I had a very full day yesterday. I left my home close to 11 a.m. to have a heart to heart talk with a friend making a tough decision. Then I raced across town on the wrong bus to meet a friend at the mall to see the movie, Gravity. I wound up having to pay a taxi to get me there as I was late already, the bus was going nowhere near where I needed to be and it was starting to rain.
The movie was amazing! I wasn't sure I would like it since I had heard there was little dialogue in it, but I was pleased.
After the movie was over, my friend and I got in a cab to go visit another friend who has a broken leg. After leaving, I walked down the hill with another visitor to the main street to get a ride on a bus to go home. That is when the fun began.
I have a choice of 3 different buses on Gran Colombia. I can catch #16 going a different direction from where I am headed, which I learned the hard way. If it is going my direction, it makes 2 hard lefts and goes out to the netherlands of Cuenca. I saw #16 race by as I was saying my goodbyes to the other visitor so I went across the street to wait for either #13 or #50.
Before either #13 or #50 comes on my side, I see yet another #16 coming on the other side. I would be dead about 15 different ways if I tried to hurry across the street so I decided I should stay put. How many #8 and #1 buses can a city have? Out where I live every other bus is #13. Why none now? Oh, wait! Here comes one! And because of all the traffic backed up curbside, he swings in the middle of the road and races on by. Kind of like this.
As I was waiting for another #13 or #50 and had been standing there around 20 minutes in the dark, I noticed how the cab drivers were trolling the bus stops. I'm afraid gringas just don't have that "tranquilo" in their DNA that the Ecuadorianas do. They would slither by and honk their horn lightly to let everyone know of their presence. Some would catch your gaze and wriggle their eyebrows. "Choose me!"
I began to know how Eve felt in the Garden of Eden. I kept thinking I could be home by the time I actually catch a bus. I thought of it and it must have shown because I continued to get the light honks and I swear some of the cabbies looked like they might be the same ones that had driven around before. Maybe they were waiting me out. Maybe they were holding the #13 and #50 hostage down the road to get more passengers and business. $3.00 versus $.25 for the bus. Let me see. No, not tempted yet.
Another #13 came whizzing by and this time he was in the correct lane. He didn't even touch his brakes. I am getting delirious and I do think I'm hearing SSSSSSSSSSS come from the taxis. Those serpents, again. Eve was only tempted by one. I have 100s of taxis driving slowly by with a wink and a nod. Since it is after dark they may even charge me $4. It's not going to happen.
After 45 minutes and no sightings of #50 and multiple sightings of bus #16 on the other side, a bus #13 finally came to a stop to pick up riders at my stop. This is the longest I have had to wait for a bus since moving to Cuenca.
After arriving at my destination and walking across the street from the bus stop, I get one more hit. A light tap of the horn. And I swear I heard a SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS shortly thereafter.
Too funny, Vickie....<3
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