: If you have never been to Central America and don't know what a colectivo is then let me give you an image. You know that little Toyota mini-van your parents had circa. 1985? The one where the engine wasn't in front, it swayed dangerously on every curve and smelled slightly of the remnants of your sister's carsickness on those long road trips... Ok maybe that is just my memory but think VW Bus with extra seats. That is a colectivo. Now imagine that VW bus going down the road at 83MPH with 23 people in it. This is the world of the colectivo. They rock!
SO that took us to the border and the crossing was relatively uneventful. The usual assortment of con-men, street kids, and taxi drivers of course, but no menacing men with guns pointed at us and body cavity searches after failed attempts to pay off government officials. This is always a plus when things go this easily. My day was about to be ruined.
OK do you remember that bus that was always breaking down when you were in grade school? It was the one bus that everybody dreaded being on because it was a given that it would leave you stranded. On those days that it was actually road worthy, it never disappointed any cynics believing it would break once again. Suddenly this bus disappeared. Poof. Gone. Nobody really knew where it went. I DO!!! It has assumed its new life as the staple of Guatemalan public transportation. A snazzy new paint job of every vivid expression in the color scheme, a roof rack, brand spanking new plywood seat cushions, bald tires, and a name like Shirley or something like that and it is ready to go. So that is the bus that I was confronted with.
Ok now imagine a road. Not just any road. A road like that one in San Fran. You know which one I am talking about. The one that isn't really a road but rather a series of 90 degree turns without any straightness whatsoever. Yeah now make that road 120km long and you have the road through the Guatemalan highlands. While the views are incredible you can't help but notice the fact that the aforementioned bus is driving said road at speeds no less than 75 mph. Every time you feel the bus tilt to nearly two wheels you can't help but wonder what that sound in the rear axle is and wait to see the wheels running out from under you while you drive soundlessly over the edge of the 100ft cliff on your right.
Strangely enough this isn't the part that makes your heart skip a little bit. Only when you are passing another said bus, on said curve, at said speed, on the edge of said cliff, with another said bus driving said speed on said road, but in the opposite direction barreling down on what seems to be a head on collision course do you get a little excited. Something about driving a mountain road at 70 MPH three buses wide is almost exhilarating. Either that or just insane. I am opting for the latter. This happened three times.
So there it is. The reasons that I may never get on a bus again. There is good news though. My bag didn't disappear. I made it here. I am learning Spanish. I can't complain too much. I mean people pay thousands of dollars to have the shit scared out of them. It only cost us 10Q ($1.25US) for a three hour adrenaline fix. Forget jumping out of airplanes just come here!
bus, public transportation, Guatemala
Posted By:
Jason
Sunday, November 09, 2008 2:16 PM
more blogs...
Subscribe To:
Posts (Atom)