They say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’… this is very true… because I am kicking myself for leaving my camera at home and I’m going to try my best to keep this post under a thousand words (but no promises).
In general, getting around Islamabad is quite the adventure. Drivers tend to weave from lane to lane with total disregard for other vehicles… the concept of ‘maintaining lane’ is completely lost since many drivers will center themselves on a lane line for kilometers at a time leaving you to guess which lane they intend to use… And I’ve actually heard people describe lane lines as an aesthetic to make Islamabad appear beautiful rather than serving an actual function.
Drivers will often ignore traffic signals… ignore right of ways… and when merging with traffic, they do so without matching the speed of said traffic (often times cutting you off at a high rate of speed and once they have overtaken the lane slow down to a crawl… for what reason, I haven’t the foggiest).
Couple this with the fact that people will simple stop and park in middle of a busy street… or the pedestrians who gingerly cross streets that resemble interstate highways without regard for their own lives… or the other pedestrians who walk three abreast on a busy road rather than walking on sidewalks or in the grass… or even the bicycles who weave in and out of traffic without an ounce of control or a care in the world (I’ve actually seen a man on a bicycle hit a parked car dead on).
Then there are the motorcycles… and there are a ton of them. They drive as erratically as the bicycles and with the speed of the automobiles. And the amazing thing about the motorcycles is how many people you’ll see pilled on. Sure, it’s common place to see two people on a motorcycle anywhere in the world… but so far, the record I’ve seen here is seven. That’s right. Seven people on one motorcycle. An entire family. Three children in the front, between the handle bars and their father, who was driving, followed by the mother sitting side saddle while holding two small children. That’s right… let me slow it down for you: Side Saddle… Holding… TWO… Small Children. I wish I had a picture.
All the women ride motorcycles side saddle over here, which is very nerve wrecking while in traffic…and I wish I was lying, but holding babies and toddlers on motorcycles while sitting side saddle on a motorcycle is common place. It’s crazy. I have no idea how they stay on.
No one is strapped in and no one is wearing a helmet.
And you might think this picture is the one that’s worth a thousand words… well it’s not. It’s the fact that I recently saw a similar family outing on a motorcycle… their NEW motorcycle. How do I know it was their NEW motorcycle?
Well… they still had the bubble wrap on their side view mirrors… rendering them completely useless… as they weaved, as a family, carelessly through Islamabad traffic… without an ounce of control or a care in the world.
When I drive through the streets of Islamabad, I spend most of my time recounting my CPR and emergency medical training… it’s sad but true. I hope I don’t have to use it… but I will if I have too.
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