Don’t fall in that hole!

I came upon an interesting difference between the USA and Ecuador (and other countries for that matter). Taking a nice stroll through town this morning, we came across some construction areas. The first was on the corner of the street we live on and Main Street. A very busy intersection, just across the street from an outdoor market. There is a lot of foot traffic and pedestrians here. Right on the corner, in the middle of the sidewalk is a hole. It’s about 18” square and 2 feet deep. Around it there are no signs, no barriers, no orange cones, nothing to indicate the hole is there. And you know what? Nobody falls in it. Really, nobody is dumb enough to fall in that hole.

And it’s not just that hole. There are many other construction holes up and down the sidewalk. Some of them are bigger, some of them are smaller. None of them are marked with a safety cone, barrier, flashing light, or anything else. They don’t need to be marked. It’s a hole, and common sense says don’t fall in it.

Life is simpler here in some ways, but also more dangerous. Just don’t fall in that hole!