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The Key to a Great Bus Performance
It’s all about eyeballs and space
One picture I truly regret not snapping is of the terrifying marionette that hovered in a bus aisle as it’s aging puppeteer stood drooping over it. The puppet was at least thirty years old, with a stiff, matted orange wig and wide, tiny porcelain hands, and maniacal eyes that shifted side to side.
Normally I would not allow such an abomination anywhere near me, but I was stuck on the infamous 24 line.
The 24, like it’s puppet passenger, is one of the oldest, most infamous bus lines in Guadalajara, Mexico. Their orange and white bodies rattle down almost every major street in the city, they’re always full and always going far too fast.
As much as I hate to squeeze into these roving tin cans, once in a while they’re my only option. The night I came face to face with the demon puppet was one of these moments.
“Hey there, ladies!” the puppet droned through it’s mechanical, pre-recorded voice as its mouth clicked open and closed. Its puppeteer couldn’t maneuver through the crowd, so they stayed right next to me. Wooden eyes moved left to right and back again, sexist, grainy jokes about fat wives accosted my ears, it was endless.
Then, the puppet moved forward, reached out, and touched my hair.
