Bus Adventures

We grow up admiring fast things these days. I was sitting on those popping wheels in a taxi from the Luqa airport to the student residence in Lija, musing over the journey. Drivers have this need to speed up; darwinism, I thought! I do not mind fast drivers or speed regulations that weed out the bad drivers, but this isn't a joke - it's reality on the roads. I felt like jumping out of the car or screaming. Slow down! Well, after experiencing the Maltese road culture for the first time, I concluded that in Malta you can drive however you wish.

The next morning I spread a map of Malta across a table in the residence lobby to plan a quick start to the country's most striking sights and cultural fascinations. This place is one big experiment; a great mix of history, striking architecture and art similar to that of North Africa, love for beer and the unforgetable bus drivers. So there I was waiting at the bus station, in the mood for a splendid day ahead, waving for the bus driver to stop.

In the mean time I have learned that you might be standing there for half an hour, another half an hour and yet another fifteen minutes, desperate to spot one of those yellow inventions coming your way - sometimes only to find out that the next five that passed are not your number after all. Wait a minute, what was the number to go to Golden Bay again?

There goes your bus whizzing past you and there’s no chance of stopping it at all. Buses in Malta are a funny thing and one has the privilege of seeing everything from the beautiful sea to the blue sky from them. There are several reasons why I would encourage one to use the spectacular buses of Malta; firstly they take you everywhere on the island, and secondly each bus gives you a little biography about itself and the drivers; creatively personalized little souvenirs and memories are crowned with the image of mother Mary guarding over you.

The good old buses, huh? They have an extraordinary effect on the whole scenery and make it special and different. Not to forget that they can be quite challenging too. Once you make an effort to get on, while being tossed from side to side and successfully managing to avoid toppling down all over the locals who are already seated, a sense of triumph takes over you when you realize that you finally made it down the narrow aisle without having shamed yourself in public. Now you are baptized and you can just tuck yourself away in one of those small seats. I was always quite amused as I wonder how to fit myself in the tiny little leather seats, with my legs dangling and sticking out from all sides possible.

Time passes in a strange way while you are sitting on the bus. So many come and go while you sit there and think of things that happened to you during the day. Sleeping safely in a corner after the party you’ve been to the night before, and waking up to an interesting conversation next to you before your journey ends once you pull a string with bells hanging on it.

There is a lot to learn from the Maltese. They are the happiest people I’ve ever met and waiting for buses doesn’t seem to make them less happy. Needless to say, if you take it all with a grain of salt, you soon realize that Maltese buses are brilliant, fun, and exciting; I will always remember and cherish the bumpy adventurous rides on this little beautiful island that will have a long lasting place in my heart.

Alisa James is an international student currently pursuing her M.A Qualifying post graduate in Communications.