Riding Buses in the Campo

At first, you may think it is kind of fun, just part of the experience. Then, you realize that this experience is part of people's daily lives. After your third bus trip or so, the novelty begins to wear off.

30-45 minutes before departure time the bus arrives in its slot at the terminal. During most times of the day, especially the last two buses on Saturdays and Sundays, people are clamouring over each other with pushes and shoves in order to get a seat and a space on the overhead racks for their stuff. People are taking dozens of eggs, huge bags of sugar, bottles of oil, and boxes of hair gel to sell at their rural pulperia. People are piling sacks and buckets of goods on top of the bus as well. I have heard that mattresses are carried this way but have not seen this yet.

It is literally a fight for seats which are saved with boxes and bags, as well as saved by friends. Often, I have not been lucky enough to have a seat. In this case, you must carefully plan your strategy of leaning on the edges of seats with your hip and/or grabbing onto overhead bars in various configurations. Also, it must be stated that courtesy rules that are often unspoken in the US regarding the eldery and mothers are rarely followed. I have seen some cases where the eldery have been offered seats but this gesture is an offer from people who know them and not from strangers generally. Finally, I have seen babies passed forward while the mother squeezes through the crammed aisle.