The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round

So, as I've mentioned before, buying a car is just not an option for us right now. Cars do not depreciate here, so even a used car is way out of our price range. For example, we have found 2 different 2005 Ford Explorers similar to the one Wilson used to have. We could only sell his for $4500 before leaving, but the ones we found here were both over $20,000!!!! Unbelievable, right? A new car might cost $18,000 and 5 years later would still sell for about $17,000 regardless of the mileage. So, though we desperately want a car here, we're just having to put that one on the back burner for a while.

In the meantime, we ride a lot of buses. I get picked up for school and brought home each day on a school bus for teachers. It's pretty nice and drops me off right in front of my neighborhood. And, it actually comes to a complete stop for me to step on or off of it. Public buses are a different story! They usually just slow down a little and expect you to just jump on more or less. (Of course, in their defense, they do usually stop for women with babies or elderly people.) It only costs 25 cents to ride which is pretty great! Money's pretty tight for us since we still own our house in the States, so we can't really afford to take taxis too often (even though they're really cheap, too, in comparison to the US). But, with the buses, I have to be very careful. I can't take anything with me because there's a stronger possibility of being robbed if I have a bag or something that could be snatched. This is one of the reasons I don't have too many photos to share anymore. And, as a general rule of thumb, we don't take buses at night--just a little too risky. If we're out after dark, we take a taxi home most of the time. Wilson doesn't have to be so careful when he's by himself because he blends in, but I'm just a big, white, redheaded, American target! I love being the center of attention in most situations, but on a public bus in Ecuador, it's a bit uncomfortable, you know? :o)

So, if you know anyone who wants to buy or rent a house in Winder, let me know! I'd be more than happy to say goodbye to my bus riding days! :o)