The Rhino is about the most unglamorous ride you'll ever experience. For most of us, the Rhino only runs at night. And, to make matters worse, the folks in charge of the Rhino don't tell us when it's going to start the trip. Security, you know. The less folks that know when it's leaving, the better chance we have of getting to the destination. Of course, it's probably not hard for anyone to figure out that it runs sometime between midnight and 4 am....there aren't that many 50' long, green, armored busses running around after midnight anyway!!
The Rhino has thick metal sides and small, thick glass windows, the bulletproof kind. It feels a little strange getting into the Rhino. It also travels in a convoy of armored military vehicles that run ahead of, and behind, the Rhino on it's nightly trips out of the IZ, into the "red zone", and to the airport.
If you want to ride the Rhino, you have to show up at the bus shed at some pre-appointed time, generally after dark, but before midnight. Then you sit around the bus shed with 50-75 other folks, who like you, would rather be in bed sleeping at this time of night. You can't use your cell phone, because folks might be listening and you could inadvertently announce the time that the bus is supposed to run. Of course, I wouldn't have any friends up at midnight anyway, unless I was calling back to the States!
The Rhino takes us to the airport where we arrive sometime between midnight and 4 am. Of course, we're all headed to the airport to catch a flight somewhere. But, just like the Rhino schedule, we don't know the air schedule. So, we arrive at the airport by 4 am, and might hang around until the afternoon to catch a plane.
If you're going to ride the Rhino.....bring a book!!!
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