Garbage collectors or Olympic track stars?

The garbage collectors here are AWESOME; they are truly a sight to behold. Here in Santos, for the most part, the trucks keep moving down the street as the guys run, FAST, weaving in and out of the sides of the street and throwing the bags in the back of the truck as they sprint around and up and over to pick up the next bag. The fellas that I have witnessed seem to have great pride in what they do, yell Bom Dia! as they run by, and are in SERIOUSLY great shape.

This clip was taken in a different part of Brazil (not sure where), and it really doesn't do justice to show how fast they run around here, but it gives you an idea.





This clip is a segment from a TV show, and if this isn't Santos, it's someplace that looks EXACTLY like it! Although the guy reporting isn't really a garbage collector (at least I don't think so), I've seen guys just like him running past me. The clip is long, but it gives you an idea of what Santos looks like, at least from a garbage truck perspective. And even if you don't speak Portuguese, it gives you a good idea of the fun personalities around here. They don't show much sprinting in this clip, but if you fast forward to 1:40 you'll see a bit of action.



And if you watch the whole thing, don't mind the large fluorescent light bulbs being thrown in the back of the truck. I guess they don't have hazardous waste collection spots here... yet.