There they were just a'walking down the Street

Okay, before I begin my spiel, musing, rant, or whatever you might want to call my snippets I want everyone to note three things about this picture (yeah, I know... only three??!!): Number 1. There's noone in this picture. Number 2. The cars are parked in both directions. Number 3. Look how freakin' narrow this street is!!

This is a typical sort of street/alley. These are in every direction from the hogwan and lead to the broader boulevards where all the businesses are. Number one is of special note because it never happens. I took a picture of this street with noone on it because it is akin to taking a picture of Bigfoot--Not the truck. This was taken on an early Sunday morning, which is the quietest and possibly only quiet time of the week. Normally this alley would be flooded with children by day and stumbling drunk businessmen by night. I will delve deeper into the aspect of children roaming the streets in a future installment, but for now I wanted to give the idea that people walk around on these streets constantly.

Now note number two. What could one surmise from the fact that the cars are parked in both directions? Anyone who guessed that this is a two-way street is either perceptive or a college gargiguate like myself. Yes, cars go both ways on this street. How does this work you ask? I really can't explain--it defies physics. Thankfully, American influence is rubbing off and there is a movement towards bigger cars here, which should only help the traffic flow on streets like this. Also in the mix are the incredibly brave scooter and motorcycle drivers, who zip along these avenues in a manner that would make Eval Kineval say: "Damn. Those cats are insane."

Finally (mercifully), we go to point number three, which was sort of covered in point two. Mentally picture point one (tons of people--mostly children) and mix it together with point two (two-way traffic and maniacal scooter drivers) and add the fact that this street is about fifteen feet wide and what do you get? In the words of the Crocodile Hunter: "Danger, danger, danger." You would think the pedestrians would be really cautious, but in fact they don't even notice the cars. They obliviously walk in the middle of the street in front of traffic and the drivers just honk their horns and zoom right around them. And I used to think U. City was bad. (Mom may be the only one who gets that joke, but oh well. Here's to you.)