If you’re outdoorsy, you surely must love a good road trip. Getting out of the house for some fresh air, going miles to see the world, or just unwind. Sometimes you just want to stay away from your normal life, and do new stuff. There are two types of travelers. There’s the solo wanderer, and the one who likes going out with a crew. Which one are you?
We have all at some point used public means of transport when traveling. Some of us use it on a daily. Driving yourself is awesome, as no one bothers you, and you go at a speed you want, without having to endure a (public vehicle) driver who sometimes ignores traffic rules, and doesn’t seem to care for anyone as long as they reach their destination. There’s a lot of bad we see on the road when using public transport. This doesn’t mean that using Public Service Vehicles is awful. Where I come from, P.S.Vs are the most common form of traveling via road.
The festive season is over. The holidays are usually marked with a lot of activities world over. One of them is traveling. Be it to see extended members of the family, long time friends, or holiday destinations. People love to travel.
Being a frequent user of public transport, I get to observe a lot of characters on board. I’m usually not watchful when on the bus, as most of the time I’m always staring outside the window. If not that, my eyes are usually fixed on my phone. This happens if I miss the window seat. I’ll share with you a few characters I’ve watched when traveling by bus.
1). The Quiet Passenger: These ones often seem pensive, when you look at them, it appears like their mind is not physically with them. They are usually staring at one spot for long, either at the front, leaning on the seat a bit, or looking down. I love these ones as they are not bothersome. Minding one’s business is a win.
2). The Chatty Bird: They never lack something to say. An individual drops a coin, and they have to comment on the coin, or the individual. “Did you watch news last night?” They’ll ask. “I think this and this person did well for blah blah blah…” They’ll go on to give their unsolicited opinion. Dude, why not shut up like the rest of us?
3). The People-Phobic: They are usually seated solo. Always looking outside, like they are avoiding eye contact with everyone else on the bus. They quietly pay for their transport and go back to look outside the window. The scenery outside may not be attractive, say at a crowded CBD, they’ll look outside regardless. One would think they are waiting to see a long lost relative emerge.
4). The “I’m Grateful for Technology” lot: They are constantly on their phones, scrolling, tapping, sometimes smiling sheepishly like they are nuts. They are thankful phones were invented, for what would they be doing with all the free time on the bus? A good number of us are in this group.
5). The “Books Are Life” bunch: Rare to find. Even in a noisy bus, they don’t seem distracted by what’s happening around them. If you checked their eyes, you would see how deep they are in the author’s soul. They often have books and magazines in their bags. You will see them pull one book or magazine out of the bag, put them on the laps, find a comfortable position, and “bye bye real world”.
6).The All Over The Place group: They are never settled. Either giving stories, chewing loudly like goats, moving from one end of the isle to the next, laughing at nonsensical things and being in every ones business. I rarely get to be in the same bus with these. Very weird people.
Using public transport is a good thing. Other than watching different characters, people meet many other awesome things in life, like potential employers, future partners and long term friends.
