Back in the 90s I got caught in the Holy Thursday rush to get a bus to the Interior. It was the most amazing traffic jam in which I have ever been caught.

Since then there has been a lot of road widening.

On December 30, 2002, I revisited the holiday bush rush to the beach routine, and though changes in bus procedures from that harrowing Holy Thursday to now were noteworthy from the start, it looked like a repeat performance for awhile.

I got a late start, because I was still doing corrections on the last issue on the 30th, and while doing so the cable TV was on and they had an interesting riot from Venezuela coming to us live. It was a reminder of how much rioting is like football to the young man's mind. I didn't get on my way until 4 pm.

I figured that it might be a ridiculous traffic jam, so I should get an early dinner. I stopped in to Pio Pio and found that Mireya's tax increase had already increased the price of a box of five pieces of fried chicken from $3.50 to $3.75.

I got a cab to the bus terminal in Albrook. Traffic was heavy on the way into the terminal, and within it.

There are some procedures that the saavy bus traveler can use to make more informed choices about how to get from the bus terminal to the Interior.

Usually you will pick a bus bound for a place beyond where you are going. The big exceptions to this are when you are going to a town center. For example, if you are going to the town center of San Carlos, the San Carlos bus is fine, but if you are going to the beach in Las Uvas, which is also a corregimiento of San Carlos, it's better to take the Anton or Penonome bus.

One might go to the lobby before the ticket booths, and look at the buses that are waiting. The bus with the windows open won't be air conditioned, and will have people throwing trash. The bus that's mostly full will probably leave sooner than the one that's empty, but the latter gives you a better choice of seating.

At the ticket window, if the Penonome booth has a little sign that says "autopista" and the Anton booth does not, it means that the Penonome bus won't go into La Chorrera to discharge and load passengers, while the Anton bus will. Thus the Penonome bus will most likely get to Las Uvas first, but if you want to see La Chorrera and time doesn't much matter, you'll want the Anton bus. Of course, the situation will be the reverse it the Anton ticket booth has the "autopista" sign and the Penonome booth does not.

Price is not a big deal. Bus fares are controlled by law, but sometimes certain bus co-oops charge slightly different prices for places between the town centers. The Penonome buses may calculate your fare to Las Uvas as $2.70, while the Anton buses charge $2.50. You'll know when you buy your ticket, which is how you get on most buses at the National Transport Terminal. (Colon buses and service to local Panama City, Chorrera and Arraijan routes are exceptions to this --- for those you pay on the bus.)

I took the Anton bus, which pulled out of the terminal at 5:15.

The traffic jam started before we got to Balboa. By 5:40, we had only made it as far as the Balboa Union Church. At 5:51, we turned onto the Bridge of the Americas entrance ramp.

But there, having been pushed out of the way under some trees at the side of the ramp, was a car that had overheated or otherwise broken down. We crept along. There was something else blocking traffic ahead.

It was a gasoline tanker truck stalled on the bridge, which got re-started and underway before we caught up to it.

After we pulled past, the driving was clear ahead. By 6:12 we were on the autopista, and when we hit Capira the sun was going down.

I made it to Las Uvas a little after 7. Holiday traffic jams are still a reality, but things are a lot better than they were a few years ago.