Take the Bus

How in the WORLD did we ever get by without cell phones?!?  Do you remember the days when the now-almost-obsolete answering machine first found its way into our homes?  And, checking your messages to see who’d called and what they wanted was one of the first things you did when you got home?  Of the lessening of frustration answering machines provided when, if you couldn’t get someone on the phone, you could at least leave a message?  These are dimming memories from a distant past.  Nowadays we gotta have a cell phone, with all that exquisite connectivity.

Before I even left for the island, I did my best to anticipate being able to acquire the same level of cell phone service to which I’d become accustomed.  That is, reliable phone service and reliable Internet connectivity on my cell phone.  So, I made sure I’d have a phone with which I could attain those ends; and, that phone is an unlocked iPhone 4S.  Nevertheless, one of the first things I did when I arrived was to get a new, tiny little phone through Blue Sky, the local service provider.  Mistake.  Didn’t need to do that.  All I needed was a SIM card for my iPhone and to purchase a cellular and data plan through Blue Sky, just like I had (and still have) with Verizon in the States.  The only thing different was that I’d have a new phone number for the island, and the phone number that I’d had for the last 20 years would no longer serve me.  (I addressed that pre-trip by “parking” that old phone number.)  I was able to get a refund on that totally unnecessary and tiny new phone I’d bought here, and now my iPhone is the dream it used to be.  How did I manage that, what without a car and navigating though uncharted roads?  It’s easier than I had thought, and something of an adventure.

I don’t have a car and I live maybe 8 miles from the office.  I cannot afford a car at the moment, and taking a cab would be prohibitively expensive.  Fortunately, as I noted before, two other guys from my office live in the next building over, one of whom has a car, and who is most graciously willing to give   us a ride to the office every day.   The Blue Sky store is on the way to my office, so it’s easy for him to just drop me off there.  The Blue Sky office happens to be most conveniently located next to the Forsgren’s, where I bought my ie lavalava and which I mentioned in an earlier post.  The problem with getting dropped off on the way to work is, of course, how to make it the 4 miles or so from there to work.  That’s where the buses come in.  Not a problem.  Once I had my phone business taken care of, I simply hopped on a bus to work.

I work in the government building.  My office is on the top floor, directly across the atrium from the governor’s office.

Oh [scatological expletive deleted]!  A flying fox just landed on a frond in a coconut tree right outside my apartment.  I’m on the second floor.  When he took off he flew right beside me.  No way in hell to get a picture, but what a rush!  (6:45 p.m. and dusky dark)  Freaked me out!

Anyway, my office is in the government building, and it is a Public Defender’s office in every way I’ve experienced in my career.  There are also a number of other government services provided out of the government office building - well, no kidding - so the bus stop is a major one on the route.  Not a problem in getting to the office from Blue Sky and Forsgren’s.  Did I mention that the ride is idyllic?  We follow the western shore of the harbor to the office.  This is a scenic route, and I cannot imagine it getting old.  It very well may.  But I cannot imagine these sometimes breathtaking views failing to take my breath away.

The interior of each bus is decorated according to the owner's unique and personal taste.  TVs are not common.

The buses are gems.  Ride the bus, give the driver a dollar as you’re getting off, and you’re there.  I intend to take a day off work next week and take buses around the island.  Or, maybe rent a car.  Have to find out what the car rental would be, but the buses would cost maybe $5 total for the day.  The buses are privately owned and operate medium-chassis vehicles built on typically ton to ton and a half frames.  They frame in the shell of the passenger area with 2x4s and 2x6s and put on an aluminum skin.  There are maybe 24 seats, but they’re comfortable enough.  I’ll let you know after a few trips.  But, so far, not at all an unpleasant experience.  As I said before, they are abundant, so there’s never much of a wait for one to come by.  If you’re at the bus stop, they stop.  If no one is at the bus stop, they don’t stop, unless you’re on the bus and you ring the bell, if there is one, or, knock on the wood if there isn’t, for them to stop and let you off.  It all makes for a most efficient system.  (Oh, and I forgot to mention there is not even one traffic light on the island.  Not a single one.  And I haven’t even seen a caution light.)

So, I have no car.  And, it’s tough to have to rely on others for transportation.  I don’t know what I will do when the day comes that my ride is not available and I have to get to court.  It’s about a mile walk to the nearest bus stop, and until I get the weight off it’s hard to walk that far.  Plus there are also the other little minor inconveniences like getting to a laundromat.  But, this is the island and time of “slow down” and “roll with it” and that’s what I’m doing.  I’ll just have to rely on Mike and his graciousness for a ride.  Oh, I need so-and-so.  Make a list and hope that on that list isn’t something will need to be hauled in an SUV.  Awkward on a bus.  But, hey, in addition to the bus, I’m riding a learning curve.

Next:  Jail