Over the past four months, we've traveled from Peru to Uruguay and back, passing through Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile on the way. There are quite a few differences between these countries, but the differences become more pronounced when comparing the three above the belt (Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay) with those below (Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay). The latter would probably unfairly call it "civilization," thinking that genetics and history (they killed off all of their indigenous) have set them not only apart but above.
Whether it's related to genetics, the indigenous, or history, I don't know, but there is one domain in which I might agree with the Southerners : public transport. That is one part of Latin America I certainly won't miss. Getting on or off a bus is a competition of Olympic proportions from Paraguay all the way up to Venezuela. Elbows up, chin forward, eye on the door. No elderly man, pregnant woman, or crippled child will get in the way of a Latino's exit-from-bus victory. Someone must be keeping score and handing out award money or prizes or medals because those speedsters surely weren't rushing off to work.
Whether it's related to genetics, the indigenous, or history, I don't know, but there is one domain in which I might agree with the Southerners : public transport. That is one part of Latin America I certainly won't miss. Getting on or off a bus is a competition of Olympic proportions from Paraguay all the way up to Venezuela. Elbows up, chin forward, eye on the door. No elderly man, pregnant woman, or crippled child will get in the way of a Latino's exit-from-bus victory. Someone must be keeping score and handing out award money or prizes or medals because those speedsters surely weren't rushing off to work.
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