Driving in Guayaquil

Driving in Guayaquil appears chaotic, but there is some order if you pay attention. Two accepted driving conventions are the “Double Left Turn” and “The Wedge” (the terminology is from Mike’s unwritten book of driving in Guayaquil). In the Double Left Turn, two lanes of cars squeeze into one left-turn lane. Hopefully, but not always, the car in the left side of the turn lane wants to make a U-turn, and will turn into the center lane. The car on the right side of the turn lane can either make a U-turn into a right-hand lane, or they can make a left turn onto the crossroad. See the example in the photo below. Mike and I are in the left turn lane, and the car on the right also wants to make a left turn. In this case, we were not going to make a U-turn, so the fastest, biggest, most aggressive car wins.

The Wedge is what you have to do when 2 to 6 lanes of traffic want to all merge into one lane. You just gradually wedge your way between the other vehicles, hold your line, and don’t make any eye contact. The main rules to remember are that the busses always win, and the driver with the really banged up car doesn’t care if he gets another dent. In the photos below, you can see how The Wedge works.

The little black car in front of us, the bus on the right, and the white truck up ahead all want to get in the same lane.

So do a lot of other cars!

The hand waggle (see the passenger in the truck) out the window means, "let me in."

And we're right behind!

If you have ever been to the demolition derby, driving in Guayaquil is pretty much the same thing. Most of the cars on the road have dents and scrapes on all sides, and the bumpers are falling off. If you get in an accident and your car still runs, you just drive off.