Driving…

You would think that after 11 years of driving that driving in Guatemala would not be such a big deal… well the traffic rules in Guatemala appear to me to be a negotiation by all involved. Merging is an adventure… buses make U-turns in busy streets that I would have to make a three point turn on in my old Dodge Neon… if one car makes a left hand turn usually 4 other cars turn with it. I have seen (one time) buses take turns too quickly, hit cars in the highway and then jump the bank falling down into the valley filled with passengers (three to a seat and the aisles filled with those who did not fit in the seats)… many people rushed to help those who were hurt… and we have since taken another route. People pass on blind corners and with little space between the on-coming cars. So for me, Minnesota trained driver, it has been a process getting used to driving… oh have I mentioned that wherever we go we have to go up or down at least one mountain?!

So I drove for the first time this past Sunday… driving Padre Horacio to El Tuerto in Zone 1 of the City since he cannot drive right now. Sunday mornings have less traffic so I could get used to the routes without worrying about many cars. Yet, this first drive brought more excitement than desired… when we were almost there I had to pull over so that an ambulance could pick up a person who had been wounded somehow and take them to the hospital leaving behind a viscous pool of blood. While accustomed but not supportive of the yellow journalism practices of the newspapers in Guatemala, witnessing an accident first hand is another thing completely.

With or without adventure, I am driving now… it is nice to have the option if needed… a bit more independence.