The Sunday press here in the UK have all been leading with the tragic news of five young Britons who were killed in a horrific bus crash in Ecuador. Five young gap-year students all on the so-called 'trip of a lifetime'.
It is quite stereotypical to paint Latin America as some dark continent with unknown dangers at every turn. It some ways it's true and I for one am surprised as to how my own parents were seemingly so calm in letting head off into the Latin American hinterland at the mere age of 17.
But what must the parents of those 5 young Britons being going through right now? The morning phone-in on BBC Radio 5 Live this morning followed up on the tragedy talking and it seems this particular has incident has touched upon a particular nerve. How meaningless for such young people to die in such a meaningless way.
Yes there are inherent dangers to travelling in Latin America. Thankfully I've 'only' experienced a single mugging (La Boca, Buenos Aires) plus a series of pick-pocket episodes. Honestly though it's travelling on the roads that is the single most dangerous thing anyone can do whilst traversing the Latin American continent. Dodgy buses, overtired/intoxicated drivers, bad roads, perilous mountain tracks and a general reckless attitude to driving all make road accidents probably the number one cause of accidental deaths.
My Bolivian host-Dad once gave me a sound piece of advice when taking buses. Always take a seat on the right-hand side of the bus and preferably as far back in the bus as possible. Bus collisions almost always affect those at the front and those situated on the left-hand side (i.e. the side facing the traffic). Look at the graphic images of the bus crash in Ecuador and you'll see his point.
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