I'm not sure how, but somehow Kaitlyn, Jen and I convinced the rest of our team to let us go on a crazy weekend excursion to Rosario Rio Hondo, 8 hours away, to visit Hope of Life International. Before leaving Quiche Friday morning, we had several people suggesting routes, modes of transportation and other traveling suggestions. Jess, one of our contacts in Quiche, dropped us off at the bus station to jump on a chicken bus to Guatemala City. We arrived at the bus station and immediately, we were swarmed by Guatemelans, asking where we were going and shuffling us quickly to a bus. We ended up on the bus so quickly that we didn't even get to say bye to Jess or make sure we were on the right bus! Fortunately, we were.
Disclaimer before you read on: If you happen to find yourself in Guatemala, do not take a chicken bus unless you are ready to surrender full control of your life and are ready to learn to trust God on a whole new level!
First of all, let me describe to you what said “chicken buses” are. They are old school buses, most likely from the US, that have been painted fun colors, adorned with ladders and luggage racks on the roof and inside above the seats and have been given serious, semi-truck engines. These buses are able to hold about a zillion people, or as many as can fit on. I'm pretty sure the drivers were trained at some crazy nascar training school where they learned how to pass every vehicle with the honk of their horn, maneuver hairpin, mountainous turns balanced on one side of the bus and how to pick people up on the side of the road without ever completely stopping the vehicle. The drivers assistant, whom we will refer to as Mario, also must have had some special training of his own. Mario is responsible for ensuring the the items placed on the makeshift luggage rack on top of the bus are tied down (how does he do this while the bus is in motion, you ask?). The ladders on the front and back allow him to gracefully climb around the top of the bus through the back door and swing back through the front door, all while the driver is maneuvering the treacherous mountain roads. Although they have a fully functional front bus door, Mario chooses to leave it wide open. Hanging on for dear life, he stands the whole ride- half his body on the bus, the other half hanging out, yelling, “Guateeee, Guateeeee!!” to inform potential passengers on the side of the road of our destination in case the bus happens to slow down enough for them to jump on.
So, after painting this picture, I'm sure you could start to guess why they are called “chicken buses” (or at least may have some insight into my theory as to why they are called such). The double yellow line in the middle of the road that means “DO NOT CROSS, ONCOMING TRAFFIC” to us Americans, seems to just be a suggestion here. Chicken buses seem to have free reign to cross the double yellow, honk their horn and literally “play chicken” with the oncoming traffic. Clearly, the massive magic school bus looking vehicle is going to win that battle. I've seen many fearful pickup trucks or other small vehicles steer onto the shoulder or side of the road to avoid colliding head on with one of these monsters.
As I was riding the chicken bus from Quiche to Guatemala City, these are a few things I asked myself:
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Do they have speed limits here?
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Who let the random guy on the bus selling fruit, ice cream and various candy? And how did he get off without me even noticing?
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How it is physically possible for this bus to go faster UP the mountain than down?
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How do we keep picking up random people on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere? Shouldn't there be a bus stop?
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What would happen if we got a flat tire? Would be even stop to fix it or just keep hauling?
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Is it just me, or did the driver start driving significantly faster when the Bad Boys theme song came on?
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How did we not just crash into that?!… or that?!… or them?!
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Are we there yet?
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Uhh, what just happened?!
Through the thinking and praying we did on this crazy thrill ride, I had a “chicken bus metaphor” moment. God is like the chicken bus driver. He is in complete and total control. We made the decision to get on the bus (invite Him into our lives) and now we are just along for the ride. Even though at times it can include windy roads, scary/nauseating moments and can be wayyyy out of our comfort zone, we must trust Him because jumping off the bus is clearly not a good option. For these next 10 months, I want to live as if God is my chicken bus driver, trusting Him in the unknown curves and tough situations.
Disclaimer #2: If you are bold enough to embark upon a chicken bus adventure of your own, dramamine is a must. I recommend the “less drowsy” formula. It is truly the best of both worlds: you won't get sick and you also won't fall asleep. You will be able to fully appreciate and soak in every moment of your wild chicken bus experience!
