Chances are, somebody will jump on your bus and try to sell you something - Chiclets, chocolate bars, just about anything portable - or entertain for tips.

Ah, our city buses, can't live with them and can't live without them. They go too fast and clog our streets, but you never have to wait long for one and they're a cheap way to get not only from point A to B but also to poke around in Vallarta's 160 colonias, or neighborhoods.

Crocheted covers adorn stick shifts and kids' shoes sway on the hang rail - not representing how many children the driver has, as one gringa thought, but waiting to be claimed.

At first glance it seems that most riders have no manners because they plunk themselves in the aisle seats, blocking the empty window ones, and rarely ask anyone if they'd like to get past. One reason for this behavior? Some buses have so little legroom they figure that if you don't nab an aisle seat you'd probably prefer to stand. If you'd rather sit tight, however, "permiso" is the magic word.

Chances are, somebody will jump on your bus and try to sell you something - Chiclets, chocolate bars, just about anything portable - or entertain for tips. Clowns acting silly to get a laugh, others crooning tales of love and loss to the accompaniment of guitars, maracas, tapes or crackling radios. A peso or two does the trick, but there's no obligation.

Helpful Hints:
Blue and white signs designate stops.
Marina Vallarta is one place, the Marina Terminal (where the cruise ships dock) another. So don't just say you want "the marina." Be specific.
Have your $4 pesos ready and a free hand to hold on because they take off, ready or not.
To get off, press the red buzzer or shout "Bajan" (pronounced ba-ha).
Your ticket is proof you paid, not a transfer. Each ride demands a fare.