Riding on an African Bus

April 4th, 2006

Let me describe it to you….People cram into the bus seats, sardined side by side. Children sit on their parents’ laps, and chickens are flopped on the floor beneath the seats, with their feet tied together of course! The bus starts off with a puff of smoke and a mighty roar; the driver proudly at the steering wheel and the bus boy balancing on the seat rails, with his feet propped against the side of the bus! About every half hour the bus momentarily stops, either for a police check or to crowd in some more passengers. Or sometimes the driver just needs a break! Whenever the bus stops, some passengers dash outside to answer the call of nature. Etiquette demands that one simply ignore the person who is obviously occupied with their necessity of life.

Others who stay inside the bus, buy food from road side vendors who come to the windows. Fruit, roasted yams wrapped in banana leaves, mini fried cakes, and peanuts are purchased through the windows of the bus. Even ice cold water in clear plastic bags is sold to thirsty passengers (they simply tear off a corner of the plastic bag and suck out the water). In several minutes the driver honks his horn, the bus boy jumps in and slams the door shut, and the bus is once again on its way.

 Inside the bus, one or two chickens are squawking, music is blaring, and dust from the dirt roads is blowing into the open windows. Passengers are munching on food, throwing their trash out the windows or onto the floor. After all the peanut shells are tossed about, the bus has the appearance of a circus! Babies coo and teethe on bus seats, women gab to one another across the isles, and sleepy heads bob up and down. All of a sudden a tremendous crackling is heard and an intense heat is felt! The bus has just driven by a roadside fire! Looking around, I notice that my husband and I are the only ones who seem alarmed. For everyone else, roadside fires seem to be a way of life! Finally, the bus gets to our destination; we thank the bus driver and jump off!