Speaking of Cars.......

Ushuaia Autumn 2007
Originally uploaded by agypsy.

......and road rules. I sometimes wonder if there are any/many. If you want to stop, it seems you just put on your hazard lights and stop. It could be double parked, on the corner like this delivery truck, or even in the middle of the road as taxis frequently do to pick up or drop off passengers. The hazard lights seem to be the trick. Occasionally there is a frantic blowing of horns, especially in peak hour, but most of the time everyone just drives around.

Even more fascinating, for me, is that after putting on the hazard lights and stopping, many drivers then get out and do what they need to do, leaving the car running, often with children in the car.... use an ATM, pay a bill, buy cigarettes, whatever. I often pass cars early in the day, left running outside houses, presumably to warm up, but with absloutely no-one in sight. Interesting.

I have yet to see an automatic car here, in fact in all my travels in South America I don't think I have seen one. They are apparently very expensive to buy and so the local industry produces only manual cars. On some of the hills in this town an automatic would certainly be of assistance, but they are all pretty good at handbrake starts - you would have to be! I also look at parking on the hills and hope they have good handbrakes.