Getting a Bus around Ronda, Spain

This is the sense of community that happens on the bus. Let me put this in context before I ruin the punch-line. In other parts of the world, let's use Germany or the UK as the example, people on a bus usually sit facing forwards, they remain silent through the entire trip, if they do talk, it will only be with the person they are traveling with, and they'll usually have a hushed conversation. Often ruder less sociable people will annoy everyone else with iPod headphones that seem designed more to annoy other people than to provide listening pleasure for the user.

In Spain this is not what a bus trip is like. Nope, here everyone knows each other on the bus, they live in the same village, went to school together, or worked together, old and young alike will sit together, and everyone who gets on the bus will say '¡hola!' to everyone else on the bus, often stopping to give people already on the bus a tap on the shoulder and a 'buenos dia'.

As you might imagine this should hold the driver up while everyone settles down, perhaps the cynics amongst you will be thinking the trip cannot possibly run on schedule with this sort of behavior. In fact you'd be wrong, the bus timetables have been cleverly designed to allow an extra couple of minutes for every stop. Woohoo, that's clever isn't it?

Of course we're not finished yet, there is more to the story. Once the driver starts going again, the people in the first few rows of the bus will start chatting with the driver, asking him how his day is, politely ask about his family, query the state of the road ahead, get his considered opinion on the weather today, and then engage him in discussion about sport or politics.

Further back in the bus this provides the catalyst for the middle section of the bus to all turn in the seats and start addressing their cousins, nephews, nieces, parents of their children's friends, even the children themselves in conversation about where they're going, what they plan doing in town, will they be going to the local butcher at the weekend, whether the second cousin once removed is planning to visit any time soon, that sort of thing.

The people at the back and front of the bus, not to be outdone, will then start conversations with each other, but of course in a slightly louder voice since otherwise they can't hear each other over the other conversations going on.

Perhaps most interestingly though, some random person on the bus will suddenly recall that they need to speak to another random person on the bus, and in small villages nothing is ever really private, so they simply call out the name of the person they wish to talk to, and whilst both continue to look forward at the driver and the road ahead will proceed to discuss their medical ailments, the state of their bank balance, or something they need to bring up in confessional. Anyone else on the bus who has an opinion will happily join the conversation with the result that I end up sitting in my seat bewildered that 30 or 40 people can follow and respond to 30 or 40 conversations.

Just before the bus reaches the terminus everyone goes quiet, one would almost imagine a conspiracy to keep wily townsfolk from realizing the villagers are happier than them, which of course everyone knows cannot possibly be true.

The final amusement comes when everyone exits the bus, everyone says goodbye to each other and starts off on their respective errands, but only a few hours later the whole exercise begins all over again as they ride the bus back home to peaceful village life.

So, that's why you need to visit Spain and catch a rural bus from a small village into town. Even if you have to drive to a small village in time to catch the bus, and then get a taxi back to your car, believe me it's well worth the effort and cost to experience this incredible journey. If you do come to visit, here's a nice little self-contained finca that might be worth staying in.