I do kinda feel like the 'K' should be backwards*

Okay, so more than once in my life I've been waiting for a taxi, watched one pass with one or two people in the backseat, and thought 'why can't we just SHARE if we're going in the same direction? It'd be more cost-efficient for everyone!' Brazil read my mind.

One of the most idiosyncratic (and the most fun) ways to get around Rio is the kombi, named after the model of Volkswagen van whose form it takes. Kombis, like busses, drive specific routes around the city; unlike busses the vans do not have obligatory stops. Instead, you can hail a kombi – much as you would a cab! it's PERFECT – as it passes and disembark at precisely your desired location. The kombi costs R$2 per person, regardless of the length of your journey, making it the city’s cheapest form of public transportation. (The bus is R$2.35, requiring perhaps the most inconvenient amount of extra change possible, and the metro is an eye-gouging R$2.80.)

At first the ride can be daunting: basically, it involves climbing into a huge van and cramming shoulder-to-shoulder with Brazilian strangers as the driver careens down a cobblestone hill (at times with only one hand on the wheel while the other texts [I say 'at times' because it's happened to me multiple times]). It is not a gentle ride, but it is always an interesting one.

What makes the kombi such an ideal form of transportation is the feeling of community unique to the big white vans. Almost always, someone in the van will start a conversation – the motorista (driver; pronounced motoreeeeeeeeshta usually in the whiniest voice possible) or cobrador (money collector - this guy takes the cash so the driver can focus on driving/texting) if the kombi is empty, another passenger if it’s full. As passengers climb in, they may ask you to hold on to their groceries or small children or offer you a handful of the chips they’re munching. If an important futbol game is occurring, the entire van reacts to the radio’s play-by-play. And if you don't know where you're going, eight individuals will crane their necks seeking the proper street number as the van slows down to a crawl so that it can deliver you right at the door.

I'm particularly interested in taking the mythical party kombi before I leave Rio. According to legend, its driver, Valdesere, has installed not only black lights, but dashboard and drop-down TV screens. His chosen playlist includes the Backstreet Boys and Boys II Men -- at full volume -- and Valdesere's tendency to barrel down the hill at a breakneck pace earns him the affectionate nickname 'speed racer.'

Actually, my boss has his phone number. Maybe I'll just book him for my ride to the airport.

*I actually adapted this post from one I wrote for my pousada's blog. I just like kombis so much! I felt kompelled to share with you as well -- they're just so kool! Guyyyyz!