This had me reading with my shoulders up the entire time! The tension was so real, but your humour running through it made it even more compelling. I’m genuinely in awe of your nerve and can’t wait to read the next part.
I’m glad you enjoyed (?!) the article, Ibtissam. And, yes, the tension can be high it these types of situations, which is why I try and put myself in a zone and try not to “manage” the outcome. (Being in zen state also helps to quell my fear.)
It always amazed us how so many people spend their lives just sitting and waiting for hours on end in these parts. Our experience there has provided us with unyielding patience for killing time and simply sitting and waiting if we have to. It's a skill that not many in North America possess, that's for sure.
Your experience brings back many memories! You just never know how long the bus will take, or if it will even get to where you want. Good move on not shelling out for the bribe, as a rule I use every avenue possible to avoid them. I like the description of a matatu as a fruit, that is funny. Sometimes, all of them are bruised.
Erin — “choosing your matatu like fruit” is going to live rent-free in my head. Bruised fruit indeed. The mix of humor, dread, dehydration, and total surrender to how things actually work on the ground is so familiar — that trance you describe feels like the only sane response.
I also love how you didn’t rush to hero yourself by paying. That quiet calculation — visibility, cash, consequences — is such an honest detail, and one most people skip when they tell these stories later with the sharp edges sanded off.
And the girl with the pocketed dress saving the day? That image alone carries more truth than a dozen polished travel reels.
Can’t wait for Part 4. This series is doing exactly what good travel writing should: collapsing distance without romanticizing the chaos.
This had me reading with my shoulders up the entire time! The tension was so real, but your humour running through it made it even more compelling. I’m genuinely in awe of your nerve and can’t wait to read the next part.
I’m glad you enjoyed (?!) the article, Ibtissam. And, yes, the tension can be high it these types of situations, which is why I try and put myself in a zone and try not to “manage” the outcome. (Being in zen state also helps to quell my fear.)
It always amazed us how so many people spend their lives just sitting and waiting for hours on end in these parts. Our experience there has provided us with unyielding patience for killing time and simply sitting and waiting if we have to. It's a skill that not many in North America possess, that's for sure.
Your experience brings back many memories! You just never know how long the bus will take, or if it will even get to where you want. Good move on not shelling out for the bribe, as a rule I use every avenue possible to avoid them. I like the description of a matatu as a fruit, that is funny. Sometimes, all of them are bruised.
Thanks, Brad. And yes, many times it's hard to avoid riding in lemon. 😉
Erin — “choosing your matatu like fruit” is going to live rent-free in my head. Bruised fruit indeed. The mix of humor, dread, dehydration, and total surrender to how things actually work on the ground is so familiar — that trance you describe feels like the only sane response.
I also love how you didn’t rush to hero yourself by paying. That quiet calculation — visibility, cash, consequences — is such an honest detail, and one most people skip when they tell these stories later with the sharp edges sanded off.
And the girl with the pocketed dress saving the day? That image alone carries more truth than a dozen polished travel reels.
Can’t wait for Part 4. This series is doing exactly what good travel writing should: collapsing distance without romanticizing the chaos.
– Kelly
High praise indeed. Thank you for your kind words, Kelly. 💕