"Travelling" to Knarvik Center

I hate "travelling".  It's a term we Trinidadians use to mean "Taking public transport".  There is a big difference with our Public Transportation and American, English or even norwegian Public Transportation.  Its hot and sweaty and you litterally have to fight to get into a taxi sometimes.  Not just a taxi all for me... its a 'shared' taxi. Where the taxi driver waits to 'fill' up his car or mini van. This can sometimes take as long as 30 mins.  Its usually as annoying as having to wait in line ... only its hot, sweaty and drags your day on for what seems like hours.  Trying to fight the Maxi Taxi line in City Gate..... that is another story ... one of which I hope to not have to tell ... in association with Norway LOL ... Anyways .... on with the story ... (YES! On with our story!)
Last week was perhaps the better week to try to use public Transportation with wonderful weather, but that's not how it worked out.
I had to grudgingly wake up 30 mins earlier than I usually do, and get ready faster. Hubby was off to work unusually early and had to pick up someone from the airport , or else I would have begged for a drop to school.
Ah .. yes ... rain .. of course.  Bundled up and scarffed I walked to the bus stand with my umbrella ... A cute little wooden shed on one side .. .and a .... well lame sign on the other side going the other direction.  I got the shed :).
I got to school ok. Asked someone just to make sure I got on the right bus. School was especially tiring.
I sorted out my bank card and account right after school and walked outside to find the bus. 
Hmm .. I'm not too sure which one I'm taking, since the bus I took- the 341 -didn't drop me in front the Center, but at a school nearby.  Perhaps I should walk back there?
I walked to a friend who worked at a store in the Center and she got online and told me I had 15 minutes to catch the same 341 heading back home. Perfect ... Piece of cake.
I headed out the Shopping Center .... Vooosh .... as I opened the umbrella the entire head of it came off..... there went my umbrella.... a guy walking into the Center was snickering at me ...  I thought it was funny too ... sort of...  I tried to get the top back on the stick .... Nope ... it was not staying ... there must be something broken. Ah well. I tossed it in the bin nearby and noticed another umbrella in the bin... hehehehe ... That's why people just where the rain coats.... it won't break on you. I didn't have that luxurious item. It would not have matched my outfit today....
I raced upstairs to where I had seen some umbrellas and bought the first black one that could fold into a smaller back. Hurrying back downstairs, I got ready to open my umbrella .... no rain... Of course. I tossed it in my bag.
I walked back to where the bus had dropped me off.  I couldn't see the bus stop sign ( a little bus on a stick .. literally), so I walked along the route backwards and waited at the nearest Bus Shed on the main road.  I had15 mins.
I pulled out a book to read. Glad I brought it along.  3:15pm. Any moment now the bus should come along.  Oh yes! .. I forgot my watch is fast so that I would be ontime.  Typical trini move. Oh Lovely the sun came out. No need for the new umbrella now. How Murphy! About 3 busses have passed already, all slowing down in anticipation that I would hop on.  3:20.... Hmmm .. its late ... it should be coming filled with school kids.
3:30pm ... not a single bus has passed with 341 on it. I thought that I must be at the wrong bus stop and decided to walk to the other main road and see if I could find another spot to pick up the 341. I walked past a bus rest stop .. i think .. there were lots of buses saying "nobina" .. what ever that means...... what ever it was , I realised it must mean "no service" "off duty" or something, since they were all empty.
Maybe I should have asked one of the bus drivers where I could get the bus, but my pride stopped me and besides I figured that it really couldn't have been THAT complicated? .. Could it?
Yea Right.
As I passed under the bridge and reached  the other side of the big main road, I started walking back ..
Oh.....
No.....
 I stopped and stared in disbelief at what I was seeing ... that is NOT a 341 I seeing  and I on the WRONG side of the road now ....
Steups.
That bus was EMPTY. Which means it must have just started right there.
       That's ok.
                           I can walk..
. I'll just walk back to the first bus stop that it would make.
I walked over the bridge...now its not a small bridge eh .. this bridge joins 2 islands together and the wind was blowing so much, I was sure it was going to blow me into the oncoming cars, trucks and of course busses... just rub my nose in the dirt.
I pass under the by pass again now and walk on the other side of the road. At least I was on the right side to get the bus.  Good! Now I was in the perfect position to not only get the bus.. but to get the best seat in the house!
I keep looking in one direction, to the left from whence my bus will come.... the rain starts to drizzle... I'm so glad I rushed back to get that umbrella. It was one of those cute push button ones that just pop open. I love those. They are so easy!. I was pressing the button. Press ... press .. press .. it says up and down so i guess I need the up button ... press press press ... I was trying hard NOT to look like I was fighting with the umbrella I JUST bought now.  The rain is getting heavier... Come ON stupid Umbrella .... ! Finally the umbrella grudgingly decides to open and not a minute too late.... the rain came pouring!! ... I look down and realise that the button is broken and I have to keep my finger on it in order to prevent it from falling off and not being able to open or close the umbrella at all. Great!!!! ... This is a new Umbrella.... broken .... Yuh know I taking it back to the store next time I go to class!
Of course I started feeling like a poe-me-one. I'm standing on the side of the road, Rain pouring, its cold, the wind is blowing, and cars are vooshing past me like Wow!
A 341! ... Yay! ..and it was empty! I'm so glad... its now been 35mins or so since I left the last bus shed. This has been a Whole hour of waiting and I was getting very hungry. School was over since 2pm! and I still had to walk the dog! I walked out further to signal that I was interested in boarding.. I started to flag my hand since I thought it was driving too fast. I looked the driver right in the eye.
VOOOSH!!!!!!!.
The Bus past me straight..... I turned to watch it leave .... Splashing rain mist in the air ..... I waited until any car that might have seen that bit of ignoration would have gone.....
In complete dejection, Slumping under the umbrella that I had to carefully hold to keep the broken button, I continued walking in the direction that the bus passed me straight. It MUST stop somewhere. I started having all these thoughts of why on earth would I be taking a bus when I feeling cold.??? That is just NOT cool.  I don't think its cool ever to move from a tropical place to have to take a bus in the cold... that is not my idea of cool ... and I may as well head back to warmth.....
You know usually when you walk you see so many more things than you do not when you drive past a place.  Well this time I didn't see a THING except the ground. I had the umbrella right at my head so people couldn't see my face as I walked. The rain and wind continued to do its thing. All the while , I was working my self up into a serious frenzy. There were moments of tears and then anger that I could be so stupid to not check it out before I left home in the first place.
Finally I reached a change point for busses. There were 4 different bus sheds on the same side with different names on them. I got under the right one and finally settled down to wait for the bus.
In about 3 minutes the 341 came around and I couldn't be happier that it stopped.
I reached home around 5 pm.  It took a total of 2 hours to make a trip that normally takes 10 mins by car.
Of course, when I reached home, my husband showed me that there was a bus terminal right across the road from the Center and I should have gone there and they would have told me what I needed to take.  Too late buddy! Misery done already. Next time.... grrrrrr... next time...
I hate taking public transportation ... ... don't you?
Whey yuh say?