littlewoodenman

Queasy Rider Posted 2007.11.02 by Matthew with 3 comments

Last night I went out with some of the Olancho Aid volunteers (Colleen, Jessica and Brendan) to the carnival which sets up in Juticalpa once a year. It’s not something I’d ever thought I’d try (”Amusement rides in a third world country, you say? Sure, sign me up!”) but the carnival rides sure are fun.

There’s a distinct lack of any safety standards like we’d be used to in Canada, but for me, at least, that was part of the fun!

The ferris wheel, for example, was certainly not the biggest in the world (maybe 4 storeys high or so) but it was fast. This was definitely not one of those slow, peaceful North American affairs. Brendan was the one who noticed the whole contraption was attached to a truck engine, and the operator was revving it accordingly. Adding to the playful atmosphere were the carnies who’d grab a moving gondola at ground level and hang from the outside of it while rocking it back and forth.

They have all the rides you’d expect—they’re just a little creaky and maybe 30 years too old—and rides cost about 75 cents a pop. We tried the Zipper, the Roundup (which left me and Jessica feeling a little woozy) and the Pirate. Colleen was content to just watch us on most of the rides, but she tried the Pirate, despite her vocal concerns that the lap-bar didn’t stay down on its own. Well, it was either sit down or—and I’m not kidding—try standing up in the cage welded in the centre of the ship. I think Colleen made the right choice. (And I wish I had tried the cage!)

For me, the best attraction by far are the bumper cars. They are seriously fast little buggers. Normally, you putt around in a Canadian bumper car, and you have throw your weight into it to really bump somebody good.

A Honduran bumper car, however, needs a speedometer installed. I’m not kidding. I swear they can go as fast as 20km/h. They don’t bump, they crash. Today I have welts on my shins, because every time I got bumped I bounced up out of my seat and my legs crashed against the dashboard. One guy slammed me so hard he knocked my hat off and my car cleared the 4-inch curb around the track, where it promptly got stuck like a beached whale. It was really awesome.

So, the next time you find yourself in Honduras and the carnival comes to town, enjoy. And maybe bring a helmet.