-^-for posterity-^-

traffic here is culturally controlled chaos.

about 99% of all traffic is either bicycles or motorcycles. there is the odd car thrown in but traffic simply would not work if there were more cars involved. everything is much more convenient on a motorcycle.

when attempting to turn left, for example, one will be confronted with a mass of vehicles coming in the opposite direction. this mass of vehicles will be manned by people who have serious looks on their face and hair twirling in all directions. in order to move through this sea of humans on motorized vehicles, one must blow their horn incessantly. one also must guide your motorcycle into on-coming traffic ever so gently. no sporadic movement is allowed. everything must be smooth as silk. with your motorcycle pointed towards traffic, you then have to make your way through the stream that is coming towards you. there will, on a busy street, be a solid mass of traffic about six motorcycle's thick. one must negotiate each row of motorcycles separately.

first there is the outside line. these are the people who drive the fastest and one must be wary. you nudge your bike towards them and they eventually give in and swerve around you. you're now on the next lane of traffic. they are the professionals who drive quickly, but not too fast. they're normally the easiest to negotiate with and will quickly give you room. then there's the row of traffic mostly occupied by students riding older motorcycles. they're also not much of a problem. the fourth row is made up of older people and they're a bit more dangerous. one must be very careful and make sure that they make eye contact with you before you intrude on their territory. the last two rows are bicycles and odds and ends. they're not too hard, but make sure to watch out for bicycles hauling trailers full of goods. they have no way of stopping and there's nothing like getting hit by a half a ton of carrots traveling at 10 miles an hour to make you feel
vulnerable.

you have turned. congratulations. you have, hopefully, not run into anyone. it's really quite amazing that a mass of probably about 50 people will end up swerving around you.

then there's round-a-bouts. since it's all about merging, when one approaches a round-a-bout, one must remember to look like they're in a hurry. no one really pays attention to anyone else unless they look like they're trying to go somewhere important. approach the round-a-bout with a bit of aggression.

two masses of traffic converge at a round-a-bout. parts of one mass want to turn and others want to go straight. parts of the other mass want to turn and others want to keep going too. first you must negotiate within your own mass for positioning. if you want to go straight, you must swerve to avoid all those turning. if you want to turn after the round-a-bout, you must get the inside lane for efficiency. once you have negotiated within your own mass, you are now free to negotiate with the other mass.

if there is someone who is in a hurry, you must let them pass. normally these are young people or professionals. if no one is in a hurry, you must look at the quantity of motorcycles heading in your direction. if they outnumber your team, you must wait. if you outnumber them, however, you're free to proceed. everything happens and people swerve, brake and blow their horns. no one wears an expression unless an accident or a near accident happens.

if a near accident happens, both parties are supposed to smile. the first time i experienced this, i was truly frustrated. i remember clearly, it was a balmy day a few months ago and i met an old lady at a round-a-bout. she swerved in front of me even though i clearly had the go ahead (clearly here means clearly in my opinion and surely not in her's). she swerved in front of me and we both stopped abruptly. she looked at me, smiled and my face must have conveyed nothing but frustration.

something has changed inside of me. just today i was going around a round-a-bout heading off to meet a friend for coffee. i was met by a girl heading towards me. i thought i had the right a way and she thought she did. she swerved out, i swerved out. she swerved in, i swerved in. we eventually met in the middle after stopping inches from one another. i looked up at her and gave her a huge smile and she smiled back. i drove away shocked at how another culture can truly change you in so many ways.