Neighbor’s gardener is here. I note with respect the safety precaution he has taken, seeing as the original lenses from his trailer’s tail lights are long gone, and it’s a good bet the lights don’t work anyway.

No, I’m serious. It wasn’t that many months ago that I was able to avoid – with perhaps two seconds’ notice – slamming into the back of a motorbike with no tail lights and no reflectors. This was on the main highway to Punta del Este, on a pitch black and rainy night. In general, people here – on the road or casually blocking an aisle or only exit from the supermarket – display a stunning lack of situational awareness.

But perhaps I could say that anywhere.