First of all, the big picture. Public transportation between cities, particularly, Santiago and Valparaiso / Vina is world class. . . . comfortable, frequent, cheap and reliable! This story is more about local transportation.
The buses used for urban travel are referred to locally as "Micros" (Mee' cros - short for "Microbus" in Spanish which, in English, means "Mini bus". Spanish doesn't seem that hard, eh?!) They are almost all manufactured by Mercedes Benz and come from a plant in Brazil. As you might imagine, some are relatively new . . . but most have seen many, many hard miles.
The buses come in four main colours and the colours somehow relate to the territory that they cover. There are red, green, blue and orange ones, but by far, we most often find ourselves on a "pumpkin". While living in Valpo, our favorite has been the #510 as we can catch it almost anywhere downtown and get off in front of our apartment building. This shot is in front of the "Jumbo" grocery store. From here, we can be home in about 5 minutes.
Generally, the system is very reliable and efficient. We rarely wait for a bus for more than five minutes and virtually always get to within walking distance of our destination without having to change buses. At about 90 cents per ride, can one ask for anything more from public transportation? This is a sample of a green bus.
The system is very popular among locals and tourists alike. It is unusual to see a bus that is less than half full, and often there is standing room only! (Sometimes, not even that!) We understand that the more passengers there are, the more money the driver makes .... so there's always room for one more!
OK . . . now you know that the buses are colour coded, cheap, well used, efficient, and made in Brazil . . . . but what is it that makes these trips so . . . hmmmm . . . interesting!? In a past blog, I mentioned that the drivers seem to have free rein to decorate their rides as they want. Since mentioning that, and deciding to take pictures, Murphy's Law has taken over, and most of what we have seen lately has been pretty tame. Either that, or we have settled into a routine where we are taking the same buses all the time. Anyway, this bus has a few trinkets hanging at the front. The driver is apparently a "Santiago Wanders" fan, worships the Virgin Mary, and may watch Barney the Dinosaur!
Most interesting though is what is on the divider behind him!
It is a prayer of some sort. We haven't got a full translation but it starts with "Jehova is the Guardian . . ."
I started with this particular bus because, with the local geography (hills etc), crazy (loco) drivers, questionable mechanical soundness of the chariots, and a schedule to keep, . . . prayer often seems like a pretty good idea!! Notice the hands of these passengers. Everyone is holding onto the seat in front of them!
We, however, felt perfectly safe! Slightly above and to the left of the #2 in the windshield, is a Canadian flag!!
This is some video of the daily trip from our apartment. Often, the bus screams down the hill (Avenida Matta) and seems as though it won't, or can't, stop for passengers. (I should invest in a brake shop here!) After getting on, it is important to get a seat before reaching the first corner, or you could be in for a tumble. You will see that we make our way around the plaza (Plaza Conquista) and pull up to a stop. The first fellow at the door reaches in and grabs a piece of paper so that he can punch the time clock that is mounted on the light post.
After having the clock punched, the driver will often carry on at a most leisurely pace.
Exact change is not required but is appreciated. Otherwise, the driver has to make change and give you the ticket stubs while driving.
This guys loves everyone . . . from Pooh to the Pope (and Alex apparently)!!
This bus looks fairly typical with flags etc. at the front. To the upper left you will see two notices:
1) Velocidad maxima 50 (Maximum speed 50 Km) - hahaha . . . ahh . . . they make me laugh!
2) Prohibido fumar - No Smoking (thankfully, that rule is followed).
We don't know what this flag represents, but it isn't the only one that we have seen. The large insect in the bottom right also seems popular!
A large part of the bus riding experience comes from the vendors that jump on board to sell their wares. Almost always, it is ice cream (Helados) or soft drinks (Bebidas), but occasionally, we get the opportunity to buy flash lights, scissors, band-aides, pens, cards, nuts, candy . . .
When you're watching, notice that the buses are moving at a good clip when the vendors jump off.
Sometimes we are treated to the sounds of local musicians who climb on board in the hopes of making a few hundred pesos. Sorry, no video here.
I particularly liked the custom upholstery job on this bus . . . complete with a matching gear shift cover.
Many of the buses also have a seat at the front for someone. It seems to be available for anyone who wants it during the day, but at night, the drivers travel with a partner who uses that seat. We have speculated that the partner is there for two reasons . . . to help drum up business by calling out destinations at the bus stops and also for security for the driver.
The street that runs along the coastline between Valparaiso and Vina is called Avenida Espana. It is from this street that we must make a steep ascent into Cerro Placeres, and home. Many drivers will speed up and take a run at the hill! Now that's exciting! I only wish that the camera could capture the feeling of how fast some of these guys travel! Standing in the isle with three or four bags of groceries while making this trip is well worth the price of admission! Yee Haa! This video will give you an idea of what part of the journey is like.
If you are a real keener, and would like to experience the longer version, this one starts at the bottom of the hill, turns left onto Avenida Diego Portales, turns right up Avenida Matte, goes around Plaza Conquista and, being the #501, lets us off about a block from our apartment. The #510 takes a slightly different route and stops in front of our building. You can also hear the radio playing in this video. The drivers also have free rein over the music, and we, therefore, experience tunes from AC-DC to Abba. Incidentally, ABBA remains very popular in Chile! We have recently seen signs posted in the buses that suggest that the drivers are obligated to adhere to the wishes of the passengers. (ie. Could you please turn that up/down!)
The only thing remaining in our story is the cable cars. These relics are electric and do not venture into the hills. Last week, we got on board for our first ride.
To give you an idea of the vintage, I don't recall seeing any sign of plastic on this bus! The seat backs are metal, the bi-fold doors at the front are made of wood, and unless I miss my guess, the light covers are glass! The cable cars of Valparaiso are on the endangered species list! I'm not sure if that is an official designation or not, but like many things in this strange land, they are in need of attention.
You may have noticed a flood of postings lately. That's because we have been trying to catch up so that we can start the next leg of our adventure with a clean slate. The Valparaiso portion of our adventure is over as of Monday February 2nd. That's when we . . . no, wait . . . perhaps I'll wait for just one more day to reveal our plans!
Hasta luego,
Amor,
Norm y Charlene
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