After a truly traumatic experience in the traffic of La Paz, I’ve decided as part of the therapeutic process of healing and closure to share my experience in the form of simple verse. I thank you.

Hazard Overload

Welcome to La Paz, mind how you go.
Three lanes or is it four? No wait… two, one, none.

Mini vans for buses belching lung filling smoke.
No bus stop required, stop, start, wherever you like.

Passengers on their toes lurching between lanes, get on, get off.
Bowler hatted granny too slow.

Sat-nav lies, one way street.
Oncoming traffic doesn’t flinch, squeeze down the right.

Suicidal dogs.
Lucky spot squeezes through, unlucky spot lost his head, unlucky spot vacant eyes staring back, unlucky spot tarmac jam.

Skies open, hail then rain.
Road dust turns to mud.

Unannounced vertical speed humps before every light display.
Red means stop, red means go gringo, go!

Ride tall, own the road, lunge for that gap and keep it.
Squeezed against the barrier, foot off peg ready to fend.

Metre deep potholes unannounced deposited from the belching belly ahead.
ABS earns its keep.

Used nappy flung from window in front, keep that visor down.
Light at the end of the tunnel, the road out of town.

Brain fried from hazard overload.
Welcome to La Paz, mind how you go.