The Otübus Experience

Riding on a city bus in Istanbul is like being in the live version of the 1994 adrenaline-packed action flick SPEED. The driver maneuvers the bus like Sandra Bullock on speed. Weaving in and out of traffic, hoping not to kill anyone along its path. But unlike the Hollywood version, he actually succeeds in keeping the city in tack, taking you from point A to point B, C, D, E...X without much cross-city destruction.

In the course of my thirty-minute bus ride (and after I got over my fear of flying), the people who flew in and out at each bus stop, some while the bus was moving, had very interesting stories to tell. Many thoughts went through my mind...

- A 30-something lady gave up her seat to an older mid-forties woman. Same mid-forties woman, then gave up her seat for an elderly man in his mid-sixties. Perhaps respecting your elders is a universal gesture, with no cultural boundaries. My heart melted. Despite a crazy world, there's always room for compassion.

- A passenger entered the bus from the back, not able to get on from the front because it was too crowded. He handed his bus card to a passenger, and the passenger handed it to the next passenger, and so forth until the card slowly made its way to the front. The bus driver slid his toll through the machine. Then the bus card slowly made it back to its owner. It's amazing that in a city where you're taught to keep a close watch on your belongings and trust no one, that at least 7 people had a hand in helping this stranger pay the correct bus toll.

- As people enter the bus, you find yourself shifting places, sitting down as seats are vacated, then standing up again, giving up your seat for those who need it. You move towards the middle of the isle, then get pushed to the side of the bus, and so forth. And as you move to different spots inside the bus, you hang on to different poles, hold different handles, and lean into various seats and wonder how many millions of people have been through here before you? Definitely not the preferred mode of transportation for the 'germaphobe'.

- Awkward silences are prevalent on city buses. In a city with 15 million poeple, everyone lives a breath's distance away from each other. Yet, somehow conversations on a bus are limited. In fact, most people are either sleeping or blankly looking out the windows. Eye contact is rare. Every once in a while a cell phone may ring, but rarely someone answers it. And if they do, the conversation is cut short. Everyone is in such close proximity that one couldn't help but eavesdrop on every conversation. Weird to think that we guard our privacy differently in certain circumstances, yet find it absolutely necessary to share our dialog on a blog or via Twitter for everyone to see...

- Smells. Distinct smells of perfume, deodorant, aftershave, sweat, and other random odors. Some good. Some not. You're packed in like sardines, and after a while, you don't smell a thing (until the next stop when a new wiff of air passes through.)

The people on the bus represent a cross-section of a unique culture. Rich or poor, young or old, regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic class, or gender... everyone relies on the bus (or some form of public transportation) in their Istanbul existence. Let's face it, the bus is cheaper, more efficient, much faster - and anyone with a car knows that Istanbul traffic can be a nightmare!