Chicken buses in Guatemala

A 'chicken bus' (Spanish: "camioneta") is a colloquial English name for a colorful modified and decorated US school bus and transit bus that transports goods and people between communities in Honduras and Guatemala. The word "chicken" refers to the fact that rural Guatemalans regularly transport live animals on such buses, a practice that visitors from other countries often find remarkable.

I visited Guatemala last Summer and became slightly obsessed/ fascinated by 'Chicken Buses'. Personally I found the way they were decorated and personalised remarkable. Each one had it's own individual character and I found myself spending hours in the bus station watching them come and go. A journey on the bus also became an experience in itself. Guatemalan music blaring, people chatting, there always seemed to be room for more passengers and animals (mainly chickens in cages shoved on the racks above the seats) even though the bus seemed to be bursting at the seams. Below are some shots I took during my time at the bus station.......