hello mercurochrome…

‘So,’ asked my friend of our driver, ‘what is the speed limit on these roads?’

Sugi was silent.

‘I mean,’ she explained, ‘how fast are you allowed to drive?’

‘Aaaah,’ he said, ‘I didn’t bother to learn that bit.’

Speed limits, it appears, are indication only. As are pedestrian crossings, the legal number of people on a motor bike (one driver told me 5, another said 4, one said the whole family), the wearing of helmets (compulsory for adults, not so for children) and lane divides (a 2 lane road has room for at least 3 vehicles side by side….and a bike or three).

We have seen whole families on the backs of bikes, with children sandwiched in between their parents. We have seen household contents being moved via bikes and some very close calls.

And it’s no wonder- the traffic is phenomenally horrendous. So bad I could easily run out of adjectives. But somehow, there is some sort of order in the chaos.

We have also learned the universal language of the horn:

One short beep: excuse me or I’m coming through

Two short beeps: sorry

One long beep: seriously?

One extended beep: well, you can probably figure that one out!