The speed of things
Walking home from the train station I noticed how fast everyone was walking – way faster than me and I always thought I moved quickly. Then I remembered being somewhere where people did the opposite, walked really slowly, so slowly that I had to slow myself down to fit in and not feel like I was rudely rushing through the city. I thought – where was that? Then I remembered – Rio de Janeiro, specifically. South America in general.
No-one rushes in South American cities, it’s a totally different feel to New York, London or even Dublin. In Rio people saunter through the streets, they stroll along and slowly parade along the beach fronts, to see and be seen. Buenos Aires is the same, no-one rushes, buses come when they come so no-one panics. You get to work a different time each day. In some places in Chile there aren’t even bus-stops, you just hail the bus where you are. Life moves at a totally different pace. Which is better? Hard to say.
The thing that I always notice is when people land in airports and everyone takes off at breakneck speed rushing to the baggage hall, only to have to wait ages for the bags to come out. I find myself doing it too, but try to slow it down!
There is rarely any point in rushing in airports – you have to leave plenty of time for everything!!
My first inclination is to say that the South American way is better, but then I wondered how I would take an “I’ll get there when I get there” approach if I was the one sat waiting!