Now that is traffic!

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

We have a taxi from the hotel waiting for us when we arrive.  He has been waiting since 5:30 am, our planned arrival time, and it is now 7:30 am.  Again, the traffic is amazing, and Ho Chi Minh City is far more congested than Hanoi.  We drive in very tight quarters to all around us, and I am still amazed that we have not witnessed a crash (or a smash as the Aussi’s would say) as yet.  I had stated my perceived driving rules earlier, but I still have not determined when traffic lights are actually used, and when they can be ignored.  Seems that once an intersection is a certain size, then the lights seem to be in effect, but I am not sure what the cut off is.  Still impressed with the ability of people to make a left turn by driving into oncoming traffic and then working their way over in to their own lane on the right side. 

Spoke to soon.  Went for a walk toward the city square, and on route two taxi’s side swiped each other.  Did not see the actual collision, but did get to watch the near brawl after.  The one driver jumped out and ran over to the other car, and was very aggressive.  The other driver then got out of his vehicle with a steel pipe.  Not sure if he hit the other driver, but it seemed to settle him down a bit.  They then made their way out of the middle of the intersection and to the side of the road.

Our walk extended to the Ho Chi Minh tribute square at the base of the Tony Stark office building.  Although renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the communist leader, the locals here still refer to it as Saigon.  The north may have won, but this is still the south.  We headed into McDonalds for a drink during a massive downpour.  The rain coming through the fixtures and fan in McDonalds was very impressive.  Glad it is not my roof.