I took the "Airport Express #4" to the train station and I know why they call it express. Our driver never really came to a complete stop the whole 45 minutes. He did kinda slow down once, but that was b/c there was a toll to pay. There are a lot of toll roads here. I was seriously sure we were going to kill someone. Or a lot of someones. For one thing, I'm not used to being on the wrong side of the road (not on purpose, anyway), and it just seemed . . . . wrong. For another, everyone rides scooters or motorbikes. And they ride 'em as if it's the last thing they'll ever do. Little school girls in their little school girl skirts and Mary Janes perched sideways on the back of the bike as the driver rips through traffic, dodging buses and using the sidewalk as a passing lane.
And you know what? I didn't see a single accident. Not one ambulance, not one cop. Go figure.
I could not believe the things I saw out the window. Apparently people can live wherever they can stretch a tarp. Literally. What we call homeless encampments, they call neighborhoods. It's incredible. Even in the middle of a field -- bam! -- a shanty town. Little kids running around naked, old women sweeping the middle of a busy soi (street), the motorbikes dodging her without a second glance.
And speaking of fields, people who own lots can run a dump there. No city ordinances, no regulations. Pull up with your trash, haggle over the fee, and back 'er up! There are a lot of these fields. Makes Oakland look like Blackhawk.
I'm not bashing on the place, it's just different. I'm describing to you what I saw and trying to be objective. It is what it is, right?
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