Sometimes a cowboy is better off with a mule...
A couple of electricians came to do some work on our place in Guayaquil. These guys were pros; they came on a motorcycle instead of the bus.
Their gear was packed neatly in a custom aluminum tool box on the back of the bike, with a ladder rack, safety harnesses, and a cable holder.
They traveled two to the bike, and said they could carry as much as "two satchels" of tools and parts.
Satchels are a common measurement here—fluid, like the culture—it means different amounts and weights at different times.
I love these work-bikes, and wonder why some contractors in places like New York City don't adopt the quick, traffic-worthy vehicles in lieu of the clunky oversized cowboy trucks and vans.
— Fernando Pagés Ruiz is ProTradeCraft's Latin America Editor. He is currently building a business in Ecuador and a house in Mexico. Formerly, he was a builder in the Great Plains and mountain states. He is author of Building an Affordable House and Affordable Remodel (Taunton Press).
