15 Kinda Weird Things You Get Used to Very Quick in South America
1. Stealing whatever toilet paper is left on the roll when departing a hostel. You never know if the next place you go to the bathroom will have any or not.
a. Same goes for unused restaurant napkins.
2. People selling random things on the streets, from socks and sweaters, to phone chargers and headphones to the little wire baskets you put in the kitchen sink drain to catch the crud.
3. Completely ignoring traffic lights while walking. It only matters if there is a car coming or not, not what the little green blinky man says.
4. Broken glass lining the tops of cement walls. It's so much more effective looking than barbed wire.
5. Completely hair-brained driving in the crazy traffic, such as taking a right turn from the far left lane during rush hour in front of a bus. I've seen it happen.
6. People walking into restaurants and starting to sing/play their guitar/panpipes in hopes of a tip from everyone eating. Same goes for bus riding entertainment. Singers, one guy telling funny stories, balloon animals from one gal, and the most energetic rendition of La Bamba from two guys with dreads and a guitar at about 11:30 pm on night.
7. People performing in the crosswalk in front of stopped cars at a red light also hoping for tips. I've seen jugglers, fire breathers, flag dancing, a mime... Also a guy juggling clubs while going in circles standing on the seat and handlebars of his bicycle. That was a new one.
8. (This one is a little tougher to get used to) Kids selling chocolates and gum (chicles) on the streets and buses late at night. Children as young as 7 or 8 will ride the Trole back and forth at 9pm with a box full of candies to sell trying to earn a little money.
9. Dogs on the roofs of houses.
10. Hot soup and a full rice and chicken and salad meal served for breakfast.
11. Motorcycles carrying more than 2 people. I think a family of 5 might be the most I've seen so far.
a. Same goes for bicycles. 3 riders might be the record for that.
12. Motorcycles parked inside of houses, stores, and restaurants.
13. It being acceptable for stores, restaurants, random houses, etc. blasting music at any hour of the day or night. In Sua we had music going at 9am heard 3 lots away. In Santa Marta a grocery store had discoteca-worthy music blasting at 7am when we walked to the bus to go diving. Regular houses with the occupants sitting in chairs outside on the sidewalk still have music pumping at 10pm. Its actually kinda fun.
14. Paying to use the bathroom. In all 3 countries, public restrooms charge about 15 cents (or their currency equivalent) to go in, and you receive toilet paper when you pay. Unless you're the jerk bus station in Bogota, where it's more expensive and doesn't include the cost of paper. That you get in a little box from a tampon dispenser looking machine that's on the wall.
15. Things like milk, water, and yogurt being sold in plastic bags. Fridges have little places in the doors to keep the bags so they don't fall over. You just cut a hole in the corner and pour until its gone.
And honorary #16 though it's so commonplace now we don't even think about it:
Toilet paper doesn't go in the toilet. It goes in the small trash can next to every toilet. After about 2 days traveling it doesn't seem weird anymore, so it almost didn't occur to me to stick it on this list.
Stay tuned for a list of things that are way better in South America than at home.
And since blogs are better with pictures, here's some cute graffiti from Cali
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