The Trans American Bus Journey

Beware of what you ask for in life…’cause you never know. Kavita wished for quality time with Nagesh tied to a chair and she got one better, chairs that recline!!!!!!!!!!



We'd undertaken twenty-two hour bus journeys earlier in the trip but this time we were working on a ride of a lifetime. Dollares more than any craving for adventure landed us at the ticket counter of in Rio’s Rodoviaria (central bus station). Dos boletos por favor. From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Santiago, Chile. Yes, we were taking a sixty-hour bus journey from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific cutting across South America with only 20 dollars in our pockets.



The journey was truly memorable, passing through distinct landscapes, from the Equatorial belt to the dramatic Andes. The climax was riding across Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, while crossing into Chile via the Libertadores Pass and its 59 hairpin bends carved into the Andes.



Getting our passports stamped through the borders as we exited one country and entered another was adventure in itself. Especially when the couple seated behind us on the bus was arrested at the Chilean border for carrying contraband goods. We sat still as statues while police dogs sniffed out the entire bus in the aftermath of the discovery; praying all the while that the canines wouldn’t jump at our throats by mistake. We found our voices promptly after they left to indulge in horrified gossip with fellow travelers about the fate of the unfortunate couple.

Statutory Warning: This journey must be undertaken once, but only once, in a lifetime. And only if you possess an iPod, an iron butt, and infinite love for the person sitting next to you.