Saturday, March 19, 2011

Part 16 "Tuk-Tuk"


Michelle writes:
When I go to The Scheel Center, I take a tuk-tuk (a motorized 3-wheel golf cart of sorts) as Scheel's is in Colonia Victoria, next to San Felipe. Casa Jackson is in San Felipe. It's a bumpy ride over cobblestone streets and speed bumps.
I had a tuk-tuk driver last week who had lived in Michigan for 20 years and spoke English very well. He came back to Antigua for family and to start a restaurant. He owned a restaurant in the States which did well, and he came to Antigua to open the same Guatemalan/Mexican restaurant. 
After 9-11, life changed for the people here as well as for those of us in the States. Tourism is a major factor, and the Guatemalan economy was hit hard. He had opened the restaurant and had bills. Now, he drives a tuk-tuk and is making more money than he did with the restaurant. 
I think driving a tuk-tuk would be fun, zipping around the streets, weaving in and out of traffic between cars and scooters. However, I don't see any women drivers.
I'm mesmerized at the simplicity in repairing cobblestone streets. A worker pulls up the loose stones as another mixes cement there in the street. The elder of the crew has the task of pounding the stones back into place in the hole that has now been filled with cement. It's a quick and efficient way to take care of potholes! But, I must say the ride is very bumpy on these streets, you see many broken down tuk-tuks.  Good mechanics have a thriving business.

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