An Ode to Buses

Buses are the way to travel in South America, mostly because they´re the only way to get around. So far Margaret and I have traveled about 300 miles by bus, which has taken a total of about 17 hours. Why do the buses on average only travel 15-20 miles per hour, you ask? Hairpin turns, hitchbacks, rockslides, goats, and many other obstacles the Andes present. But with this slow trek comes an experience worth mentioning. First of all, you have these views:

Clouds and towns below us at every turn.

Secondly, the buses are a scene themselves. Often standing room only, even for long trips, the buses are crowded. The bus drives along with the driver´s assistant hanging out the side of the bus yelling the destination to people waiting on the side of the road. If the people waiting happen to be looking for a bus, they jump on as we slowly roll past. The bus doesn´t stop because, I don`t know, I guess they`re in a hurry.

When we do stop to let people off, the vendors get on. Ecuadorians selling everything from warm banana bread to fruit salad to Ginseng place themselves strategically all over the countryside. They have one to two minutes to get on and off the bus before it leaves with them on it or not. I´ve seen one or two vendors hop off the moving bus. Margaret and I can see all of this of course because our heads, and no one else`s, stick above the seats made for people at least a foot shorter than we are.

So with the views, the food, and the entertainment, the rides just aren`t that bad. They`re even a bit fun.