DEA & Macaws (3 of 8)
The day after the embassy party, we went to the Lloyd Aero Boliviano airline office to purchase tickets to Trinidad, the main city in the llanos, and the capital of the Beni Department. To our surprise, all the flights were booked for the next several days.
Well hell! To heck with airplanes, we prefer a bus anyway. A bus ride will allow us to mingle with the local citizenry, and provide us with a prolonged look at the countryside. Of course, the flight from La Paz to Trinidad was about two hundred and sixty miles, whereas the circuitous bus route entailed about one thousand miles. But that was okay, we were not pressed for time.
After making inquiries at the bus station, Donna told me that the long distance buses only ran at night.
“What?”
“The buses from here to Cochabamba, the first leg of our journey, only run at night.”
“Okay, I guess we’ll go in the dark, not worrying about seeing the countryside.”
Before loading onto the bus, allow me to give you a tip. Some buses, in some Latin American countries, have numbered reserved seats. Others do not. If the seats are reserved, passengers act sanely. If the seats are not reserved, adult passengers may resemble wild elementary school children without adult supervision.
Without reserved seating, it is first come, first served, give no quarter. If you politely allow every little old wrinkled, five-foot tall, brown-skinned, grey-haired lady to burrow in front of you, you may never even get on the bus, let alone get a seat. How do you stop that sweet old lady from crowding directly in front of you?
Always keep your attention focused on your goal, which is to get aboard the bus as quickly as possible. Look at the door. Visualize your entrance. Keep locked on your goal. Think of the pushy old lady as someone trying to deny you what is rightfully yours. Push back as she edges against you. Firmly. No, not rudely. Remember, this is all part of the game. When she pushes a little harder, with her shoulder or hip against your thigh or hip, you must return force with force, denying her an advantage.
To test you, she will probably exert a little more pressure. Remember, concentrate on your goal – the bus doorway. Snuggle up closer to the person in front of you. Return the old lady’s extra effort with a tad more of your own. Do not allow yourself to make eye contact, or in any other way recognize her existence. If you do, you will surely lose the game.
Finally, she will capitulate. She will pick on someone else. That is not your problem. Keep concentrating on the doorway. Keep shuffling along. You will make it. Remember, first come, first served, give no quarter. But never be rude. Don’t stomp on your opponent’s foot, or plant an elbow to the head or breast. Do not say anything vulgar. Even if the words are not understood, the intonation will be recognized. And do not downgrade the country you are in. After all, you are a guest. If you cannot accept the cultural differences, go home.
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