We hear about them all of the time. The most recent being, don’t go to Mexico, because they might serve you poisonous alcohol.
I have two large maps on my wall, facing me now. One is a world map. The other is of the United States. I like to be geographically aware. Whether I’m reading a story or listening to the state of world politics on the television, I like to see the placement of countries. Do you have any idea how big Russia is?
I dream of world travel. But one has to be concerned, with war in the East, and the drug cartels in South America. And there have been heads, literally rolling, at Mexican border towns. Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and the Congo sound terrifying in their pronunciation alone. Words loom of death and darkness in every corner.
We all know that the water anywhere other than the U.S. can make you ill; and the vegetables are suspect as well. NEVER use a towel in India to dry your hands.
All of that having been said, yesterday, I took a trip to a park, less than fifty miles from my home. To get there, I cross a waterway, on a ferry. Traveling down scenic A1A, the highway that skirts the coast of Florida, a car passed my husband and myself, barreling head on, into the oncoming traffic. There were three cars heading in the other direction and he had no room to pass. We had to leave the road to avoid disaster. The driver, of the car, targeted by this recklessness, had the look of, “OMG” this is it!
By us leaving the road, we avoided the imminent crash.
We made it to the ferry and guess what? The driver of the errant vehicle was right next to us.
Behind the wheel, was an old and fragile man. He had no look of worry as he fiddled with his briefcase and what looked like electronics. My thought was, this man is too old to be driving.
I stepped out of the car and walked over to him. I asked if he had seen the oncoming traffic, when he passed us like he did. In a caustic voice, he told me had to get his wife to an appointment, at the Mayo Clinic.
For that reason, he felt entitled to transform his car into a weapon of death and destruction. And as additional information, he did not have to ride on the ferry, as there is an alternative, more express route.
So, my question is, do I really need to be scared of travel to other countries?
This arrogant, smug, entitled, pompous, ill equipped driver, was willing to risk killing all of the passengers in five vehicles, over a ferry ride and a doctor’s appointment.
It’s something to think about. I believe this behavior is typical of many people that I share the highway with.
After arriving at the ferry, we had a fifteen minute wait.
Fish Eye Farm 