More Roadside Views

Here's some more of the quick grabs I got while waiting in traffic from yesterday's post.




Of course, this one is especially interesting to me because as a foreigner my doctor told me never, never, NEVER eat food from the street vendors! (He also told me not to have sex with the natives, but was about 5 years late in telling me so!) Street food looks yummy and smells better than what you'll find anywhere else. What a shame....



And here's a shot of all that traffic I spoke of:



An interesting thing I've noticed here is that the lines on the pavement are really just there as ornamental suggestions to the drivers. You know, sort of saying to them, "We'd like to think of this as a 4-lane highway, but feel free to occupy 2 or more lanes at your discretion, Mr. Bus Driver and for an indefinite period of time until you've managed to coax as many would-be riders into your vehicle as you see fit." Also, "Pay no attention to the line of 47 other buses and jeepneys honking their horns behind you or the other automobiles stuck all around you like flies on flypaper. Do remember only to pull away once there are pedestrians in front of your vehicle, and drive however quickly or slowly you like, applying your brake with full-force as often as possible. Everyone enjoys the billowing black clouds of smoke your exhaust gives off. It adds a nice touch to the dull gray sky it has already created over Manila. But hey, I'm just a road. What else do I have to do besides look at the undersides of cars and trucks all day? The smog is like my sunglasses, man."