Hippy goes on holiday
Hippy sits and smiles quietly in a posh restaurant
There’s a quick and surefire way to upset an overland driver? Just call his/her pride and joy—their baby—a bus instead of a truck.
The bus versus truck usage has been an issue on all of our overland journeys. I’ve seen drivers—even big guys—cringe, gnash their teeth, sweat, cry and convulse when the B-word is mentioned in relation to their baby. It grates on me too.
It’s a truck, not a bus, is the ongoing cry.
Actually, it confounds me how people can make the same mistake over and over again. We’ve all learned to say please and thank you without missing a beat. Surely it’s not that hard to learn to say truck instead of bus?
Amusingly, our current overland journey has had a small ‘penalty’ for saying the B-word. Offenders get to carry/wear Hippy until someone else utters the forbidden three-letter word.
I’m guessing that at least three-quarters of the passengers on this trip have escorted Hippy at least once. Some seem to have him all the time.
Tom and Hippy on a trip to the salt flats in Bolivia. Photo by Julia
No doubt about it, Hippy is adventurous! He’s done a variety of extreme sports, been to fancy restaurants and provided modesty on the salt flats of Bolivia—always smiling his special smile.
But his rambunctious nature has been harmful to his health. We’re on our second blow-up Hippy. I wonder how many Hippy brothers Sammy has tucked away in the cab of the TRUCK because we’re due for a new one?
As expected, neither Poor John nor I have had a turn with Hippy. We learned all about truck versus bus terminology in Africa—and the lesson has stuck. Thank goodness.
Where to next? 
Aah, now I understand. 🙂
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Tom took Hippy as a favour. He hadn’t ‘won’ the right to wear him, but was gracious enough to let Hippy have an outing. 🙂
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I’m with you Peggy. Trucks and buses are two different vehicles. They have different configurations and purposes. Not hard at all. Having said that, Hippy is quite cute and it might be nice to tuck him under your arm and walk around with him as you would a designer handbag; if that isn’t too rude!
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I’m sure Hippy would enjoy the outing. He probably resents being a form of punishment. 🙂
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Ha! I wore a Hippy type blow up accessory doll around my waist while partying in a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade in the 80s.
Thank God there are no pictures. It was NOT my finest moment.
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Seriously, no pictures? I’m devastated. I’m bringing a candid camera the next time I visit you!
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