They got me tonight. Took a shot straight to the crotch during my regular Sunday night futbol match I play with some internationals. Ice in my lap probably isn’t good for this laptop I’m typing on. Worth it to get some exercise in though, because I haven’t been able to find a cheap gym down here yet. All the ones I’ve checked out have been exorbitantly expensive for very basic facilities. I saw a really nice one the other night in my barrio though, so I’ll have to stop by tomorrow. Running is out of the question too, unless I bus it to the parks that are somewhat close. Running in the streets would be suicide, thanks to the cars.
At night, cars drive around with no lights on. They only flash their high beams if they’re close to hitting someone. It’s insane. And taxi drivers are all amateur NASCAR racers. I had one that drove a tiny little hatchback who would blow his horn in traffic that obviously wasn’t moving, hit on women on the sidewalk, throw up the cross whenever we passed a church, and yell indiscriminately at the other drivers around him. Oh, and he was in his 60s. If it wasn’t so endearing it would have been terrifying. Buses are a whole different beast though.
I talked a bit about the coin shortage they’re having here a while ago, but it seems the city is still in the grips of said coin crisis. I saw three signs in kioscos today specifically stating that they had no monedas (coins) available and would not make change for the bus. And since the bus is by far the most convenient way to get around, it’s putting a serious strain on my explorations. I’ve even resorted to specifically buying items that will net me a one peso moneda in change. It’s like a game. And once you get on the bus, getting off makes knees quake. All those lessons about “rolling stops” in driver’s ed were lost on these guys. You better leap out of the bus at your selected stop, or they’ll just keep on driving. I’m not sure how old people manage it.
Tomorrow I have an interview with a tour company, a date with a bookstore, and some resume revisions to do. Lets get to it!
