It is almost five years since I got the opportunity to come to Nairobi for the first time, thanks to my parents who offered me with the opportunity to come and study at one of the best institutions in the city and country. Since that time I have been travelling to and from the city to the upcountry. Those coming from the Western will agree with me that the distance from Nairobi to those parts of the country is always long and hectic especially when the bus you have boarded is not lively.
Known as Country bus stage at the capital town is the place many people board the buses to the upcountry talk of Mvumilivu ,Matunda, Easy Coach, Eldoret Express, Amani, Climax among other vehicles taking the Western routes. For all those years I have been travelling I have met and observed some funny characters of my fellow passengers especially when travelling back to the village. As for you who has never stepped a foot on the western soil set a date and travel there, board a PSV bus and you will enjoy some funny characters and behaviors of the western travelers. Here are the four funny characters;
1. Shopping almost everything that comes their way
You see for those of you who have never boarded a bus at the country bus stage, when passengers are still coming, hawkers will jump in and out of the bus trying to sell their products to make the ends meet. There are those hawkers with convincing power that will make you buy unintended product. There's the passenger, who is easily convinced with almost every hawker who will buy almost everything that comes his way until he forgets himself; buying a lady’s shoe yet he was not planning to buy.
2. Repetition of an already answered question
A guy will reach country bus stage; check the bangles placed outside different buses that show the routes a certain bus will be taking. Thank God he gets the one going his route, let’s say Bungoma his home. He pays the money and is given the ticket and he takes his seat inside the bus. Even after doing all these, it is like he is not satisfied, he will come out frequently and ask the person issuing the ticket if indeed the bus is going his route yet he has already boarded the bus after confirming everything. He will ask this question several times until he is challenged by the driver or the person issuing tickets and collecting money to ask another passenger who has also boarded the bus to prove that indeed it is true.
3. Making countless phone calls
I don’t know but maybe it’s out of anxiety of travelling or missing the people at home, you will get a person making countless phone calls to the people at home asking funny things like if Liz or Johnny is in the area or not or where he will get a local brew like busaa when he lands “kwa mtaa”.
4. Endless story telling.
One thing I love about the Western people is that they see each other as relatives and stories will be the order of the day when travelling. You will get a group of people strategically positioned themselves inside the bus making endless stories one after the other talking in their mother tongue laughing to the highest of their voices capturing everybody’s attention inside the bus.
Even with all these funny characters I salute all those people coming from the western region and get to understand that we the best when travelling.
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