traffic woes.

My documentation of our life here would not be complete if I didn't mention the TRAFFIC. It would be a huge omission of Freetown. :) Plus, its just part of life here. And since a big chunk of our day is spent in the car because of this, I thought I'd dedicate a post exclusively on it.

I have concluded that there are four main contributing factors :)...

Number One. The narrow streets and pot-filled roads. After living here, I am that much more appreciated of our excellent Oregon roads. I have vowed never again to curse road construction. :) The streets are two-laned(one lane each direction). Its unbelievable, and sometimes nerve-wracking, how cars can squeeze around each other in such small spaces! During the rush hours of the morning and evening, the two-laned streets make for a very long and slow drive. The drive to town can take up to two or three hours!! Add an accident or broken down vehicle... there is no such thing as a towing agency, so if a vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road both directions go around it. Not to mention if cars are parked on the side of the narrow road. Driving is tricky! I'm so glad I'm not driving :)



Number Two. People. Freetown is a mini New York City in terms of its number of people! It is incredibly concentrated. People walk/run/dodge around or in front of your car everywhere. Of course there are no sidewalks. But its how the city ticks. You just drive through the crowd, honking your way through. And this is normal. Granted, for the most part, people drive slower here. You just never know when an oncoming car is going to come your way, or when a pedestrian will decide to cross the road. I'm amazed that there aren't more accidents or fatalities.





Number Three. Public transportation. The poda podas (taxi vans) and taxi cars stop at anytime in the middle of the road to pick up people. No, they do not pull over. They simply stop, pick up the person, and go on. It is the most frustrating thing when you are behind them. There is no warning. And you are just expected to drive right around them.



Number Four. Street vendors/markets. The streets are lined with vendors. I love these (in fact, I'm going to write a separate post about them), but they contribute to the traffic because if you see something you want, you stop in the middle of the road and purchase it real quick. :)

All this to say, the drive is certainly not boring! There is lots to see. :) You just have to laugh. And that's what we do. We plan our appointments around the rush hours or factor in the drive time, and try our best to avoid it whenever possible.
Thank God for air-conditioned vehicles! :)