Buses

Everyday I take the local microbuses between Banepa and Bhaktapur for work, and on the weekends into Kathmandu. Bus rides are unique and always an experience in themselves, so I figured it was appropriate to explain this aspect of Nepali life in a little post.

First of all, these are OLD buses. From China or somewhere else in Asia, made in early 1900's (slight exaggeration) and most of them look like they've been though several wars. They normally have extravagantly colored tassels hanging from the front window, with Hindu beads and Shiva or Ganesh bobble-heads on the dash. Seats are torn and covered in dirt and there is never any AC. Oh, and they blast AWESOME Nepali music. Sometimes though, if you're lucky, they'll be rocking some "American" music. One morning, much to my delight, the bus driver played "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys. He pretty much made my day.

Anyway, the horn of the bus is the most common background music of the Kathmandu Valley. They rang from short little toots to long, series of beeps and honks ranging in pitches and length to create the most annoying 10 second tune you've ever heard. The buses are independently run; it's like a group of dudes went to a junk yard, picked one up, and then made a little business transporting people via various routes in the Kathmandu Valley to earn a living.

There are always 3 guys working on the bus at all times. There is a driver and two bus boys. The bus boy's job includes hanging out the open door of the bus as it flies around the windy roads and yell out it's destination to people standing on the sides of the road that look like they're waiting for a bus (there are no bus stops, and no bus schedule). This bus boy also tells the bus driver when to stop and let passengers off or when to start moving again. They do this by banging the aluminum side of the bus, once to stop, two to go ("Zam Zam!" means "Let's go!" in Nepali) The other boys job is to go around and collect money from people on the bus. Cost of the bus depends on how far you are going and if you are white or not. Luckily, we have volunteer passes, so we get a discount and pay more what a Nepali would pay.

It gets interesting when the bus fills up. People stand in the aisles, but when there is no room there, people go to the top of the bus. This isn't really legal, but buses that are outside of the main Kathmandu area (like from Banepa to Bhaktapur) can usually get away with passengers on top. The top is just a metal rack, with maybe a little rail around the outside about 3 inches high. You are definitely holding on tight up there. The bus boys have to get up top to collect money from the passengers. To do this, they sometimes climb out the windows of the bus or just up the side of it, all while the bus is moving, always in flip flops. You'll be flying along, wind in your face, dust in your eyes, squinting out at the blurry trees and colorful fields of the valley when all of a sudden a greasy bus boy will pop up out of nowhere 2 inches from your face demanding 10 rupees.

Animals and large sacks of potatoes are allowed on the bus as well. Goats either ride on top (don't ask me how they even stay on) or are shoved in the trunk. Chickens can come on the bus as well. Lots of people get sick on the bus, be it motion sickness or something they ate or a combination of the two. I've seen many people spew out of bus windows, and if you are sick, just tell the bus boy and he'll move you to a window seat and open the window up. It's nice they don't kick you off.

Now, because the buses are independently run, they are in a constant race with other buses on their route to pick up more people and make more money. When a bus pulls over in front of them to pick up some passengers, they swerve around them into the other lane, rarely checking for oncoming traffic, to get ahead of them and get the next group of roadside people. When picking people up, some bus drivers don't really come to a complete stop, they just roll so they don't lose precious time. So an old woman might have to do a Jason Bourne-style move to hoist herself into the bus successfully.

Riding on buses in Nepal requires Nepali patience. Sometimes, during strikes or demonstrations or heavy traffic in Kathmandu, the bus driver will decide to go off the beaten path and take a "short cut." In all my experience here, this has happened to me twice and never been even remotely successful. No matter how long anyone has lived or driven in Kathmandu, there is no way they know every road and route here. The bus drivers always end up getting lost or getting stuck in worse traffic in the narrow (we're talking, both sides of the bus inches from solid buildings) back streets. One time, we were at a complete standstill for nearly 45 minutes on one of these short cuts. Nepalis on the bus didn't yell or complain, they just took a nap or sat there patiently, not even looking annoyed. People outside the bus even stood there to watch the scene of a massive bus attempting to scrape its way through such narrow streets and get stuck for three quarters of an hour. That's just the Nepali way: there is always time and you should never be impatient with its passing. Things will get done eventually. I tried to imagine this scenario in a Western setting. I think we can all guess how that would go.

Anyway, my recommendation is, if any of you ever come to Nepal, ride a bus. It's something you really have to do to say that you've fully experienced Nepal.