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Bussing in Mexico
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BUSSING IN MEXICO
by
Chuck & Nancy Cadigan
Whoever said that half the fun is getting there, then surely that person must have taken a first-class bus through Mexico! Never have we enjoyed more spacious and comfortable seating. We had leg room to spare, oversized reclining seats with foot rests and head rests, blankets, pillows and drink holders that didn’t require a cumbersome tray in front of us. Add three late-run movies on closed circuit TV above our seats, in English with Spanish sub-titles, which made the trip as comfortable as sitting in a recliner in one’s own living room.
While deciding on our method of travel from Mexico City to the southernmost state of Chiapas we had several options. Fly round-trip for roughly $300 (US) per person? Rent a car, get lost repeatedly and bark at each other for the next seven days? (We thought better of that option!) Or try our luck on one of the first-class buses we had only heard about but had never experienced - and maybe see some of the countryside en route. Our only previous bus experiences in Mexico were up and down the Baja peninsula while cruising the coast of Mexico by boat – usually to claim new parts, renew visas stateside or simply to get from point A to point B. These were definitely not first class buses! They were rarely on time, sometimes included livestock or poisonous plants aboard, and required newspapers wrapped around one’s legs in lieu of non existent blankets when the driver decided cold air was in order. The only movies we ever saw were “Frosty the Snowman” in Spanish with English subtitles as we traveled the sun-drenched desert between Loreto and Cabo San Lucas. This was followed by a documentary on grizzly bears that caused the youngest pasengers on board to wail in horror at the graphic carnage and the older passengers to cringe. We found it humorous. Most passengers didn’t!
So here we were, at one of Mexico City’s four large bus stations which more resemble an airport than a bus station by U.S. standards. As we contemplated our options, we decided to ask if we could first ‘inspect’ the bus. A security officer reluctantly agreed after Nancy plied him with a few phrases of her pathetic Spanish and used her feminine wiles and smiles to get her way. It worked. She returned with a glowing report of the bus interior, even suggesting that my 6’3” frame may actually thank me when it was over. With some trepidation I finally agreed. We felt the price and the adventure worth a try, and so, for just $84 per person, taxes included, we committed to both our transportation AND our overnight lodging on the 16-hour journey which would begin in just two hours. Just enough time to stock up on snacks, water and a bottle of good tequila (when in Rome…!). Soon we were heading out of the world’s largest city as the sun began to set. Driving through some of its poorest barrios, we began the slow and steady ascent into the foothills where beautiful landscapes with green forests and blue skies transformed our surroundings. The late afternoon light shone brightly on snow-capped Mount Popocatepetl which loomed ominously overhead. Shadows of gold and purple colored the peak above the thunder heads that filled the early evening sky and defined the outline of the still active peak.
On board, we shared our snacks and practiced our Spanish, such as it was, while socializing with locals heading back to their home towns after laboring in Mexico City. Soon we drifted into a deep sleep as our German built bus rolled through the countryside. Every four hours or so, we stopped for a stretch while the driver and co-driver exchanged positions, one awakening from his ‘nap’ in the converted luggage compartment beneath the bus, impeccably dressed in his white shirt and tie who assumed the new shift. As the new day dawned, the 20-plus passengers began to awake and sneak peeks from the curtained windows. A new landscape of dense jungle and scattered huts revealed itself with tiny villages and local residents, mostly men with machetes in hand, beginning their daily sojourns into the fields. At 9:30 am the following morning, we arrived in Tuxtla Gutierrez fully rested and eager to begin the next phase of our journey.
Lina Uno has earned our respect and receives well-deserved kudos which we gladly share with anyone who is interested. Their slogan in English roughly translates to “first-class airline service on the ground.” Most airlines should take note of that promise and provide service that is at least as good as this. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. With the exception of one first-class trip on Alaskan Airlines between Seattle and San Francisco, our first class journeys to London on Virgin Atlantic, cross-country on American and via Amtrak between Montreal and Boston, we can honestly say that service on all of the above range from barely adequate to slightly better than average but were not nearly as comfortable as our bus trip to Chiapas!
From this day forward we will always purchase our tickets from Linea Uno when jungle bound in Mexico. With just 26 seats on board there is room to freely move around. There are clean restrooms in the rear of the bus and complimentary snacks and drinks are available. Did we mention the on-board “flight” attendant? Or the fact that each driver of a first-class bus is required to have a minimum of 15 years chauffeur experience in taxis, buses or vans in order to qualify for this coveted and well-paid position?
If you’re looking for genuine interaction with locals with all of the amenities to which you are accustomed, along with an experience that few foreigners will ever know, consider travel by bus – first-class, that is – anywhere in Mexico!
Nancy Dillman
955 Harbor Island East
Suite 145 #112-B
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 295-5954
(310) 428-5799
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by Chuck & Nancy Cadigan
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