When your school bus gets too old, or starts breaking down, what do you think happens to it? Oftentimes, it is sold at an auction to a buyer who will drive it down through Mexico and Guatemala, take it apart, repaint it and decorate it with lights and stickers. These camionetas, or chicken buses, transport Guatemalans quickly and efficiently to work, school, the hospital, the bank or whereever they’d like to go! Unless, of course, you want to go somewhere on Sunday. Domingo es sagrado (Sunday is sacred), so the bus drivers are resting. Hopefully, you don’t have any more errands.
I fell in love with the camionetas when I arrived in Guatemala about a year and a half ago. They’re very beautiful, with each driver personalizing their camioneta to their taste. They're all different colors with religious imagery, cartoon characters, bible quotes and jokes on the windows and windshield. They often have loud music blaring, open windows, food and beverage vendors yelling and even small animals protesting. You can bring almost any type of luggage on a camioneta. If there’s no room on your lap, the ayudante (helper) will take it and strap it to the top of the bus. Sometimes while the bus is moving! The piloto (the driver) focuses on navigating through all the traffic while the ayudante helps the passengers with their luggage, directs people to their seats and collects the fare.
Imagine me: I’m waiting on the side of the road, praying for a camioneta to turn the corner. I have a doctor’s appointment in Xela and I’m running late. I hear a honk in this distance.
