When Sidewalks Become an Obstacle Course

Determined to be fit for the Inca Trail hike without hitting the gym, I’ve no recourse but to walk within the area where I live, in a place where urban planning is unheard of and pedestrians proceed at their own risk. With sidewalks that are more like an obstacle course, the 30-minute walk from my house to the nearby mall becomes a test of alertness and survival. Unmindful of traffic rules and the very fact that sidewalks are for people, motorbikes come roaring straight at me, and I can’t but move aside and graciously let them pass by. In some areas where erstwhile sidewalks have been transformed into private parking lots the only choice is to walk along the edge of the pavement, on the curb near the gutter or, in many cases, in the middle of the street itself where vehicles whoosh by me as if I were a mere lamppost.