Bobbleheads

This is a Magnificent Frigate bird. With the white chest, we can tell she's a female. Solid black are males, and those with white heads are immatures. 

If you've been reading Sandy's blogs, you'll know by now that between our marina and the tourist town of Puerto Vallarta, lies a nether region which needs to be crossed on a Mexican bus. I have no aversion to buses, or mass transit of any kind, for that matter. It's always interesting to compare different systems. The subways in Russia, even 45 years ago, were lined with sparkling tiles and elegant crystal chandeliers. New York buses and subways are easy to use, however at times, have sported endless graffiti, the stench of urine, and rats. The San Francisco BART system was clean, but could be a bit more clearly marked. (Got lost there a couple times.) Los Angeles buses were a bit mysterious, and you need exact change. No exceptions. 

Puerta Vallarta buses are a well organized system. They run frequently, so you never have to wait long for one no matter where you want to pick it up or where you want to go. At some of the stops, there are coordinators who are rounding up people and getting them onto the correct bus. These guys usually speak English, and seem to be keeping a tally of how many people they can load onto any given vehicle. This poses the question of whether or not they get paid by the head. 

My favorite part of the Mexican buses is not the system and its organization, but the ride itself. First of all, when you get on the bus, tell the driver where you're going, then give him some money (usually about $1.50) he can give you a receipt and change, in the time it takes to drop the correct change into the slot on an LA bus! Doesn't waste a second after that either, because before you can move past him and take a seat, he's got the bus in gear and is pulling forward. So grab onto something or you're going to end up on your ass in the middle of the aisle! What usually happens to us is we get mostly to a seat, when the sudden forward motion of the bus propels us the rest of the way into the seat. I'm sure to the amusement of the locals. It is almost becoming a competition: us vs. the bus driver. Can we get sat down before he pulls out? Who knows. He may be getting a big charge out of watching Americans flail their way down the aisle of his bus!

Once the bus gets rolling, it flies! I'm not kidding. We've looked at the speedometer en route. He gets up to top speed, and then slams on the brakes for the next stop. At these speeds, over the many cobblestone roads which make up the Mexican bus routes, some buses are more comfortable than others. The buses that come out to La Cruz are the cushy ones. They have upholstered seats, which tends to make you think you'll be getting a smoother ride... but you don't. All the buses come with 10/60 air conditioning. That's 10 windows open at 60 mph. Sometimes, just as we're thinking, "Boy! This thing is really moving!" the bus slows down and pulls off the road, into a gas station, where we all just wait while the driver gets out and fills up. I know! This is unheard of in the United States! Once we're back on the road, we try to make up time by dodging and weaving in and out of traffic. Do you remember how when you learned to drive, you were taught to leave a"margin of safety" between you and the other cars? Well, in Mexico, you don't have to do that! You can stay right on someone's bumper! It's amazing how small a space a bus needs to actually squeeze by another vehicle. Most of the time it looks like they'll never make it, but they can! Everyone of these near misses elicits an, "Jeez!" or an "Eew!" from Sandy. I try not to watch. I just keep my eyes trained on the passing scenery, NOT out the front window. 

The buses that go all the way into the old town area of PV, are the El Centro buses, and only have plastic seats. Those are the bobblehead buses. We suspect strongly that they have no shocks. It certainly feels that way as the bus is roaring down cobblestone streets and our heads are bobbing around like those little dogs in the windows of cars. When we go into town, we ride the La Cruz bus as far as the driver will let us. Then we move onto an El Centro to continue into Old Town; which is where it's at in PV. On the way back to the marina, we get off the El Centro bus at the Wal-Mart, and pick up the La Cruz bus there. Before it pulls away from the stop, vendors selling water, ice cream, and all sorts of nuts get on the bus to try to hock their goods. They do a pretty brisk business. After a ride on those El Centro buses, you're ready to pamper yourself in any way that you can. We also get treated to an occasional guitar player on the ride back to La Cruz, who explains that he doesn't want to bother you, but forces you to listen to him play for, of course, tips.

The bus trip takes about an hour, from soup to nuts. That seems like a long time. But, hey. We're retired and we're cruising in Mexico! What else have we got to do?