I slept in Saturday morning, arriving in the restaurant at 9:30. I wasn't feeling very wonderful. Rick joined me about 10:00, telling me all about his wonderful night with his girl. (I still cannot remember her name.) I told him about Janie not coming back out. He seemed to think it was rather wierd, but I've become accustomed to this sort of thing.
We talked about the upcoming trip to Red's, and I expressed my hopes that the bus we were instructed to catch would be an aircon bus. Rick said he didn't think it would be that hot on a non aircon bus as long as it was moving. I told him there was a little more to it than that, and explained to him a little about how they tend to overload the non aircon busses, and that the aircon busses were usually not so packed and much more comfortable.
We wasted the day until time to go catch the bus. We took a taxi down to the north bus terminal, arriving around 2 oclock. The bus was supposed to leave at 2:30. The bus finally arrived at 3:45, and it was packed to the gills.
There were people standing front to back, and people on the roof. Rick decided we could squeeze on there anyway, so we did. We stood on the steps for a while, then slowly got pushed up into the isle. There was not enough room to put both feet on the floor, and it was nearly impossible to change feet. If you picked a foot up, that space was immediately taken over by somebody else. I did figure out that if you stand on their feet long enough, they will move them when you pick your foot up!
Then, we picked up about 30 more passengers. Not to mention lumber, bricks, pipe, a pig, and some chickens which went on the roof. We had been on the bus for a half hour or so when I pointed out our shadow to Rick. There were at least a dozen people on top of the bus.
None of this, of course, seemed to bother the bus driver one iota. He only slows down to pick up more people, lumber, etc. We barrel down short straight stretches and careen around corners, sometimes leaving the pavement at 80 KPH. He slows down for nothing, not children, jeepneys, tricycles, congested areas, nothing. Just blow the horn and go.
We finally stopped for a break and most everyone got off the bus, us included.
Rick is generally a very conservative individual, and seldom takes unnecessary chances. However, once in a while he throws a curveball at you. Silly little things like, well, getting on top of the bus! I couldn't believe it.
So we are loaded up again and screaming down the highway. We went around some corners so fast I couldn't understand how the bus stayed upright. Looking down, there is nothing below us for 200 feet. I have spent many years on and around heavy equipment, and sometimes we would put calcium in the tires for ballast and traction. I came to the conclusion that not only must they have calcium in the tires, but the frame must also be filled with lead to keep us shiny side up.
After an hour or so of this, I am thinking Rick must be having one hell of a ride up on the roof, then I turn around and there he is in the back of the bus. They wouldn't let him ride up top.
After 2 1/2 hours or so the bus finally drops us off in front of Red's house. We are nearly the last ones off the bus, the only stop after ours being the house of the bus owner. I nearly couldn't walk, and my hands were so cramped up from hanging onto the rail it was hours before my fingers worked right again.
