Further Ruminations Concerning Buses

Well. As aforementioned, today I looked at a few apartments. In doing so, not only did I (hopefully) secure a permanent residence, I also gained more exposure to public transportation. And seemingly benevolent Sino-Mauritian women.

First off, it is relevant to explain that Mauritian buses are not operated by a single government entity. They are, rather, operated by numerous companies and corporations- some of which are partially government supported. Furthermore, one might also think a great deal about the origins of buses currently in use when faced with the prospect of boarding one. Today, when en route from Port Louis (the capital) (flickr it) to Ebene (what will be [hopefully] my permanent residence) I rode a bus that was painted a bright blue color with multicolored striping. Across its side it bore the words "Soviet Airways." Hmm. Other buses are different colors and bear different inscriptions. Some say, "Beautiful." Others say, "Blue Bird" (in French). Some more have the words, "Paradise Island Tours," plastered across them. Most are decorated by beads and/or Christmas lights on the inside by the driver's cabin. ALL spew terrible black smoke. Apparently, the Mauritian infrastructure has yet to evolve to the level of Boston, MA and other American cities I've visited who have air-conditioned buses that run on clean-burning cooking oil. Ah. Speaking of- air-conditioning is a fairly new phenomenon in Mauritian mass transit. I would estimate that one out of every six buses on the island is air-conditioned, and for that luxury, riders pay a fee. I will say, I generally prefer the ones that are not air-conditioned. Let me explain. It's a tropical island. Surely I would prefer riding in air-conditioned comfort to riding sweaty. Right?

Because air-conditioning is so new, or perhaps because Mauritius is so tropical, the air-conditioned buses tend to maintain an interior temperature of approximately, eh, 40 degrees fahrenheit. I would tell you the temperature in degrees celsius, but, like Creole, it is a language I have yet to master. 

I also discovered a lucrative phenomenon today. Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, is probably the most popular place on the island for residents to work. Many of them live elsewhere on the island. Thus, as I discovered today, oodles of buses leave Port Louis between 15:30 and 18:00 (read: 3:30 PM and 6:00 PM) (the entire Francophone world is on military time). As a consequence, very few buses leave other destinations bound for Port Louis at that time. Today, I found myself in Ebene at 16:00 (read 4:00 PM) and needed a bus back to Port Louis where I am staying for the time being. I found these buses to arrive every, eh, hour and a half. To compensate, however, many private contractors (read: geniuses with vans) would drive along the bus stops towards Port Louis while most of the buses were headed in the other direction. While the number of people in the daily mass exodus from the capital was still greater, the influx from people who work other places on the island going into Port Louis at quitting time was more than enough to fill (read: cram. 20 people to a vehicle meant for 7) every van that I saw. Interesting local economy.

Spotted: the Indian Ocean from my (hopefully) apartment.

Heard: Feist and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the lobby of my hotel.

Pictures to follow