Chicken Bus Journeys

When I was researching about travel throughout Guatemala, I often heard the term "chicken bus". My other travel friends explained these "buses" to me and often involved the words: craziest ride I have ever had in my life, either you like them or you don't. I envisioned a large bus with crates of chickens strapped to the top and people crammed into the bus like sardines.

flickr user: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefano60/

If you have the time, check out this great website all about Guatemalan Chicken Buses ! Basically, when American school buses have reached their "end of life" status, they are sold at auction and given a second chance to live their life down in Guatemala. Yet, they are no longer stuffed with noisy children, but are now public transportation found roaming the country. They are brightly painted, have added luggage/cargo racks, and seem to have a personality of all their own.

flick user: https://www.flickr.com/photos/76494864@N08/

I finally decided to give the chicken bus adventure a try. And an adventure it was.  I stood at the street corner waiting for Bus #1 with the name of the city I was headed to. Usually a "helper" is half hanging out the door and yelling the name of the city. I was headed North East to a city called "Santa Cruz De Quiche". People were helpful and often asking me where I was headed and would let me know when it was the correct bus ! However, sometimes they shorten a city to just one word and you need to pay attention, as the bus barely comes to a complete stop before it rolls on.


I got onto the bus and every bus seat had at least three adults moshed together (maybe more if the children sit on the laps). I travel with one small/medium sized bag and had to find my way to the very last seat at the back of the bus. People were standing in the aisles. With half of my body on the seat, and the other half in the aisle I somehow enjoyed the uncomfortable nonsense with the Mexican music blaring at me. I was the only "gringo" on this bus, the only white female. That's OK !

coffee fields !!!

 About three hours and three USA dollars later, I got dumped off in one city and needed to continue to head North to my next destination. I hopped up and got bombarded by the "helpers" speaking Spanish rapidly at me trying to push me towards my bus. Children and adults selling fruit, gum, watches, tostadas, ice cream, would come onto the bus and try to make a quick sale.

Two hours later, after passing through coffee fields I arrived to my third stop. This part of my journey was somewhat off the mainstream tourist travel and the roads were getting rougher and deeper into the mountains.

Stop number 4. I was trying my best to get from Sacapulas towards the city of Coban. Luckily, I found a mini-van type shuttle and I was now in the high country, among the mountains, the clouds, the mist, and the temperature was dropping. Somehow, I managed to sleep the most of this 3 hour journey that was probably only 65 miles long!

At one time, I counted 20 people in our mini-van shuttle! Kids were piled upon kids, babies sat on their mothers laps, eighty year old men,  and there was the man who forgot his bags of tortillas and then chased us down in his private vehicle ten minutes later. I would peer out the window watching the world go by, baby pigs chasing after their mothers, or watching the stray dogs romping around in the streets. What an experience !

THE WORLD !!!!!

I arrived to my destination around 5 pm (I started my bus journey at 8 AM) to a cold high mountain city. What exactly happened today again ? The day was not even over and I still had another random travel story to end the evening with.................To Be Continued.............................