March 5 - Adventures With Local Buses

Story time: I called this 'Adventures With Local Buses.' Mendoza has local buses which have some crazy routing system I don't understand. They have a slick payment system – you buy a card with as many fares on it as you wish. It's called 'Red Bus.'  When you get on the bus you wave it at a card reader, it prints a receipt and, through the magic of computers, everything works. Then the drivers fly down the streets at breakneck speed, scaring the shzt out of timid guys like me.  They are great drivers, I just keep my eyes shut.

Laura is resting this afternoon, so I plan an adventure: bus to a museum (Museo Area Fundacional), visit it, then take a bus to the old train station for a look around and then take the electric rail tram back.

He's my way to deal with not understanding the bus system:

1. Get on a bus heading in (what I think) is the right direction
2. Pay with this fancy card
3. When the bus turns in a different direction, get off.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 as often as required.

Sounds easy, eh? I have my fancy card and my map. I'm off and running but, after my first 2 rides, I realize there is a flaw in my system. It depends on me having an infinite number of rides on my fancy card, and I only have 6. So, when ride #2 turns in the wrong direction, I get off and decide to walk the rest of the way, saving 4 rides for the way back.

It wasn't that bad as I was closer than when I started. I got to the museum (I told you about it earlier). After leaving the museum a bus passes me that has the exact street name of the train station! Yay! So, I stand at the bus stop and wait for my bus – a few go by. Here's my bus! I get on and wave my card at the reader, and the driver waves his finger at me and says something. I assume I screwed up, so I wave my card at the reader again. Same comment and finger wave from the driver. I sit down. Over the next few stops I realize the problem – ticket reader is out of paper. So, did I get a free ride or pay twice?  You wave your card multiple times if you pay for your wife or kids, for example.

Oh well, onward. Then the bus turns onto the wrong street! I bail out at the next stop. I'm only a few blocks away from the train station so I walk. You saw pix of the train station and tram.

I figure I have it cased now. There is one tram line, runs north / south. I am at the end of the line, so all I have to do is get onto the tram. I can get off at either one of two stops. No problem, right? A man and two kids get on. He waves his card twice (did he miss one?) I wave my card. Moments later a conductor shows up and starts talking to me. When I tell him “No habla espanole” he says his only English word, “ticket.” I pull out my card, wave it at the reader again, it beeps and he's happy. This reader doesn't print a receipt, so again, I don't know what I paid or my card balance.

I made it back to the hostel, so it's all good. I don't know what balance my card has but tomorrow we're being picked up for the wine tour and we'll take a cab back to the main bus station when we leave. Anybody want a souvenir of Mendoza?   

The Red Bus card ---->>>>>