My first observation, without a doubt, is that the drivers in South America (at least in Peru) are INSANE. There is really no other way to describe it. Stoplights, stop signs and lane lines must exist merely for decorative purposes, as they are heeded rarely. This makes being a pedestrian quite a challenge. Though I have nearly perfected Jay-walking in Washington, DC; it is truly an artform in Peru as it is the only reliable means of crossing the street without getting tagged by an 80´s model Peugeot.
This discussion on driving leads me to our recent 3 day trip to Huancayo,
an Andean Highlands town with about 300,000 people located about 6-9 hours away from Lima depending on traffic and the sanity level of your bus driver. Our bus ride to Huancayo was uneventful and took just over our expected traveling time of 7 hours. Our ride home, however, was slightly more hair-raising. Chad and I were sitting near the front of the second level of our bus, giving us a great view of the surrounding countryside and also allowing us to see well beyond our driver´s line of sight. Apparently, our driver REALLY wanted to get back to Lima. He decided it was in our best interests to pass semi´s while going down steep mountain roads on hair pin turns with traffic coming right at us.On several occasions we were forced to return to our proper lane due to buses and other large vehicles rapidly moving in our direction. On several occasions, our bus driver ignored the blaring horns and continued to go down the mountain in the wrong lane as if it were his God-given right. And on at least 2 occasions we were sure that we would crash and end our trip a little earlier than expected by tumbling down the large mountain slopes directly to our right. Needless to say, we were more than pleased to arrive in Lima in one piece.
At least we´re flying to Cusco.
1 comment:
hehe. hehehe. glad to hear you lived to tell that tale! and even HAPPIER that your sister's, your mother's, and my driving will look sooooo much better now :)
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