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Showing posts from June, 2017

The Pasarela

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Many times there is just no choice.  You just have to suck it up, be brave, make eye-contact, and cross to the middle. From there you just have to suck it in, steady your nerves, and wait for a break.  I'll confess, I am not too proud to play the "helpless gringa" card if I am caught in a particularly snarly street-crossing situation.  With a smile and a wave I can usually still stop traffic. Sometimes, there is a better choice:  use the pasarela . "What is a pasarela ?" you ask.  Well, if you google translate this term you might call it a "runway" or "catwalk."  "Catwalk" is a pretty good description.  In El Salvador, a  pasarela  is the walkway which pedestrians use to get across busy streets.  Typically, pasarelas  require the user to ascend 2 or 3 flights of stairs, walk across the catwalk and then descend 2 or 3 flights of stairs on the opposite side of the road. Now, as you might imagine, climbing up a bunch of stairs