Belize was my first really good local travel experience on the chicken bus (yes, of course it has a Wikipedia entry!). Arriving at the airstrip in Corozal, the taxi driver in Corozal was happy to take us to the bus stop, but for 10 times the bus fare, also offered to drive us directly to Orange Walk. We stuck with the bus plan, despite the fact that the original bus company had gone bankrupt and there were no tickets being sold at the stripped-down bus terminal, just a vague promise that a bus would show up.
After watching the local mid-morning color for about half an hour, a repainted Bluebird school bus rolled up. The “conductor” hopped out, yelled out some destinations, and confirmed ours was among them. All the windows were down, and Spanish music played at a healthy stereo and lights system that I don’t remember from my school bus days. The bus filled up with local folks (but no chickens) and a young American couple backpacking - her oversized sunglasses and his trucker hat didn’t leave much doubt as to their origin.
The bus barely made it’s first turn before stopping to pick someone up, in what quickly became obvious was the standard “route”. The conductor collected fares ($4 for an hour’s ride) and then hung out in the open door of the bus collecting and discharging passengers from seemingly random spots along the road.
Our destination was equally distinctive: the hot bustling market of a moderate central american town. Lugging our bags from there to the hotel showed us most of what Orange Walk had to offer, and after the ride, we were glad to grab some lunch and hide out for the heat of the day.
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