Now, usually there are some good stories that come along with riding public transportation. Take for instance my ride on the San Diego Trolley last spring. I don't remember all of the particular details, but I remember the gist of it. I was riding along, alone, minding my own business when I noticed this man staring at me. I smiled and just carried on with my texting. Next thing I know, the guy comes and sits right in front of me and puts his arm on the back of the seat, almost as if to touch my legs. I continued to mind my own business, all the while texting a friend that a creepy dude was too close to me. Thankfully he got off a few stops before me, but I had a plan to ride it out and miss my stop if that meant waiting for him to get off before me.
I've met some really nice people on public transportation as well. I've seen some absolutely adorable children. I've had some run ins with really shady people, and once thought I was going to be shot. It's all par for the course.
Today I'm on a Greyhound bus and I've been waiting for some good stories to blog about. Unfortunately not much has happened... Yet. I still have about 5 hours of travel time, so it's still early in the game.
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I'm sitting in the 2nd row on this bus. I'll have to switch buses once we get to LA, which we should have already arrived there.
Anyway, I'm in the 2nd row and a guy in the first row just got up to go to the bathroom about 30 minutes ago. When he got back all I could smell was weed. Now, I've never smoked weed though I have been around it and offered it several times. It's just not my thing. However, I do know what it smells like thanks to dating a couple "potheads" in my college years. This smell was unmistakably weed.
I really wanted to start giggling. I wasn't sure if it was the old man who went to the bathroom that smoked it, or if someone else in the back was smoking and the stench followed him up. Either way, I know I'm not the only one who smelled it because the old man pipped up and told the bus driver that someone was smoking. It's been about 30 minutes now and the smell has dissipated.
I was kind of disappointed that nothing really came of it. I could use a little more excitement on this trip. Hopefully we get some good characters in LA.
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Riding a bus is very similar to riding a plane. Mostly in the scheduling of the rides. For example, your plane may be late arriving, meaning it could be late landing, meaning you could miss your connection. What does that mean? Oh, you have to get a ticket change. Sometimes there may not be any available seats on other flights.
We've all been there in some capacity. The joys of travel right?
Yep. Same thing happens on a bus.
My bus was 15 minutes late picking us up. It was an hour late dropping us of. Meaning I missed my connection. Fantastic. So I went to get my ticket changed. What? No seats available on the next bus? Great.
At this point I am sitting in Los Angeles bus terminal hoping that a seat opens up on the next bus and hoping that i am lucky enough to get that seat, seeing how there are about 20 of us waiting, hoping, for a seat.
If I cannot get onto that bus, I will be trying for one of the two later busses. Unfortunately that means an arrival in Fresno at either 1:30 or 3:10am.
Either way...
I WILL BE IN YOSEMITE TOMORROW!
*pause*
I am on a bus! Headed to Sacramento. Ha. With a stop in Fresno along the way.
I'm sitting beside a guy with a Spanish accent. Conversation should interesting.
Arrival time in Fresno: 9:50pm
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So the guy I am sitting beside is asleep. Good. I can blog about him now. Ha.
He is running from trouble. Like, bad boy trouble. How did I end up picking HIM to sit beside? Aside from his overall bad boy feel (which, by the way I didn't get right away from the 5 seconds I had to choose a seat partner), I can't understand hardly anything the guy mutters because of his accent. I just nod my head or laugh when he is laughing. What?!? Goodness.
We did share snacks though. I gave him some cheese and he gave me some sort of Mexican cookie/cracker hybrid.
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Oh no.
I have to pee... But I don't want to use the bathroom on the bus. 3.5 more hours. Probably can't hold it that long. *le sigh*
Ok... I've been holding it for an hour and a half. I'm going to have to buckle and just go. Here's to hoping it's clean!
Verdict: It was bearable. I've been in much worse conditions. Though, if I would have remembered that we had a layover in Bakersfield, I could have just gone then!
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The thing about Mexican music is that IT ALL SOUNDS THE SAME! No, seriously. Even Mexican friends of mine have jokes around about how it all has the same beat.
Someone on the bus within close proximity to me has their music turned up way too loud. And I'm pretty sure they only have 2 songs on a playlist that is on repeat.
I have been listening to the same freakinf Mexican song for the last 4.5 hours. I'm pretty sure it will be stuck in my head for days at this point.
Now would be the perfect time to use my headphones... If they weren't left behind in PA!
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20 minutes to go.
I need off this bus!
I cannot listen to this Mexican music any longer. I seriously want to find their dumb phone and throw it off the bus!
I also need to stretch out. My body hasn't recovered from my San Jac hike this weekend and I'm stiff and sore.
I cannot wait to meet Sherri, Jan and Roaemarie tonight! I've been blessed with their friendship online for the past year and am so grateful for their support along the way!
I also cannot wait to get one last good night of sleep in a bed before sleeping in a tent for the next 26 days.
10 minutes left.
Just outside of Fresno now.
I'm so grateful to finally have made it this far!
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Final thought:
Riding the bus was definitely an experience. I want to say I'll never do it again because I just don't feel like it is my thing, however, there might be a day where it makes more sense to take a bus, so I am going to stay open minded about the option.
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