Driving in Caracas is an art form. When I first got here, and even during my visit, I often found myself watching what looked like an accident about to happen only to see the cars swerve at the last minute and miss. I quickly realized two things – a) I will probably never drive here and b) I need to get over my backseat driving.

Due to my fear of driving, I am always the passenger who thinks she can do a better job at getting to the destination. In a way, having limited Spanish is a good thing since I can’t say much to piss off the person driving. The trick that I have learned to keep my blood pressure from rising every time I get in a car is to simply not look . This is a lot easier to do when there’s another passenger in the car to keep me preoccupied.

I read that Caracas is one of the cities with the worst traffic in the world. They say it’s due to the low cost of gas and overcrowding of cars on Caracas’ narrow roads. I have even heard Caraquenos state that they rather go sit at a bar for a few hours in the evening to avoid traffic. This doesn’t sound like a bad way to kill time – hopefully they haven’t had too many by the time they get behind the wheel.

In any case, the maneuvers of drivers here is something that I will probably in awe of for years. I’m not saying never, but it will be fifty years a long time before I decide to join in on this dance.

Photo credit: Victor

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