The Ecuadorian Transportation System…es lOco

I’m officially going to declare catching & riding an Ecuadorian bus an extreme sport. Seriously, it should be added to the 2012 Olympic Games.

There are only a few designated paradas or stops in Ecuador. If you want on, you must, literally, flag the bus down and be prepared to jump on with your veinticinco centavos (.25) in hand. The next challenge is staying on your feet while the driver continues to crank gears and scale the inclining terrain. If you have managed all of this so far without sustaining a serious bodily injury, the music is quite fantastíca, la vista of the peaks and valleys is gorgeous, a veces the company is sociable, and there are really fun vendadores who hop on to pedal yummy things at stoplights.

Depending on the hour, the autobus in Ecuador could quite possible reinvigorate the trite platitude packed like sardines. For Ecuadorians to be such a relaxed people, when those doors spring open you have never seen or felt such a rush. The worst part of the whole transportation ordeal; I must say, is the dismount. If you are anywhere near where you think you need/want to be you must move to the flailing doors in transit, and I mean like muy rapido, holler gracias and just say a prayer that the driver slows down enough to let you vault off. Es completamente loco, but a ridiculously fun daily adventure nonetheless.

Papí walked/rode through it with me on Sunday, since I had orientation at USFQ the next day. He kept saying, “¿Es fácil, no?” and I wanted to be like NO, It’s really not that easy, but I didn’t. It was really sweet of him to take me through all the turns, crosses, buses, and stops. Everyone in my family was worried I was going to get lost the first day, but so far so good.

Since I live in the Northern Part of Quito, I’m a poquito lejos or a little far away from the Universidad, which is inconveniently nestled in the scenic town of Cumbayá, so the journey takes me through three different bus systems. The bus that travels El Bosque route (which is the area where I live) has yet to maintain any semblance of a schedule, so I usually end up walking the 35 minutes on pie to get to the Ecovia Bus Station where I catch another one to Río Coca where I must then flag down the next one to Cumbayá. All in all, it takes me about an hour and fifteen to an hour and thirty minutes to commute one way pending everything runs smoothly. I usually grab a copy of El Comercio, which is like the NYT of Quito, and brace myself for the rollercoaster. The bus system surely makes for a lively commute and a colorful, daily Quito adventure. I have also encountered some fabulous Ecuadorian friends along the way and they never fail to be in their spots with warm greetings.

Ecuadorian travel tip of the day: Ecuador is in the midst of a change/small bills crisis. They use the U.S. dollar but have had to make their own coins to try and mitigate the problem caused by the shortage. A twenty dollar bill might as well be a hundred. So, don’t be surprised if you spend a dollar on a cappuccino and pay the cashier with a ten and receive a mountain of nickels and a frown.

Thanks for the roll of quarters Granny!!! They are fabulous when commuting by bus.