Chicken Buses: the ride of your life

aye aye aye......i don't know where to begin with the chicken bus experience. well, i guess i'll give it a go.

so, the public buses here in guatemala are an extremely interesting experience to have. lucky for me, i get to ride in one every day when living in Magdalena because my work site is in antigua...approximately a 40 minute bus ride away. however, the drivers will drive as slow or fast as they would like.

the buses makeup is extremely similar to school buses in the states, and actually...most have school names written on the side covered poorly with other paint. however, they are decorated to the max. there is every random cartoon character possible plastered on the inside, tacky flowers hanging from the mirrors and wild paint designs on the outside. photos do not do them justice.

Not only are they colorfully loud, they are also loud on the inside. Most are blaring music and are stacked full of people talking. The drivers are constantly honking the horn to alert the city to its presence and the emergency buzzer is going off as people exit and enter in the back door....while the bus is moving mind you. The bus rarely stops....if only one person has to board the bus at a stop...they just get their foot in the door and the bus is already driving away.They also are occasionally full of vendors who walk up and down the aisle trying to sell their products, while yelling over the noise. I almost always see someone sleeping during the trip, and I have absolutely no idea how this is possible.The coolest bus i was in was blaring techno music....super super fun.

Ok, now you may be wondering why they call them "chicken buses." Well, it is because they are packed full of people, like chickens get packed, literally. Bear with me on this analogy. Each seat is supposed to hold 6 "cheeks." While this is all good and dandy for you to get to know your seat buddies, it is not very plausible. Only 5 "cheeks" can fit on the seat so one is in the aisle. This goes for every seat. So, there are technically two "cheeks" hanging in the aisle. Now, the aisle is about the width of two "cheeks" so it works out quite marvelously. however, somehow the guatemalans manage to squeeze 30-40 more people within the aisles. I believe its impossible. Even when people try to squeez through the aisles to find an open spot where they can place their "cheek" you are basically tossed into the laps of your neighbors as they pass. There is also the helper guy who helps the bus driver back up when he needs to and also pushes his way through the aisle to collect everyones money. This is the best way I could find to explain this phenomena....so i am sorry if it doesn't make any sense.

they are pretty cheap to ride, most costing only 4 quetzales a ride...which is equivalent to about 50 cents in the US. However, the price does depend on the length of the trip.

When we go down the mountain it is a little sickening because the driver literally has to slam on the brakes every few seconds to make sure the bus doesn't pick up too much speed and go careening over the edge. while it makes me sick, i am grateful that he is taking precautions so i don't die. When you are going up the mountain however, it is the exact opposite. The drivers take the turns so fast that literally there are times when both "cheeks" (to use my analogy from earlier) are off the bus seat and the only thing keeping you from flying across the bus is holding onto the handles they installed on top of each seat. let me tell you, you get to know your neighbors. it reminds me of merry-go-rounds at parks where you spin around so fast that your feet fly off the edge....except this time its your "cheeks."

all in all, it is a great experience....one that i am grateful to have. i do believe that school buses in the states will never be quite the same............................