Just to note a few words on the chicken bus trips I have had.

When you are on a main road the chicken buses are old pimped up American school buses, lots of Jesus banners on the front and music playing. There was always room for more people. Most of the time the put luggage on the top of the bus but there is that occasion were they just throw you on the cramped but with rucksack (about the size of an average Guatemalan man) and small back pack. You squeeze yourself down the corridor, soaking all seated passengers with your wet back pack. You find 10cm of an edge of a seat for one buttock at sit your back pack on the floor. Then cringe was man trying to get of the bus doesn't know the two hands on each seat and jump over the obstacle technique.

There is the, the but on the road has broken down - everyone on this one moment. I was a lucky person on this occasion, sharing a two person seat with Dom, a twenty year old Jesus lover and two ruck sacks. The conductor climbed on top of the chairs and over the heads of people to get down the bus and collect the money.

So when the road are small, dirt track style then the chicken buses become shuttles (smaller, more uk school minibus style). Always room for more rule still applys. There are seats for 13 officially. Most people I've counted in one was 28.

When you stop in markets, food and other items get pushed through the window for purchasing. These include normal refreshments, cola, water, snack, to main meal of chicken and rice to ice creams. Or maybe a paper. Or there are the "items" which include:

Hair bobbles
Toothpaste
Marawana
Razors
Tea towels
Books
Watches

When ever we have sat up front we have had helpful, fairly chirpy drivers who are happy to talk with our broken Spanish. Always helpful for on going connections and directions.