Home » Paraguay Bolivia » Off the Bus - Paraguay/Bolivia [2]

At 1:00am I remember stopping at a grimy Esso petrol station where I got off to use the toilet. This was unlike the rest of the men on the bus who stepped off and urinated where they felt like it. A bush, a tree, the gas station forecourt...

Off the Bus - Paraguay/Bolivia [2]

Matthew
2004-03-05 23:57:14

Displayed times (last time: ) Rating 5/5

Rating: 5.00 out of 5.00. 1 members have rated this article

the bus continues on its odyssey.

Made It! [Jul 20th 1999]

My first recollections were just after 4:00am when I woke to find we had become bogged down on a road that was now basically a mire. There were other vehicles in front and behind us making slow progress revving their engines and spinning mud from their wheels. To our right were a couple of trucks stuck firmly and going nowhere. The drivers had abandoned the vehicles so they now became obstacles blocking the road and reducing the traffic to a crawling, sliding single-file. One of our drivers was outside in a pair of overalls covered from head to toe in mud; he was placing bits of wood, stones or something under the wheels to help get us moving. Every now and then we would move forward with a sudden jolt then wait for five minutes or so while the vehicle in front moved or our wheels managed to get a grip again. This process continued for about an hour until we were finally free, our co-driver climbed aboard looking like he'd just returned from a Woodstock concert and we were on our way again. I am now at the point where I'm wondering what is going to happen next - this was supposed to be an overnight bus trip and already it's into its third day, Santa Cruz seems like a long way away. The blue light seems brighter than ever and I can't get to sleep so I just look out the window at the mud and passing tangled forest.

We come to a single lane bridge shared by both road vehicles and trains but before crossing it the bus has to climb a short steep bank. As the driver negotiates the incline Jayne wakes with a start and grabs me while the bus rocks wildly from side to side. We tip heavily to the left then right causing a bag to fall off the parcel shelf on to a passenger then the violent left, right sway is repeated as we line up to cross the bridge. For a brief moment I felt like I was back ...