Traffic Signs are Just Street Decorations

Imagine joining a road rally with a couple of million half-crazed motorists driving through a twisted maze of narrow city streets. Then the rules change. Everyone decides, just for fun, let's all play "chicken." Lane markers are only suggestions. All of the car windows are dark, so you can't tell who just cut you off. Now, throw in hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists weaving at breakneck speed between the bumper-to-bumper traffic. (I am pretty sure that the majority of these helmet-less cyclists have secret death wishes.) Huge smoke-belching trucks and colorful, overly-crowded buses bully their way into already-congested lanes. Add to this scene street vendors, window washers, and pedestrians dodging between the cars.

Hard to imagine? Well, welcome to the daily commute in Guatemala City.