Banditos - updated

Okay, so i haven´t actually heard that term used here, but it seems appropriate.
Tuesday morning i was riding a bus from a provincial town to a big city. Shortly after getting out into the tropical countryside, anxious voices disturbed my attempts at rest. The majority of the passengers appeared to be deep in slumber. It was nearly two a.m. and many of them were already asleep when i embarked, having an hour behind them and five more to go.
"Interesting," went the commentary in my head. "So this guy with a knife is demanding money of the guy seated next to me. I wonder what he´ll do?"
Slowly the lights in my head came on, though those in the bus didn´t.
"¡No aprende la luz! ¡No aprende la luz!" "Don´t turn on the lights!" in staccato Spanish muffled by the partition between the main cabin and the front.
to be continued...
And then...
(Get up, stretch, find a window or actually step outside for a breath of air, and come back after the commercial break)
The man skipped me and went back down the aisle of the bus demanding money and cell phones of everyone, before coming back to me.
In the meantime the passenger next to me motioned to stuff my wallet between the seats surreptitiously. I did so, with slight misgivings.
When our driver was ordered to turn off the main road and we commenced at a jarring pace along a dusty lane, i envisioned coming to a stop, tossing my wallet out the window, and collecting it later.
In fact that may have saved me the trouble of canceling a debit card and replacing my license and missing my flight due to being penniless and dejected at the airport.
But, i didn't.
Also, i didn't resist. "All we like sheep" simply obliged these anxious 'businessmen.'
Really, i think they might improve their customer service a bit. I'd rate them a two out of ten.
No one was hurt, though, so for operational safety i'll give them a ten.
Was the driver in on it? Were they concealing more lethal weaponry than the knives and machete used for intimidation?
I may never know.
It certainly makes for a great story, especially if you ask for more details...
For instance, imagine the conversations that happened at each troll booth when the driver didn't even have spare change to give them. It took no less than five minutes for him to convince the trolls to raise the arm-of-no-passage.
Oh, and the three ladrones disappeared into the night with their backpacks loaded with cash and phones, leaving us to turn the bus around on the one lane dirt road with drainage ditches on either side. By then my adrenaline was pouring on faster than the diesel, and after pushing sideways on the front, wheels spinning, with ten other men, i sprinted alongside the accelerating bus, last to board and give the all clear.
Chau Amigos, hope to see you in other circumstances next time!