While waiting for a bus earlier this week, an elderly gentleman in baggy cut off pants, shower sandals and a ratty white T-shirt sidled up next to me with a plastic bucket in tow.
I would never have noticed him, but as the bus pulled up, he stepped out in front of me to board. As he was climbing up the first step, I looked down and noticed the lid on the bucket had shifted and a rather large reptilian head had appeared. I could see a thick black body coiled up inside the bucket and then it moved and I realized the bloody thing was alive and well.
I do not like snakes or reptiles of any sort, especially when they are in such close proximity. I immediately moved back to the protestations of the other passengers waiting to board. Their protests fell silent as I pointed silently at the bucket and as we watched, right before our very eyes, the head of the reptile slithered a little further out of its confinement and was now hanging a few inches from the bucket.
All eyes were fixed on that bucket. We collectively back pedaled as a long snake-like fish, or snake or frickin’ eel —– honestly I have no idea because I was too busy trying to get out of its damn way —– slithered completely out of the bucket right in front of the open bus door.
At this point, a little old lady started to screech at the top of her lungs and I noticed myself making desperate little sounds. A young man started shouting in Taiwanese, but not one of us moved from where we were standing.
The guy finally noticed everyone freaking out behind him. He looks back, sees his 2 foot snake lying on the road, casually disembarks, swipes it up in his hands and stuffs it back into his plastic bucket. Then he boards the bus!
I didn’t board that bus and waited along with the other passengers who chose not to spend their morning bus ride with Snake Man. Most of the buses in Taipei have little signs near the front door that prohibit animals. I guess no one has thought of putting up signs that prohibit snakes on a bus.
Oh my … What an episode. I am so scared of snakes I propably would have either ran or fainted. Happily the others tought in the same way. It would not have been nice to be acting strange in that kind of situation. Obviously he considered it normal.
I love it! What a great story, although I am glad you were there & not me.
Naomi
ps-Did you take the pic on your header? It’s incredibly striking & beautiful.
http://culturesurfer.com/
It sounds like a scene out of the Wes Anderson movie, Darjeeling Inc. The three brothers…the cobra…haha!
Hmm,you all slithered quickly off of bus?? Not gone a give a culinary report ala MJ Klein on the taste of said reptile? Yeah I don’t like riding Taipei buses with my food either, unless it’s already been processed and properly packaged.
lol … that must have been one heck of a morning
he must be samuel jackson of east making a sequel of “Snakes on plane” 
You’re having an eventful 2008 so far.
That is so cool, here in Italy you have to be afraid of entering a bus not knowing if you will get out with your wallet or your hand bag safe……at least your experience is more “enviromentally” friendly….:-)
I am not being superficial…i can understand fears ans phobia although it doesn’t happen every day…..
Ciao
Hi Naomi,
John took this photo while we were touring through a remote village along the Ton le Sap near Siem Reap, Cambodia. It’s an incredible place and one we would love to return to.
Mark,
No one even made it on the bus. He got on first and the snake dropped out of the bucket as he was boarding. And yeah, I think MJ’s the best man for some sort of delicious snake dutch oven recipe. No doubt he’d do it up proper!
Craig,
Every day’s an adventure in my life.
Rome,
I’ve heard pick-pocketing is a problem in Rome. It’s a problem in China as well. What? No wildlife entertainment on public transportation in Rome?
[...] We’ve all heard of that movie Snakes On A Plane (but I know of no one who’s actually seen it). Carrie got a dose of that in real life this week with Snakes On A Bus! [...]
i think snakes are great – especially grilled over an open fire!
MJ,
Why doesn’t that surprise me?
What an adventure, Carrie. And well told, too! I could imagine the visuals, frame by frame. LOL