El Autobus

Getting to school everyday is actually an adventure in itself. The bus costs about 155 colones which is like $0.30 --- maybe a bit more. And the bus drivers usually slow down just enough so you can quickly jump on board while the bus is still moving. They seem to accelerate while you’re trying to get off the bus too… hmm?! I think they have a contest among the other bus drivers on how many tourists they can knock down! And every street looks the same, and twists and turns in all different directions (a far cry from the grid system in Arizona), so if you take the wrong street, god help you trying to get back home! Oh, and the best part is, no one uses addresses. A typical tico address is expressed like this “go down to the river, walk 100m north until you see KFC, turn left, and walk 50 meters, then turn right at the house with the green gate, then walk another 200 meters, and look for the house with the blue gate and green paint.” A little difficult when trying to explain to the taxis, but we somehow figured it out. Trying to walk to the bus stops are a bit tricky too, because the streets have giant trenches on either side, pot holes that could swallow a bus, and red lights don’t seem to matter much to the cars here. It’s a wonder we’re still alive trying to cross the 6-lane, busy intersection everyday coming home from school! But, all in all, its actually really nice being able to take the bus everywhere and the transportation system is quite efficient. Very convenient! And, despite the quips above, has a certain charm about it.