The Brazilian Ambulance Chasers

I have dance class on Fridays. I get to learn Samba, which is really really hard, Salsa, Bechata, Forro, and all other kinds of things. It is a really fun class, and very sweaty. Well this past Friday my husband was working from home so he let me take the car. Not one of his better decisions, but we will not tell him that. I don't have to go very far, maybe 15 kilometers, about 9 miles. But it took me forever.

I left my house at 9 am. By 9:30 I was on the south going lane of the highway, and I could see my house. I was literally right across the street. The traffic was miserable! I turned on the radio to give me something to listen to. Ah and what came on? The traffic report. Now Sao Paulo does something interesting with the traffic report. They list the amount of congestion in kilometers around the city. On Friday the traffic congestion was 100 kilometers. Yes! 60 miles of traffic in the city! Holy cow I was never getting to dance class! Well I could not pull off, turn around, get to an exit. I was stuck right in the middle of 60 miles of bumper to bumper. Well, I guess I will wait.

As I was sitting there, inching along, a police SUV comes blaring down the highway. This was the Policia Militar, the black cars that you do not mess with. I mean, last week one went past us on the highway with its windows rolled down and the cop in the passenger seat had his pistol in his hand on the open window panel. Yeah, you don't mess with these guys. But right behind him, a little Ford Fiesta was taking advantage of the hole the cop car made, following right along behind. And behind the Fiesta was a few motorcycles. Brave boys. But what impressed me most was that the Fiesta was keeping up. Then about 5 minutes later an ambulance comes screaming along. Makes another hole in between two lanes, since there is no place to pull over for the emergency vehicles, and continues on. But right behind the ambulance? At least 50 motorcycles.

Gives me a new meaning to the term Ambulance Chaser.

PS: I actually did make it to class on time. After 3 kilometers down the road, everything opened up. Took me a half hour to go 2 KM, and a half hour to go the other 13.