Taxi or Driv

Taxi or Drive

For some time now we have owned a truck. We both have passed our driving test here in Ecuador.

So we can both take advantage of the convenience of having a vehicle.

If you have traveled to any of the South American countries, you will have experienced the driving skills of the various countries, and  I am bewildered as to why there are not more accidents.

That being said, if we stay out of Guayaquil, then we are doing fine.

Evelyn had to go see a doctor in Guayaquil. Her appointment was at 5:30 pm. I had a good idea where the doctor had her office, but it was in the rush hour time of day.

So I thought that it would be safer to take a taxi there and back, rather than risk a very frustrating time trying to get around Guayaquil.

So we made the call and settled for a taxi. We know a guy that has been very reliable, and just as we made up our minds as to what we wanted to do, he showed up next door. We asked him and gave him the doctor's card. He then called for directions, and all was set.

I felt much happier; first, for not having to drive in the busy time of day in Guayaquil; second, that we knew a driver that is accustomed to the traffic of Guayaquil.

For myself, I was able to get other things dealt with in the absence of Evelyn. 

Evelyn called me when she arrived and called again when she was returning.

On her return, I went out to meet her and was shocked to see the taxi.

The whole of the passenger side was mangled!!!

As Evelyn pushed open the passenger door, there were creaking noises from the metal as it pushed against other parts of the car that had been bashed in.

Eager for an explanation as to what had happened, Evelyn was calm and appeared to have no injuries, as she bid good night to the driver.

Once we got inside the house, Evelyn explained what had taken place.

Evelyn explained that as they were returning home, somewhere near Consuelo, they hit a cow.

Luckily there was no damage to the steering or the the occupants of the vehicle-- just a wake up call that this can happen to anybody.

Last week we were on our way back from Manglaralto and we spotted people in the air Para gliding. We have passed the place where you can do this so many times before, that we just said "let's take a look".

Before you knew it, we were strapped into a harness and were soaring above the cliff tops and  feeling perfectly safe and comfortable. For 15 minutes we enjoyed the silence of the wind and the peace that it brought! What a really nice time we had and a very nice break from the hum drum of driving up and down the coast.