Riding in the combis around Cusco is an exercise in discomfort. Everyday I wait at the paradero for either Batman or Zorro to take me to work. Given the precarious nature of public transport in Cusco, it is fitting that these modified school vans would be named after masked vigilantes. Although I like to spread my 60 centimos to both operators, I feel an allegiance to ride with the Dark Night. It’s fun riding in the Batmobile on the way into my Gotham City.
Unlike the real Batman, the drivers and door attendants feel no sympathy for the civilians of the city. With shouts of “Sube, Sube” to board the Batmobile or commands of “Baja, Baja” to depart, riding in combis is an aggressive way to start the day. Old women will throw elbows in an attempt to board and other passengers will have cheeky smiles from their comfortable seats. Just when I think that I am the last possible rider that could fit into the combi, now at standing room only, another six people will get on. Unlike in India where the drivers believe in reincarnation and therefore have no qualms about driving in a manic manner, the conductores in Cusco seem to do it only for the rush. For a culture that at times completely disregards punctuality, the drivers of the combis refuse to drive in ways in which our mothers would approve.
Nothing starts my day like a frenzied combi ride. Being a six-foot male and standing in vans designed for a nation of people with an average height of 5’3” blinds me to the perils of the ride. And for the cost of 20 cents and the feeling of being a legitimate peruano, I arrive at Arariwa confident for my next round of interviews.
Jonah Brill is currently living in Cusco, Peru as a volunteer Field Researcher for Arariwa microfinance bank. For more on transportation in Latin America, check out “An Adventurous Routine“; “Where to Get Off the Bus?“; “Good Travel Karma“; “Traffic Circle from Hell!” and “All-Female Transport in Mexico.”
Latest posts by jonahbrill
- Hasta Luego - August 20th, 2010
- The Things I Have Learned - August 13th, 2010
- Day in the Life: Hiking The Colca Canyon - August 6th, 2010
- Day in the Life: Fuegos Artificiales - July 30th, 2010
- Being Inspired - July 23rd, 2010
- Los Precios - July 16th, 2010
- I'll Take a Little Potato with My Dirt - July 9th, 2010
- ¿Dónde Está El Baño? - July 2nd, 2010
- Day in the Life: Summertime and the Living is Easy - June 25th, 2010
- Snapshot: Cow Heart and Confusing Conversation in Cusco - June 18th, 2010
Love it. This is the essence of Latin American life.