Saturday, February 21, 2009

Kentucky Fried Chicken Bus

Dear Readers,

Today I´d like to write about my first true Guatemalan Chicken Bus ride, and I’m sorry to say it was completely boring. I’m both relieved and a little bit disappointed that there were absolutely no chickens to be found on the bus. The bus ride itself wasn’t even that uncomfortable. The roads were in decent shape, and the bus was never full. In fact, for most of the trip I had a seat to myself.


For those of you wondering what a chicken bus is, let me explain. A chicken bus is the backpackers’ nickname for the local bus system in many Central American countries. Much like the buses I took in Belize, in Guatemala they use old American school buses that have been made over with a bright and exciting paint job and the loudest horns on the planet.

(My chicken bus today was decorated with Winnie the Pooh stickers and religious inscriptions.) Unlike Belize buses, they are sometimes filled beyond capacity with both human and livestock passengers, and feature a man leaning out the door shouting the buses´ destination for anyone within ear shot. ¨Guate! Guate! Guate!...Guate! Guate!¨


At the end of the day, I’m mostly happy that I didn’t have a crazy horrible experience, but a little part of me is sad that I won’t be able to add a crazy chicken bus experience to my list of travel horror stories. Although, I still have so many countries to go that the future is filled with possibilities.


xx,
gwen


p.s. I leave you with a couple more chicken bus photos from Antigua.


Check out the sweet hood ornament.


These buses can eat you for breakfast.


Lots of buses. I bet they are all going to Guate.

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