Monday, July 17, 2006

Public Transportation in Puerto Rico

Hubby and I took the A5 bus into and out of Old San Juan several times during our stay there. At 75 cents each, the fare was a real bargain, and it also gave us the opportunity for a real up close and personal look at the people. Unfortunately, neither hubby nor I speak Spanish, so we missed out on some of the fun--but for some incidents you just had to be paying attention.

For instance, one evening during "rush hour," the bus kept picking up passengers at every stop until there was no room for more. Nevertheless, the bus driver kept telling everyone to move back. The woman standing in front of me had several packages on the floor. So at yet another admonition from the driver to move back, she picked up all her packages and placed them on the lap of the man sitting next to me. She did not ask his permission, she just did it. And he accepted the situation without any protest.

I was amazed. Nevertheless, that was a jolly bus ride. Everyone was good natured about the situation.

So if I write a story about Puerto Rico, you know there's going to be a crowded bus scene in there somewhere. :^)

4 comments:

Kristy Dykes said...

Hi! Thanks for your comment on my blog. I enjoyed reading yours.

San Juan?

My daughter lives there. She's married to a Puerto Rican stockbroker. So I get plenty of opportunities to interact with Spanish people. Love them.

A few days ago, she was on the beach, and saw a dead man. Apparently, he drowned. They'd apparently already pronounced him dead and just left him there for hours, without covering it up. She was greatly affected by it. She blogged about it on her blog:

http://its-all-about-him.blogspot.com

Penelope Marzec said...

Kristy: Fortunately, we did not see any dead bodies while we were in Puerto Rico. It is awful that the authorities didn't cover up the body right away. That sort of thing would keep me away from the beach for a long, long time.

K. said...

Interesting story. That is one thing I love about traveling - experiencing the different ways that ordinary things are done in new places.

Zinnia said...

I've never ridden a public bus. Never been in a taxi either.