Before I tell you about this bus ride of leaving Nebaj, I want to describe something about transport here lest I be accused of just trying to take the lowest cost way.
Most all of the major tourist towns and attractions can be accessed by a variety of public and private transport. Private includes booking comfy Greyhound type buses, smaller (sort of comfy) combi's (van like buses with lots of windows and bench seats) and in a few cases, even air flights. Public transport includes retired, repainted school buses (desiel only) or variously sized versions of combis. The latter have appeared relatively recently on the scene, wrenching many lower traffic routes from the school bus sized transport mainly as they are lower cost to operate and don´t take as many passengers to fill (or as is usually the case, overfill.) So, the bus situation, including the skill driver to make a smooth trip, is the luck of the draw for public transportation.
So, now that I have painted that picture, understand that both Nebaj and Todos Santos are way off the main beaten tourist path. That leaves mostly the smaller Combis as public transport options, and zero private transport options, unless, I guess, you rent a chauffeur and vehicle. The combis run usually with a reasonable frequency during the prime travel hours. When leaving Nebaj, we walked right up to one ready to leave to our next bus change town which was about one hour away. Such luck, even got the last three seats (Willa had to sit in Linda´s lap.) Though very packed, the hour ride should be tolerable we were thinking, even as they squeezed three more passengers in as we departed. Now picture this, 5 rows of seats combi, probably rated for 18 people... we counted 33! Now about 8 of these 33 were babies (not Willa) sitting in laps, so then we are down to maybe thinking 7 too many adults. We soon stopped, picked up passenger 34. The only thing keeping me on the backless jump seat to which I was trying to cling, was Linda/Willa directly behind me, themselves having no further space to go back. I all but had one fellow on my lap at this point. (Personal space dimensions down here aren´t the same.) This had to be the last extra passenger..... wrong again. A short time down the road, they picked up still another passenger. This time it took 4 tries from the outside to slam the van´s side sliding door because all the bodies clustered at the edge of the seats in that door clearance area would not allow the door to latch. This time, closing the door was painful as my legs were intertwined with about three other people's legs. Eventually, the door did shut, the count was up to 35 in the van. Only then did I realize the total count was 36 because the fellow who slammed the door shut was the luggage man who was riding clinging to the roof. I think he had the best seat of us all...
Now all this driving was on the mountain roads described below that were notched out of steep mountainsides, sometimes with one lane covered with small land slide debris. I think the views from the roof rack of luggage must have been spectacular, and if my Spanish was better, I would have asked to ride up there. Anyway, such was our luck of the draw yesterday morning. Needless to mention that was one, long, stuffy (for some reason having vehicle´s windows open seems to be not well accepted,) stomach unsettling hour trip.
Our next two rides to Todos Santos were two of the best rides we´ve had. Enough room on the buses, friendly, good drivers and helpful assistants who jumped out to help passengers on with their packs, etc. And to a misty, rainy, Todos Santos we at last arrived, 6 hours after our departure form Nebaj!
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