A lot of the vehicles on the roads in Latin America are hand-me-downs from the U.S. and some are so old they'd be eligible for the antique license plates if they were in the States. People really care for their cars here, taking them for regular check ups like you would a child. They close their car doors in the manner you would pat an old friend on the back, and if you don't follow suit people will call you out, especially the taxi drivers. I'm used to closing car doors like I want to make sure they're shut so this was an adjustment for me.
But the part I really like about it isn't the time warp feeling you get surrounded by old cars, it's the public buses that used to belong to elementary schools, complete with bright red stop signs and the scrawlings of long since grown up American school children. This one was apparently from Pulaski County, wherever that is, but now takes people up and down the mountain in Monteverde. There's new graffiti too and in Spanish but "Billy waz here" followed by a poorly drawn middle finger is completely out of my memories of 5th grade.
3 comments:
imagining a school bus driving in the mountains makes me shudder.
When we lived on Rock Ledge Dr. in Carlisle, we rode the school bus over the mountain to Rice Elementary. When a snow day was called, it really meant something. I still remember the bully bus patrol kid named Joe but on a more pleasant note, I really love twisty turning roads. Maybe this is where it all began.
By the way, Google picked Pulaski County in at least six states including Virginia. Who'd a thought it was such a popular name?
Post a Comment