How Clean are Chile's Buses?

Calling all free-spirits with some cash & sense of adventure. Don't you wish you could throw the windows open, make bracelets and drink Argentine maté while cruising around in a yellow VW van? 

I wonder if I would actually like being cramped in there for a while. The French guy we met in Pucon is driving around, kayaking in Southern Chile. He's typical: dreads and really chill. Not normal? He was sleeping in his van and was attacked & robbed by Chilean fletes. Ended up in the hospital. Poor guy. Lesson: Don't come across as someone who has something to steal. 

Cleanliness of Chilean Buses

The bus from Pucon to Santiago is 10 hours. 10 hours in a bus seat that reclines and is wide enough that I can do a mini crunch to sleep rather comfortably. Our longest ride? 17 hours! Luckily, we had a 3.5 hour cargo ferry ride so we were out in the fresh air and watching the dolphins swim next to the embarco. 

So, is it safe? That really isn't the right question.

Is that blanket clean? (see below)

Second floor, first row view

Maybe I've taken maybe 20 long-trip buses in Chile. I feel safe on every one of them. I've been given free water bottles, been tucked in with a blanket and pillow by the worker guy and given a sugary breakfast.   Bonus for smiling (or maybe it's the gringa card) but when I get off the bus and go get my luggage, 8 times out of 10 I get my luggage before the pushy people, old ladies and people first in the chaotic clumping (no queues in Chile). They grab my big red mochila and hand it to me. Thanks! 

Back to my question. I got a call today from the JAC bus supervisor (remember, in Spanish). He received my Facebook message and my email and actually called me to follow-up. WHAT. I was not expecting that! He assured me that the buses are fumigated once a month or once every two months. They have their own laundry service and wash the blankets in Santiago when the buses get to Santiago. 

My bus was fumigated on March 16 and I was on it on March 23. 

This is about to get personal. 

On Sunday afternoon, I started to itch. A lot. We got in at 7AM Sunday morning and slept for a few more hours before heading out to a friend's BBQ. When I was getting ready to leave, I felt itchy and saw some red welts. I focused on enjoying the steak, pork, chorizo and chicken at the BBQ because I was so itchy. 

It hit me like a bag of bricks. 

Bedbugs. NOOOOOOO. I stripped the bed. Vacuumed the mattress. Threw out the clothes from the bus. There's no way I got them at the last hostel because I slept in my sleeping bag and have slept in my sleeping bag 10 times in 6 weeks. The bites matched up directly with where the blanket hit my skin: arms and parts of my back where my tank top met my leggings. 

What's cool is that JAC buses called me. And the guy was so nice, but he was trying to tell me it was an allergic reaction to their laundry detergent. 

My conclusion? Chilean buses are clean but backpackers who use them, not so clean.