THE GUAGUA

‘Twitters from the Atlantic’ – by Barrie Mahoney

Barrie Mahoney was a teacher, head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands as a newspaper editor. He is still enjoying life in the sun as a writer and author.

THE GUAGUA

My grandfather was a carrier, which is a term that is not in common use nowadays. When he started his business, he owned a horse-drawn bus, which he used to transport people and produce from village to village or town. It became a very popular service, and I remember as a child that my grandfather was always referred to with great affection in the area long after he had died. As well as owning a bus, he also had a great love of pocket watches, which for him was a relatively modern technology, and of course helped to provide local people with a very reliable service in all kinds of weather.

Later, my grandfather upgraded from horses to motorised buses, and was the first carrier in Lincolnshire to own and run his own motorised bus. He operated a regular service to several destinations, such as the town of Boston on market days, and bracing Skegness for a spot of sea air at the weekends. He increased his ownership of these mechanised marvels, until his small fleet was eventually taken over by a much larger organisation that had set up in competition. Grandad’s motorised buses were seen as a modern marvel in the area, but I also remember being horrified when I learned as a child that both my mother and aunt, who had never taken or passed a driving test in their lives, were regularly recruited as relief bus drivers and, by all accounts, my Aunt was particularly good at it. Thankfully, they both gave up the job before too many other vehicles took to the road.

Travelling by bus is a relatively new discovery for me. Until recently, I have rarely set foot on a bus, but travelling to Las Palmas by car is no longer a pleasant option unless I really know where I am going to park, because car parking is difficult to find, as well as very expensive. Expats living on the island often forget that Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the seventh largest city in Spain, which probably explains why it usually reminds me of driving a car in central London, but without the congestion zone charges.

Now that I have understood the timetable for buses on the island, I find that travelling to the city is a relatively cheap and reliable option. One must also be a little flexible and allow for ‘Canarian time’, which is never taken too seriously over here. A bus will usually turn up eventually, even if not exactly to schedule. On the other hand, I have found most drivers to be polite and helpful, and most are willing to give advice about times and the best bus to travel on for a particular destination. Travelling by bus is also great fun for people watching, which is one of my favourite pastimes. We only have to travel from Las Palmas to the south of the island late on a Saturday night or in early hours of Sunday morning, to realise that just as we are going home to bed, most young Canarians are on their way out for the night in the south. If you like people watching, I can thoroughly recommend it as a source of endless entertainment and amusement. Indeed, I am quite sure that some of the more colourful characters observed recently will appear in future books.

The word, ‘guagua’ has a fascinating history, since it comes from the days when British businessmen in Las Palmas used wagons to transport people, produce and materials around the island. The word ‘wagon’ was painted on the sides and back of these vehicles. ‘Guagua’, is the term used in the Canary Islands for the word ‘bus’. It is a lovely word to say, and if you say the word ‘wagon’ with a Canarian accent, you will hear what I mean! Canarians have a different pronunciation of the ‘w’ sound and therefore the term ‘wagon’ became corrupted to the rather charming word ‘guagua’, which has remained in use on the islands to this day. Although used in South America, ‘guagua’ is not a word often heard in Peninsular Spain, where ‘autobus’ is the usual term. Initially horses or camels drew these wagons or guaguas on the Canary Islands, but later these were mechanised, just like my grandfather’s bus.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book, ‘Twitters from the Atlantic’ (ISBN: 978 1480033986). Available as paperback, Kindle and iBooks. iPhone/iPad Apps: ExpatInfo and CanaryIsle now available from the Apple Store.

© Barrie Mahoney

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