The most common mode of transportation in Guatemala, and the cheapest, is the Chicken Bus. These are usually retired school busses from the United States which have been repainted in bright colorful patterns. The term "chicken bus" comes from the fact that local people riding these busses may be carrying chickens or other livestock with them either to or from the market. At peak travel times the busses are often overcrowded with many passengers standing.
Everyone should experience a chicken bus at least once. When it came time for me to travel from Guatemala City to Antigua, about an hour away, I had a taxi take me to the bus terminal. To catch a chicken bus you don't buy a ticket and there is no announced schedule. Just look for a bus that has the name of your destination listed and hop on. When I did so I handed my suitcase to an attendant who quickly threw it on top of the bus and tied it down while yelling for me to get on board. The bus was already moving when I grabbed the rail by the door and swung on.
As we traveled to Antigua the attendant came down the aisle and collected fares, which was well under $2.00 each. The bus stopped often to either let passengers on or off. Our driver relied much more on his horn than on his break. As we rounded steeply graded mountain curves I had to grab my seat and hold on tight to keep from being thrown into the floor. It was a fun ride.
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