Public transport - I love it

This is an extract from my monthly column in Expat Focus. You can read the full article here.

A standard guagua or bus

We arrived at where I had to get off for the next part of the journey and now I had to decide whether to get a publico which is a shared taxi, or another guagua. 

They can get a little full!

The guagua is 50 cents more expensive but you have a seat to yourself, whereas in the publicos there are two people on the single front seat, or even three sometimes,and four or five in the back.

Squished in the front seat next to the driver

The publico man tried to persuade me to go in his car and promised there would only be two of us in the front seat. I looked at the lady next to me, who whilst very nice, had the biggest bottom I have ever seen.

State of public taxis (publicos) isn't regulated!

The idea of travelling for over an hour jammed on top of the handbrake and squashed between her and the driver was enough to put me off, and when the driver assured me he would be much quicker than the guagua as he was a very fast driver, that was decision made, so I went to catch the guagua.