Advertisement
Published: December 31st 2013
Edit Blog Post
It will be a life threatening event to ever go and participate in Dutch traffic again. My fright reaction has fallen behind in comparison to my brothers and sisters in evolution anyway (or actually, it has over-evolved: it can only be evoked by acute life danger that´s directly visible), but after two weeks in Quito, I´ve also become honk-immune. One has to be, or else you´d need tranquilizers every time you go out on the street.
So by now I´ve learned the basics of the Ecuadorian honk language and I´d like to share my new knowledge with people in countries where you pay 130 euros if you honk when there´s no direct danger. I have to admit though: there´s always direct danger here, so maybe it´s not as mad as it seems 😊.
Here are the interpretations that I´ve discovered so far: ¨Honk honk…
• I´m going right.
• I´m going left.
• I´m going straight on.
• Oh no, I´m not.
• Cool shoes!
• This cab is free.
• This cab isn´t free, but I did see you.
• My favorite song is playing now!
• Hi.
• I´m going to pass (preferably on the right side)
• I´ve got my head in the glovebox.
• I like your car!
• I´m going to change lanes.
• I´m staying on this lane, so you can change.
• Oh no, I´m not, so you can´t.
• My team just scored.
• We´re the police.
• I can´t see if any vehicle´s approaching, but I won´t brake: I honked.
• La la la... honk honk.
• The traffic light´s green! (to be used for distances up to 500m, regardless the number of cars between you and the traffic light.)
• Red traffic light but I´m driving through anyway.
• Hey, I haven´t honked for two minutes!
• It´s monday.
• My flashers don´t work.
• Fietfiew!
• You can cross.
• You could cross, but I won´t stop.
• I sell bottles with gas.
• Gringas! (Foreigners!)
• With mayonnaise and some extra rice, please.
• I´m stuck in a traffic jam
• Idiot!
• Sorry (highly exceptional)
Did you like this story? There is a button with ¨follow¨ 😉 for if you want to know when I post the next one! This blog is part of my project imagine all the people. For this project, I´ll work in different countries for 2,5 years as a volunteer and I write a little story about my experiences now and then. That way I want to get people in touch with eachother, to make them curious and to open their views so they will become more aware of their own position in this world. Through different media I´ll try to achieve the goals of the project: making the world a little bit better and inspire others to do the same in their own way. If you want to know more about the project (what I'm doing exactly, why and how), check out the website http://tinkywong.webnode.nl/, or you can find me (Nelleke Reckers) and/or my project on facebook: check (and like :P) Project Imagine all the people on facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Imagine-all-the-people/210147532462086 Any suggestions, comments, tips and tricks are always welcome :D Thanks for stepping by!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.088s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 11; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0452s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb