Recently, I had the pleasure and honor of being in a dear friend's wedding in South Carolina. How I got there was a totally different story. My friend Katie and I decided to take a Greyhound bus to South Carolina because it was by far the cheapest route. The bus was $189 for a round-trip from ElPaso, TX to Charleston, SC while everything else was $400 and up...including the train. So on Wednesday, December 15, we departed from El Paso on the bus heading to Charleston. These next few blog posts are about all of the crazy characters we met and events that took place on the 2-day bus ride there and 2-day bus ride back.
We left El Paso at 12:40PM on the 15th and it was a trip from the beginning. Katie and I got our tickets then headed into the terminal to wait for our bus. Keep in mind that we were both in sweats with our hair all wet because we had just showered. All of a sudden, this guy starts hollering at us. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey!" We ignored him until he came over to us. "Hey, so, uh, we just were wonderin' if we could take a pitcha' with y'all because we just wanna have some proof that we know some models." Katie and I looked at each other and I wanted to roll my eyes so badly. I mean, we seriously looked like crap and this guy is saying we're models? Please! So I laughed and told him no thanks, then he says, "Come on girl! We need the curls!" I laughed again and said no thanks, then we decided to go back out to the parking lot and wait in our friend Tori's car. Our bus finally got there and we loaded our luggage underneath then got on the bus. By the time we got on the bus, everyone had taken their seats and there were no double seats left. So Katie and I made our way to the back looking for some seats and a guy asked us if we wanted to sit. We got excited until we realized that he was moving over so that one of us could sit there. I didn't think it was a big deal, but I wasn't thinking about the fact that we would have to sleep next to these people we didn't know. Don't worry though...Katie was thinking about it. There was one girl sitting in the 3-seater in the back so we decided to just sit with her because at least we'd be together. However, she told Katie she was waiting for someone. This is how the conversation went.
Katie: Hey, we were just wondering if the two of us could sit back here with you.
Girl: Oh uh well I'm waiting for someone. Uh, I think he's in the front.
Katie: In the very front seat on the right?
Girl: Oh yea tha's him. You can send him back here.
Katie: Ok, what's his name?
Girl: Psh, I dunno.
Katie: (makes her way to the front) Hey there's a girl in the back who says she's waiting for you.
-Guy looks to the back. Girl in the back waves and yells, "Heeeeyyyy!"-
Guy: (turns to Katie) Don't touch my s***. (Heads to the back to sit with the girl)
So finally, Katie and I are able to sit in the front together and relax. Our bus driver then began to make his announcements which included announcing that there would be no smoking, no drinking, and no sex on the bus. Definitely a good way to start the trip.
Now for the next part, I have to give a bit of a back story. While I was packing, I decided to lock my suitcases while on the bus. I already had 2 luggage locks, but I didn't have keys for them. So my roommate, Olivia, and I looked up how to pick a luggage lock on the internet. We made a makeshift key out of a paperclip and I decided to use it on my backpack that I would be carrying onto the bus. I bought 2 locks with keys from the store for my other 2 bags. As we're heading east in the bus, we were stopped by border patrol. Two officers came on the bus. Apparently a lady in the back of the bus got up because one of the officers firmly yelled, "Sit down ma'am! Everyone remain in your seats." They walked through the bus, got off, then came back on and asked to see everyone's ID's and tickets. Unfortunately, I had decided to take a nap before we were stopped and stuck my wallet with my ID and my tickets in my backpack, which I locked and was planning to unlock with the makeshift paperclip key. Of course, for the first time on the trip, the makeshift key decided not to work, preventing me from opening my backpack so I could present my ID and ticket to the border patrol officer. I looked up at the officer in front of me and asked if he had anything that could pick a lock.
Border Patrol Officer (BPO): Why would you need to pick a lock?
Me: Well, I don't have a key for my luggage lock on this bag so my roommate and I looked up how to pick a lock on the internet last night...
BPO: (looks at me questionably)
Me: Ok this is coming out poorly. My wallet with my ID and tickets is in the bag which I locked with a luggage lock. My other 2 bags have locks with keys, but I needed one more lock for this bag and this lock was on another bag and I didn't have a key for it. So I picked the lock with a paperclip and put it on this bag and it has been working all day until this point.
BPO: (looks at my luggage tag) And your wallet is in here?
Me: Yes.
BPO: (takes out his knife and pops the lock off my bag)
Needless to say, the lock was broken after this and I did not lock this bag again. After this happened, I was able to get my wallet out and prove that I was who I was and show him my tickets. After that, Katie and I could not stop laughing.
Moral of the story: Sometimes I'm smart and sometimes, I don't quite think things through...it's generally better to be smart.
This is only within the first few hours of the trip. I'll try to keep the other stories short, but be prepared for some interesting and entertaining stories and maybe a few pictures!
Just remember to stay smart and don't lock your luggage when you don't have a key!
