The real answer to the age old question! I saw it in action, and now I know.....
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because she was just standing by the curb with her chick, pecking at some rice, minding her own business, when an indonesian motorcycle came barreling at her, and she had to make the decision fast or get flattened, and wound up on the wrong side, so how else is she supposed to get back over?
I actually saw this happen yesterday on my way home! The hen and chick panicked, and got the heck out of the way. But the chick broke right, while the hen broke left. The hen made it to the far side of the road, and (in the most charismatic chicken way I've ever seen) straightened her feathers, took the chicken equivalent of a deep breath, and then realized the chick was on the wrong side of the road. I swear I SAW the hen think to her self "oh, heck. Now I've got to cross back over" and then look to the right to check for traffic!....... Aaaaand then I nearly fell off my bike laughing.
This is 100% true.
I've learned a few things about driving in Bali, and they crack me up.
1. Honking is not rude. Instead of the "holly crap get out of the way!" that a honk means in the states, a honk here means "Hi. I just wanted to let you know, I'm here! And I'm considering passing you. fyi." This is much like the sonic driving in India, where people just honk continuously as a means of general location, like bats, but here it's less unendingly loud. Once you get over the conditioned American response to a horn, the driving experience gets much calmer.
2. Similarly, if a person is barreling down a major road, headed straight toward you in your lane, in the US it would mean "I'm a crazy psycho killer/being chased by cops/drunk" and the proper response is to panic and get out of the way. Here in Bali, the sentiment is more like "What? My lane was full, and you're not using all of yours." And again, once you realize this, driving gets easier.
3. Really, it's best if you just give up the concept of "your lane" all together. Lanes are neither definied, nor really belong to anyone. The lanes constantly shift, depending on the requirements. In this way, traffic moves more smoothly. More people trying to travel, or traveling at different speeds? Just create more lanes! I actually think this means that everyone is a better driver. YOu have to pay attention, but in turn, you know everyone else has to as well. And they do. Need a turning or passing lane? Either signal or honk (see #1) and the seas will part for you. No one is texting on their scooter. It's not physically possible. Everyone is entirely responsible for their own survival. There is no "small accident" on a scooter at 35 mph, so your taking your life in your hands. It's very Libertarian this way.
4. Actually it reminds me a lot of bike and build Everyone is driving the way cyclists ride. Even the cars. You move around each other the same way. You're allowed to bob and weave around potholes and chickens, and people of different speeds glide smoothly past each other. The goal is to keep everyone moving, becuase coming to a standstill on a bike is just as inconvenient as stopping and unclipping from your pedals. In fact you can see a lot of people balancing their nearly stationary bikes in traffic, exactly like road bikers track-standing at a red light.
5. Dogs, cats and, yes, chickens learn the rules of the road really fast. They have to.
Ok, that's my driving post. Now I'm off to get myself home and go to another lesson in Bahasa Indonesia! I'm learning in bits and pieces, but as they say : "sedikit, sedikit, menjadi bukit!" or "little by little builds a hill!"
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because she was just standing by the curb with her chick, pecking at some rice, minding her own business, when an indonesian motorcycle came barreling at her, and she had to make the decision fast or get flattened, and wound up on the wrong side, so how else is she supposed to get back over?
I actually saw this happen yesterday on my way home! The hen and chick panicked, and got the heck out of the way. But the chick broke right, while the hen broke left. The hen made it to the far side of the road, and (in the most charismatic chicken way I've ever seen) straightened her feathers, took the chicken equivalent of a deep breath, and then realized the chick was on the wrong side of the road. I swear I SAW the hen think to her self "oh, heck. Now I've got to cross back over" and then look to the right to check for traffic!....... Aaaaand then I nearly fell off my bike laughing.
This is 100% true.
I've learned a few things about driving in Bali, and they crack me up.
1. Honking is not rude. Instead of the "holly crap get out of the way!" that a honk means in the states, a honk here means "Hi. I just wanted to let you know, I'm here! And I'm considering passing you. fyi." This is much like the sonic driving in India, where people just honk continuously as a means of general location, like bats, but here it's less unendingly loud. Once you get over the conditioned American response to a horn, the driving experience gets much calmer.
2. Similarly, if a person is barreling down a major road, headed straight toward you in your lane, in the US it would mean "I'm a crazy psycho killer/being chased by cops/drunk" and the proper response is to panic and get out of the way. Here in Bali, the sentiment is more like "What? My lane was full, and you're not using all of yours." And again, once you realize this, driving gets easier.
3. Really, it's best if you just give up the concept of "your lane" all together. Lanes are neither definied, nor really belong to anyone. The lanes constantly shift, depending on the requirements. In this way, traffic moves more smoothly. More people trying to travel, or traveling at different speeds? Just create more lanes! I actually think this means that everyone is a better driver. YOu have to pay attention, but in turn, you know everyone else has to as well. And they do. Need a turning or passing lane? Either signal or honk (see #1) and the seas will part for you. No one is texting on their scooter. It's not physically possible. Everyone is entirely responsible for their own survival. There is no "small accident" on a scooter at 35 mph, so your taking your life in your hands. It's very Libertarian this way.
4. Actually it reminds me a lot of bike and build Everyone is driving the way cyclists ride. Even the cars. You move around each other the same way. You're allowed to bob and weave around potholes and chickens, and people of different speeds glide smoothly past each other. The goal is to keep everyone moving, becuase coming to a standstill on a bike is just as inconvenient as stopping and unclipping from your pedals. In fact you can see a lot of people balancing their nearly stationary bikes in traffic, exactly like road bikers track-standing at a red light.
5. Dogs, cats and, yes, chickens learn the rules of the road really fast. They have to.
Ok, that's my driving post. Now I'm off to get myself home and go to another lesson in Bahasa Indonesia! I'm learning in bits and pieces, but as they say : "sedikit, sedikit, menjadi bukit!" or "little by little builds a hill!"
1 comment:
you are going to be so messed up when you get back to the states
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