Photos: buses

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Blogs: buses

The Mozambican Visa Expedition: Part 1

Probably the most difficult (logistically) trip I have ever had to arrange was a seemingly simple one: to get from Durban, South Africa to Maputo, Mozambique. LP says there’s a direct bus. Nice, considering I didn’t want to go through Joburg.

visas, Mozambique, Durban, public transportation, buses, South Africa

bus, troles, bus

The day started with waking up to the owner of our hostel arguing with a guest. "You not stay tonight. Period." A group had rented out the entire place. While we'd "reserved" our room the night before just in case we wanted to stay, we figured we might as well pack and be ready...

Riobamba, public transportation, buses, Quito

the worst bus ride ever?

Planning in advance, we bought our tickets 8 hours before departure time. After stashing our bags at the equipment check, we headed out sightseeing around Medellin. Our last day of "vacation", we were returning to Bogota the following morning. Except for a few bumps, our trip was an enjoyable success. Here is one of said bumps.

Medellin, public transportation, buses, assholes

Losing the Tongue

continued from "Holding the Tongue"...It was 20 hours to the border and I had just enough money to pay my exit fee. This meant my dinner, breakfast and lunch were leftover crackers and a bottle of water. Nigel had graciously payed my last lunch of Chinese food the day before. By the time I arrived, much later than expected, I still had another hour to travel.

taxis, shopping, public transportation, buses, Venezuela, food, Colombia

a weekday getaway: Tunja

This week we got out of the house and played tourist in the nearby towns of Tunja and Villa de Leyva, a few hours outside of Bogota.

churches, tours, public transportation, Tunja, buses, Colombia

Belem to Venezuela, Part 3

Remember the paranoia, well I half ignored it in pursuit of our bus to Boa Vista from Manaus. The Kiwi Nigel speaks fluent Portuguese and he seemed to not be in a big hurry to get to the bus station any earlier than we needed, so I didn't hurry myself as I normally do to arrive well before the scheduled departure.

Brasil, Manaus, public transportation, buses

paranoia

Phew. Almost thought I lost the bus there. I now have extreme paranoia for missing buses, planes, what have you. It most likely is the product of missing, usually by sleeping though, departures in the past. Once I was 10 feet from the gate at Austin-Bergstrom and dozed off just before the boarding call only to awake 45 minutes later no plane in sight.

Brasil, public transportation, buses, food

the "tourist bus"

Only once, in Dublin, Ireland, have I boarded a "tourist bus", but my couch surfing host suggested it as a good way to see most of the city of Salvador since he was busy working. For U$15, Salvador Bus is cheaper than cabs and buses between the spread out metropolis.

churches, tours, Brasil, Salvador, buses, food

back to borders

So there I was in what is probably the dumpiest, sketchiest place I've stated in, yet (and perhaps ever). I went for the single bed as time again has proven bunk beds to be mostly noise. I switched in the middle of the night, proven wrong. Plus there weren't springs stuck in my back anymore. I was forced to pee on my tippy toes in socks for fear of the over zealous fungi. Three times that night.

Costa Rica, borders, Bocas del Toro, public transportation, buses, Panama

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.

public transportation, buses, Guatemala

on the bus

Ever traveled via bus in Mexico? It's expensive ($30 for 3 hours), nice and comfortable, air-conditioned and they play crap Hollywood dubbed in Spanish movies like the cleaner...Ever traveled via bus in Belize? It's cheap ($3 for 3 hours), crowded and cramped, no movies (but there is one of those old school, small channel dial TVs from back in the conversion van day), and A/C comes from simultaneously clicking those pain-in-the-ass latches on the windows of a Blue Bird bus circa 1988. If it's raining, the temperature rises exponentially each minute. The ride however can be quite a bit more entertaining even if it is bumpier...

public transportation, children, buses, Belize

3 immigrants later...

...we arrived in mexico city but let's go back a few days.October 1st we crossed the Mexican border at reynosa which involved my uncle dropping us off in the parking lot a few blocks from the international bridge. We walked straight across without a glance from border patrol on either side, no searching of our bags by Mexican military, just a 50 cent toll that keeps the collector employed. I had read in our trusty Lonely Planet guide we needed to pay more however, for a visa longer than 7 days so we stopped at immigration on the other side to find out they cannot take our first jackson. We saved the next two hours of aimlessly wondering by meeting Juan just outside the office who, without our asking of course, offered to assist us.8 dollars later, we had two 180 day visas stamped into our passports, two bus tickets to Tampico, and the life history from Juan who lived in Chicago for 30 years before the government came to collect back taxes in the amount of $68 thousand and child support for $24. After his deportation, he spent the next few years trying to cross the rio grande to reunite with his 12 grandkids, spending 6 months in jail the first time, and a year the second after attempting to fly into Houston on stolen papers. Juan is over that now, and simply using his great English skills to help gringos find their way to the bus station. Thanks Juan.Over the course of 2 bus rides in 18 hours we met several others. All who'd given up on getting back to America, and pondered the irony of our going south while so many attempt going north. But, I'll leave that to mull over more later.

public transportation, locals, Mexico, buses