Transportation, Yoga and some other things

Don´t get used to me posting everyday. I am lucky enough to have access to the computers while Bridget is in class so it is easy to check email and write a post.

A few notes on transportation in the city. Not many people own cars and there really isn´t public transportation in the city. There are a few options for getting around though:

1. Taxi
2. Party Bus
3. Walking

Taxis come in a variety of types. Some are literally folks who have just put the word taxi on their car and pick you up on the side of the road.  These are definitely not the cars you want to get in. They are not officially sanctioned and you could easily get ripped off. The official taxis have numbers on them signifying the routes they run...almost like a bus system. You stand on the side of the road and look for the taxi with your number, signal for them and hop in. This sounds easy and it is....but it really becomes interesting when you get in the taxi. Most taxis are small cars or small vans and they cram as much people as possible in them. If there are five seats, every seat will get filled. I was in a small van the other day with probably 10 people and you just sit nice and close.

The Party Buses are about the size of small school buses and are painted in many colors. They also run basic routes and you let the driver know when you want to get out. I don´t know why they are called party buses...my only guess is because they are brightly colored. They are a little cheaper than taxis and run a little slower.

There are no official pick up and drop off points for taxis or buses. You just stand on the side of the road and hold out your hand. This can cause drivers to pull over suddenly and pick up somebody on the side of the road and there is always a lot of movement in the car itself to make room for somebody or let someone out. These rides are not for the feint of heart. The drivers can move pretty quickly and make fast turns and stops.

And there is always walking...

Today I went to Yoga with Bridget and her other classmates. Two things I knew about myself and quickly relearned...I am not good at Yoga and I still don´t know Spanish. The instructor was incredibly patient with me as I was sweating a rediculous amount for doing nothing but stretching my legs. She kept wanting me to push my stretch more...mas mas mas...and I would say no no no...already thinking I was going to pull a muscle. Yoga is Yoga no matter where you are but yoga in Spanish is interesting when you don´t know the language. Bridget translated some for me and I understood some of what the instructor was saying...and again sweating way too much for yoga.

I haven´t been sleeping well for some reason. I literally woke up at 1:45am on Tuesday morning and 3:00am this morning and couldn´t go back to sleep. Needless to say I am thankful for the audiobooks I downloaded before coming because they are keeping me company in the middle of the night.

More to come later...