The Coolest Guy in Viña

Most of the micro drivers are not the nicest people in the world. They drive you around, sure, but only after grabbing your $130 pesos from your hand and stuffing a ticket back in. Having to make change is THE WORLD'S GREATEST INCONVENIENCE, and forget about them letting you off where you want, even though they'll swerve through 4 lanes of traffic to pick up a beckoning passenger at any random point. They generally seem to be in some alternate state of consciousness, either drug, alcohol, or simple meanness-induced, which guarantees a wild ride on a regular basis, especially if you're forced to stand in the too-full bus. But, this only applies to 99% of the micro drivers.

The notable exception is a Viña bus 205 driver, one of the 3 routes that go directly by my house. He has a bushy mohawk, emo glasses, and his white uniform shirt tucked into some variation of athletic shorts. He smiles when he takes your money, winks when you get off the bus, and sings along to his excellent selection of chill island music during the whole ride. I've been fortunate enough to end up on his bus on the way to a weekend night in Valparaiso on three different occasions, and every time have enjoyed a much more pleasant night than one began with a grouchy driver. This morning, I boarded his bus with a great big woke-up-too-late-to-shower frown, but got off at the history building cheery and ready to tackle a beautiful day. Seriously, the coolest guy in Viña.