Bus Travel the Greyhound Way

In January, I had the opportunity to travel by Greyhound bus. Boy, was I in for culture shock! First of all, I bought my tickets online. There was actually a schedule of when and where to join on the bus, when and where it would take a break for a rest stop and when and where it would stop and I would alight. 

When I entered the bus station, I noticed right away that it was a clean, shiny bus station! I took my luggage to the desk where it was weighed. I was told how much to pay according to the weight, not just an arbitrary amount, but one that was used across the board!

 

I waited inside until it was time to board the bus. It was clean and comfortable...with wash rooms and flush toilets! (With toilet paper AND running water at the sinks AND soap!)

As I sat and waited, I watched the activity outside the windows, by the buses. Then, I saw it...a bright yellow plastic STEP to more easily get inside the bus. What will they think of next? The announce-ment was made to board the bus, so we all lined up, showed the driver our tickets and found a seat.

 

The bus was not full, so I was able to find a seat by the window. No one sat beside me. The bus left the station before it was full! I had two seats all to myself! In the back of the bus was a wash room! And, under the windows were electrical outlets so people could keep their electronics charged. The ride was smooth and blessedly quiet. We stopped at the rest stop on time and arrived at our final destination on time. Greyhound Bus Lines...I love you!



Bus Travel the Metro Mass Transit Way

 

 

When I travel in Ghana, it is usually on public transport. I love living in Lawra, but, it is not the easiest place to travel to or from. When I need to travel ANYWHERE except Wa, the day begins long before the sun comes up. I leave my house at 3:30 in the morning, carrying my baggage to the bus "station" in downtown Lawra so I can get a seat on the Metro Mass Transit bus going to my destination . Some mornings the bats are swooping down as I walk, sometimes not. Once, I walked through a torrential deluge. Needless to say, I was soaked way before I entered the bus.

Once on the bus, I look for an empty seat and settle in for the duration. It is comfortable at first, the sun is not up, so the heat is not yet stifling. We stop many times along the way, picking up passengers and dropping them off.



People bring whatever they can on the bus. Room in the boot is limited, so the aisles are frequently full of all kinds of things: luggage, yams, paint, chickens, Big 50kg bags of rice or produce...When we have a rest stop, it is challenging to make it to the door. The facilities at the rest stop are usually behind a building, parked vehicle, tree or some other vegetation. But, that is not always the case. Once in a while, there is actually a urinal or maybe just an open space where I take my cues from other women on the bus. The rest areas that I am used to as an American, are not even a dream here. (That is why I quit drinking most everything 6-8 hours before I travel.)



 

 When it is raining, one has to be careful. If you have a window seat, you most likely will get wet. Once, I was on a bus where the water came up through the floor every time we went through any size of a puddle of water. It made for an interesting ride!

After a long day of heat, dust and bumpy roads, my destination is reached. Praise God! In the midst of  a smooth or bumpy ride, heat or rain, break downs or not, I have always reached my journey's end safely. Metro Mass Transit...Moving the Nation!