motorized roulette

So if there´s one thing I´ve learned in Bolivia, its that the motor vehicles are not trustworthy, but that the drivers are aware of this fact. The first indication was when a bus i was on stopped midway in a pullout. i thought it was just a routine stop, but when the driver asked us to vacate the bus and jacked up the back wheel i knew that wasn´t the case...

the back left wheel spins
as the engine idles
the driver´s feet lay next to the wheel
sometimes a greasy hand
visible beneath the bus
the once well-dressed driver
now in a jumpsuit
my fellow passengers and i sit on a dirty hillside
as cars cruise by
and watch the feet
of the driver
and mechanic
anxiously awaiting the second half
of our journey to the city
it´s probably best that we stopped
though the repair in progress
remains a mystery

this resulted in a refund and waving down another bus to la paz. later, at the salt flats, our driver roman, who had been flying through the bumpy desert sands of the area (i think we won a rally race in the process), put on his jumpsuit (sounds like a superhero gimmick in the making) after spotting a dark oily trail behind the 84 toyota landcruiser (shit, i want one of these puppies). he found that our brake fluid was leaking (parenthetical), but didn´t have a screw to stop the leak. so he cut a little leather chunk off his belt and patched it. thank the good lord, it held for the remainder of the 11 hour drive. but later, the truck stalled on an uphill. he immediately guessed it was the gas filter. took it out, blew in it, gas shot out the other side. put it back in, truck starts, we´re on our way. i love the know-how of drivers in this country. you just don´t get that kinda expertise in AAA country! the trip apparently is tough on the trucks judging by the fact that they have to replace the tires every two months, replace the motor every two years, and the shocks probably every week. i tell you what (hope my parents don´t read this) knowing the unpredictable state of motorized things in this here land isn´t very reassuring when your blazing down a road about 20 ft wide thats essentially on a cliff that would turn you into a panqueque if your brake fluid were to leak a little too much. for now, i will trust the mechanic / bus drivers. hey, all part of the adventure! badawwww!!!