Dem Drivahs Be Craaaaaazy!

Can you see the footprints in the middle...and the tire tracks
on either side?...even though the paved road ends to the left

Walking in Ghana should be an extreme sport…haha = )  Well let me set the stage a little.  The streets are not lined (I don’t know what came first, lack of lanes or people not driving in lanes…haha = )  I know that the swervey driving is due in part to the fact that the roads are either dirt…and really bumpy and rocky, or paved…and filled with huge potholes (I think Kailua was bad!), so people are trying to avoid those things.  But yeah…back to the description.  So, there are no sidewalks…and in a lot of places there aren’t even dirt or grassy areas on the sides of the road.  And to be honest…it doesn’t matter when there is because it’s all fair game = )

More tire tracks off of the
road.  But no wonder...look
at how eroded the edge
of the road is!

As a pedestrian…it’s your job to look out for drivers and get out of their way.  So you walk on the side of the road where you’re going against traffic…not with it…haha = )  Today I had to move out of the way of a car…and I was on the left side of the road! (and yes, they drive on the right = )  Luckily…due to all of the obstacles…cars are usually not going very fast.

But yeah…that’s just part of it.  At intersections here, it’s 

like every man for himself.  Cars that are turning just turn without pausing…even if you’re still coming straight.  In fact, there’s a lot of not pausing.  Taxis will just come right into traffic…like into your car and you have to swerve.  Oh my gosh…on our way to the airport on one of the trips…there were 3 lanes turning (and none going straight…oh yeah…I guess there‘re lanes in downtown) and I

A close up of that spot

don’t know how it happened…but on the turn we were four wide.  So once we were back on the straightaway we had to totally brake and swerve because the taxi next to us just came right into the lane…right where we were.  I honestly didn’t think were gonna come out unscathed! 

And then there’s the horn.  Horn honking here is a whole language in and of itself.  It can mean, “Get out of the way pedestrian or else I will hit you.”  It can mean, “I’m coming into traffic, so make way.”  It can mean, “Taxi, I see you coming but I’m not stopping so you better watch it.”  It’s just got so many meanings!…haha = )

See how the car's on the wrong side of the road

And how it would be hard to know where you're even
supposed to drive

You can't really tell...but there were cars like driving into each
other right here

I know this is so many pictures of the
same thing...but this is just some of
the potholes that I saw in like a
two minute time span