Bus Protocol

The next few posts will be taken from the log that JM kept on the August 09 buying trip to Mexico for Chiripa. There will be some repetition from my day by day summary from afar, but, his words will give more color to the trip. -kl

JM waiting in line for tickets.

A sample of the modern buses and facilities in Mexico.

"We managed to meet at the Mexico City airport (whew!), then boarded the first available bus for the 2-hour ride east over the mountain pass to the city of Puebla.

"As we entered the bus, there was a small diplomatic problem. Our assigned seats were already occupied and, rather than confront the issue, we just moved further to the back of the bus. But it was the wrong decision. As the bus filled, other passengers were perplexed to find us in their seats, and soon the whole bus was in confusion.

"We tried to move against the tide, to our original assigned seats near the front. But that just compounded the swelling logjam. No one was angry. But people were talking rapidly, waiving their tickets, and grappling with baggage, kids and grandmothers. The patient bus driver finally sorted it all out. We sheepishly took our correct seats and, despite everything, the bus pulled out right on time." --JM Aug 4, 2009