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Transcaribe for Cartagena

Interesting short article:

Construction of "Transcaribe", one of the major investments in regional infrastructure has just started: Within 2 years Cartagena will count on the most modern public transport system. This change might cause a very special profession to disappear: The "Sparring".

Though the Costeños are fanatics about boxing, the word "Sparring" in Cartagena is used in a different sense: The "Sparring" is the personal assistant to the bus driver. His main tasks are to collect the fare and defend the driver. He helps older ladies -as well as younger ladies- to get in or out of the bus. As Cartagena's buses are in a permanent race against the clock the Sparring has to run several blocks ahead to get the time card stamped even before the bus arrives at the control point. He delivers bribes to and has to lie to the drivers wife about the girl alway sitting on the front seat as well as about the exact hour of the last tour. (When he gets older he wants to become a driver, too.) The Sparring is in a permanet move, jumps on and off the bus, stops traffic and -not to forget the "verbal sparring"- announces the destination. He also shouts the comands "Aguanta" (Stop) and "Dale" (Go).

LINK:

http://portal.caribenet.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=62

By NewBoy on Dec 9, 2005, 07:46 in Friendly Talkzone.

kernow62 says on Dec 9, 2005, 12:15:

Thanks for sharing, it is a very nice article.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

NewBoy says on Dec 9, 2005, 12:25:

kernow62 I first heard about the Transcaribe, several months ago, but I have yet to see an article in English about it, apart from the above.

0 funny, 0 helpful.