Ranting about combis and getting convicted in one.

Riding the combi (bus) is starting to get a little old recently, but alas, it's the most common way to get around in this city unless you can afford taking taxis or having your own vehicle, both of which I could afford but I would hate to spend so much money when I know there's a cheaper venue. Therefore, I have to ride the bus to work at about 8:20 in the morning and then at 6:30 p.m. or so to go back home. The traffic is pretty bad at both times of the day and they're usually very crowded. There is no air conditioning, so the windows need to be open in the summertime. However, some windows are stuck and they can't be opened. And when it's cold in the winter, the windows need to be closed but some windows -- you guessed right! -- cannot be shut. The seats are in horrible condition most of the time, and they're usually not very big. A 5'10" person might have a hard time fitting on one of the narrow made-for-midgets seats.

To add to all this, some people silently flatulate inside the bus and it's always a while before the fragrance disappears. Other people are extremely nasty. Some people know how much money they're supposed to pay but they want to pay less or the shouting cobrador (fare collector) sometimes overcharges and that's when people get nasty. Some people will start a huge argument over 0.20 cents whilst others simply take the passive-agressive approach and decide to get off the bus and get on a different one. You wouldn't think this could get any worse, but it does. They're loud and reckless. Music is usually played on the bus (not my favorite kind of music 90% of the time), the fare collector is always yelling out the names of the streets where the bus travels and the horn is honked every 5 minutes. A lot of the drivers are not licensed and if they are, you wouldn't think they would be due to their reckless driving (everyone in Lima drives recklessly anyway). The buses are owned by private companies, so the more passengers the bus gets, the more money the company and the employees make. Some of these drivers will speed, switch lanes and run the red light in an effort to get passangers on the bus and risking a bunch of people's lives, and their own, in the process.

Do not get me started on the bus stops. They're just suggestions, just as much as the traffic rules are suggestions. These buses will pretty much stop anywhere to pick people up but they won't do that when people need to get off the bus. It's not uncommon to see people waiting to catch a bus around a sign that says "Paradero prohibido" (Prohibited stop) and the bus will stop where it's not supposed to so long as there isn't a cop in sight. Every corner is pretty much a bus stop, so the bus might stop at every corner. Now, how do you go about getting off the bus? Some big buses have a button on the door you can push, but those are rare. The most common way is to let the cobrador know (usually by yelling it out) where it is you need to get off the bus in advance. But even then, they will sometimes go too far and then you have to walk back. Now there are tons of different routes, and you would think there's written information available to everyone on which buses go where, but there isn't. You just have to learn which bus to take by asking around.

One other thing that I don't like about the buses is that a lot of street vendors will get on the bus to sell stuff. Some vendors get on the bus and walk down the aisle hoping someone will buy something from them. Some vendors get on the bus, wish everyone a good morning/afternoon/evening, apologize for being disruptive and then go on to tell everyone why they're doing what they're doing before walking down the ailse to get people to buy whatever they're selling. Most of them are men, but it's not rare to see a lady do this. Some of them say they used to be in jail and now they're trying to live a better life, others say they used to do drugs or alcohol and now they're trying to make an honest living. One guy got on the bus one time to say he was HIV+ and that he didn't have enough money to buy his meds. One time this young guy got on the bus to sell candy since he couldn't afford paying his college tuition. Some people preach the Word, others play the guitar or sing (some of them are good) and some are just too young to go to "work". It breaks my heart to see kids who should be in school or playing hide-and-seek get on the bus and work for money. I don't usually buy stuff from these people since I don't know whether they're telling the truth, but tonight I felt very convicted.

A 40-something-year-old looking man got on the bus and, after introducing himself and stuff, said he used to be employed but his company started laying people off without any previous notice and, unfortunately, he got laid off and now he needs to find a way to support his wife and 3 underage children. He said his kids needed to be fed just as much as his wife and him needed to eat, and he also said that kids don't understand the words, "I don't have money" or "I can't provide for you right now". He then talked about life being unfair and how we all should help one another in times of need. He pulled a bag full of candy and started to sell it for 0.20 cents a piece or 3 pieces of candy for 0.50 cents. I was just convicted. I reached into my pocket to get money to buy candy (which was really good, I must say). Life is unfair. I have had my fair share of disappointment this year. We must help one another in times of need, specially now more than ever due to this financial global crisis we have going on. We can't predict the future. No one can fortell what will happen to us tomorrow. There is no way to find out what will befall us. We may be in need, we may need a helping hand, and we may not get it.