To Chicken Bus or Not

A recent comment from a dear friend's mom asked why the bus we rode on to Guatemala City didn't look like the buses she rode when she was a religious volunteer here about 30 years ago (did I get that right, Pam?). Well I'll tell you why. She rode on "chicken buses", the affectionate gringo term for these buses:

These are old American (and some are Canadian too, I think) school buses donated a long time ago and spiffed up to be made into public transportation. I think a lot of them look downright cool, which their designs and lettering all over the window (how is that safe by the way?!). The "Ayudantes" (or driver's helpers) are amazingly coordinated (or incredibly insane) and often you will see them open the back door of the bus while the bus is driving on the highway going way over the speed limit. They then hop onto the ladder attached to the back of the bus and go up top to get someone's chickens they're going to sell or other kind of cargo and then they sling it into the back of the bus. Remember the bus is going over 60 mph the whole time and going around crazy curves. How do they do it? However, despite their rockin' apperance and the free acrobatics show, I will now detail for you all why I cannot stand riding on a chicken bus for more than an hour.

The "Ayudantes" run out at every stop and say the location they're headed to and push you along to get you inside quickly, carrying your kids for you, etc. You ask, "is there any room?" "Oh, of course." Then you get on, now you're stuck. There are 3 people to each seat (just like the good old days in elementary school--I hate the outside seat) AND people standing in the aisle. Have I mentioned that the Panamerican Highway (which Nahuala is on and is what we travel on to go basically anywhere in Guatemala) is super windy. And I mean, windy to the point that Lucy threw up on one trip home and she doesn't have a tendency to get car sick. That was fun to clean up. ;) So here I am, 31 weeks pregnant, with a huge belly and near to nothing in the balance department trying to find my way through the 6 people in one row and the people standing in the middle while carrying another child in my arms or holding on to them to make sure they don't fall and probably with some other bag with me too. Sound fun? It's not. It was okay when it was just me and John 4 1/2 years ago here. I was pregnant but not very, thus I still has some semblance of balance. And we were a bit poorer so my cheapness ruled over comfort most of the time and we traveled by chicken bus. But now, I'm just sick of them. Kudos to the people who ride those things everyday, are carrying their wares to sell and breastfeeding a baby at the same time. I just can't do it. 

Now let me show you the other option that costs about 3 times more, but still is really reasonable (i.e. we paid $6/adult and $0/kid for the 3 hour trip to Guatemala City--totally worth it to me). Although many companies run these travel buses, they are all called "Pullman". You've already seen the inside of one of these, and here is a typical exterior shot:

So, I have to admit that for my 3 hour trips to the capital with 2 kids and one in my belly, I just have to opt for the Pullman. Maybe when my kids have better balance themselves and we return here, I'll take chicken buses again. But, for now, when I can, I ride in Pullman!

And, in case you were wondering what those nifty little scooter taxis look like, here is a picture of my favorite local means of transport:

It costs me $0.65 to get from the center to our house.