Let's face it, buses have never been the most comfortable, nor the most reliable of all transport, but here in Mexico, well, it just takes it to another level entirely!
What's worse, it that I have to get a bus to and from uni every day I work. So I have to sit through a bumpy, sweaty, hour long journey, squished up close to some random Mexican (remembering that many are overweight) under the midday sun on the way there, and an hour and a half of the same, minus the sun, on the way back. The buses do not have air conditioning, so the only way to keep cool is to open the window and be blasted in the face with copious amounts of road dust and bugs. There is also an apparent lack of bus stops once you reach the outskirts of the city, and once the bus was stopping quite literally (I counted) every 10 seconds. Considering it was 6pm and I was very hungry and tired, you can imagine that this did not please me. Also, people here do not seem very keen to share a seat. Even when there are no seats at all left on the bus, you have to hover for a good 5 seconds or actually ask them to move up for you, as they will pretend to sleep, or stare straight ahead pretending not to have noticed you. Even then, they will not simply budge up, but will stand up, and you have to squish past them, big backpack and all, in order to take the rubbish seat where you get face blasted by the open window.
At a certain part of the route, the nut seller man hops on the bus, full of hope for a sale. Taking out a packet of chili nuts from his tray, he opens it and proceeds to thrust the bag under everyone's face offering out samples in the hope that with that will encourage them to buy themselves a nice little botana (snack) for the journey. It sometimes works, but only every once in a while. I don't suppose this would go down very well in the UK, and I do worry about people allergic to nuts... Ice cream sellers also frequent the bus, but the nut guys are the most common (and popular).
The quality of bus varies hugely. Some days I'm lucky enough to get a cushioned seat one with lots of legroom and even (!) a tv screen showing music videos and adverts. However, this is a rarity and it's most likely that I'll get one with slashed/broken leather with the stuffing falling out where I have to sit with my knees crushed against the back of the person in front's seat, next to some grimy graffitied side of the bus, with the ragged curtain flapping in my face (of course, from the wind). Possibly worse, are those with just plastic seats. After an hour on these my bum is aching and also it's not great when the bus turns the corners and you slip along the seat... They also vary noticeably in the amount of suspension they have. I have been on buses where I have been up and down and up and down so much I feel like a) I have been on some sort of ridiculous fairground ride, and b) that I ought to start wearing a sports bra to work. The bus drivers also sometimes just jump off the bus to buy themselves a coke and a snack... not well received when I catch the late bus to UTCV and am worrying about not getting there on time. The other day, I kid you not, the bus driver pulled up in some random lay buy, got out, bought himself a crate of limes from some random trucker dude, and then casually jumped back on the bus and carried on. Mexico eh...
Once I caught a bus at around 8pm from the slightly dodgier end of Córdoba which appeared to be driven by a 14-year old boy, but that wasn't the strange part. He had blueish lights inside the bus and was blasting out reggaton throughout the entire journey. I quite enjoyed the disco bus experience, but was also filled with terror seeing as I was sat at the front on the plastic seats, and every time we went down a steep hill (there were a good few of them), I felt like I was going to fall out of the bus, seeing as the dude had decided it was best not to shut the doors... I felt it was very much a Mexico Moment haha.
Then there's the taxis. Drive like madmen. Maybe they are madmen, who knows. Some have horns that when they beep them sound like a wolf whistle. I hear those quite a lot on the days when I wear skirts... Others see me walking along the road and beep, asking if I want a taxi. NO I do not want a taxi. If I wanted one, I would stick my arm out and ask for one. Idiot. They do not care how many people cram into the taxi, so long as they get paid - definitely got 7 in before, I'm sure. Not the most comfortable of experiences, especially seeing as I'm one of the smallest so often have to squish onto someone's knee and when we go over roadbumps nearly hit the roof... Some of the drivers just speed along the streets, beeping as they come to a corner or when they see pedestrians crossing the road ahead, basically saying get out the way bitches, I'm coming through. It was really quite terrifying. I was sure he was gonna run a family over at one point - it was a close shave. But, I am glad that you can just flag a taxi down here and it's not much of a worry, unlike in Mexico City where you have to be super careful. It's also only 20 pesos (about £1) for a short journey and has never been more than 35 for anywhere in Córdoba that I've been to. Pretty decent. And if you get a good one, you can have nice chats with the nice taximan, though I never am quite sure when it stops being typically Mexican and friendly, and turns into something more creepy. One taximan did ask me if I wanted to be his companion cos he was lonely... but the others just tell me how much I'm gonna like Córdoba and where the best places to go are. Either way, you're gonna end up with an interesting journey, and I suppose I like it for the moment that things can be a bit mental, but could no way live it full time... I'd have to buy a car and drive. Speaking of which, all you have to do to drive here is take an online test and then you're free to hit the road. Frightening really...
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