Boiling Water and Schoolbuses

I'm boiling 3 gallons of water in 1/2 gallon increments this morning. It takes a surprisingly long time. So I thought I would dazzle you with a description of my bus ride home from Nueva Suyapa.

The giant yellow tin can on wheels lurches to a stop and exhaust belches into the open windows. The University again. "Estadio! Estadio! Estadio! Estadio!" The charger jumps out, finds the exact spot where my knee rests against the hot metal and bangs it in an unmusical rhythym with his chant. Is he punishing me or attracting potential customers with the sound of flexing sheet metal? The bus hiss/squeaks forward a couple feet launching the newest passengers into their seats and each other.

Yell, bang, jerk, repeat.

Now we are blocking nearly all traffic in and out of the University. People have no choice but to ride the bus! The last few taxis squeeze by as the gap closes, leaving only white paint as evidence of their passage. The bus driver doesn't notice, so engrossed is he in a rolling/lurching conversation with the bus next to us. Together they create a complete and oblivious roadblock to all traffic - now everyone will ride the bus! The police are here, emphatically telling the driver a third time he must move. I write a mental "x2" next to the neatly stamped bus capacity sign for schoolchildren of the disco era, whose music I watch everyone sway to once more, this time involuntarily and with remarkably similar attire.

The driver snaps awake as if from a dream and jams on the gas, only to brake once more as a taxi makes a life or death attempt to skirt our accelerating behemoth. The charger hops aboard with the grace of that guy who grabs onto a helicopter landing rail as it lifts off the roof of a building, legs flying behind him and a wad of bills grasped neatly in his free hand. We're off! The University stop is unique to this route - there's none other like it. I hand over my $.15 for the show.