Travel Journal

I have grown quite fond of the little horse drawn wagons that frequent our cobbled roads in our neighborhood. Usually in the morning between 10 and 11. To me it looks like they are recycling things people leave out on the curb meant as trash.
Also, browsing the curbs are the Cartoneros. At night and very early in the morning the cartonerous rummage through the bags of trash. In Buenos Aires center, they do not use trash cans or pick up days. Whenever there is trash, it is placed outside on the curb and somehow miraculously in the morning it is gone. After the cartonerous get finished with their rummage, trash is then blown around and stepped on til it reaches the gutter. Then comes the gutter cleaners. Daily, gutter cleaners can be seen in their bright green vests, with broom and shovel to clear the gutters and clean the gutters with the water that everyone is washing the sidewalks in front of thieir houses.
Only from observation, the rule must be that the sidewalks in front of your house is not the city's responsibility, buy your own to keep clean and repaired. That being said, in our neighborhood there are so many tiles missing, holes and broken pallets placed over these obstacles that it is no wonder there are so many people walking around with arm slings and foot casts....they fall.
A common occurance, falling. I personally know of 4 people including myself, 2 of which are fit, that have taken notable falls on the sidewalk. My swift move was in a crosswalk of a very busy street. I can still recall the gasps of the other walkers alongside me. This fall was much more painful than the fall I took last summer over the handlebars of my mountain bike going downhill out Trail Creek. I really couldn't be embarrassed as I knew no one near and besides it hurt so bad. I would much rather step in the plentiful doggy doo doo. devra