In Istanbul I acquired tickets to go on a six hour bus ride for $25 Turkish Lira each, which is the equivalent of $12.61 USD. This seems pretty reasonable in terms of cost, but I know what you’re thinking. A six hour bus ride? I know. After an embarrassing amount of effort to get into the bus and into our seats, Wonder Boy and I sat back and took in our surroundings. The seats were comfortable. The bus had wireless. And there was this assistant to the driver on the bus. Why would a bus driver need an assistant? Let me tell you.Based on my limited experience, on buses in Turkey you get treated as if you’re on a flight. And I don’t mean some American flight where all you get is a beverage. I’m talking you get treated well. The assistant guy rolled his cart up and down the aisle of the bus and offered us free drinks and snacks. He offered us more to eat and drink. He collected trash. He let everyone use some delightful smelling hand sanitizer. All of this ON A BUS.
But this was no fluke. On our next bus ride, similarly priced and for a similar distance, within moments of sitting down, I was handed ice cream. After I finished my delicious single-serving bowl of chocolate-vanilla swirl ice cream, I was offered something to drink and snack on. And then later, the hand sanitizer.
Want to reduce the number of cars on the road? I have the solution! And it definitely involved buses and ice cream.
This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.