Internationally the word ‘TRAFFIC’ conjures up scenes of chaos and sometimes even horror.
Pixabay
In Cairo and Mumbai it is sheer madness for anyone not born there to drive a vehicle. One obviously absorbs the ‘rules’ with one’s mother’s milk for there are NO rules. People drive by instinct and somehow spaghetti entanglements sort themselves out. Nearly everyone. every day arrives, alive.
It is a constant ongoing miracle.
I live in a small coastal town where 10 cars at the only robot/traffic light at the entrance, constitutes a traffic jam. One does not have to factor in extra travelling time for possible delays at ‘stop and go’ places where they are repairing the road and traffic jams.
Yesterday we traveled up to the hub of Gauteng, Johannesburg.
Having lived and loved the lifestyle there for 26 years before moving to the coast, I have a fondness for this ‘beast’ that is beyond reason.
The heart of this city throbs with a vibe that is tangible. The African music that exudes from the taxis has one ‘bopping’ in time to the beat for a minute or two. The Rasta dreadlocks of the drivers gesticulating finger language to other drivers daring to argue with them is front row, circus entertainment.
These taxis use yellow lanes (for emergency traffic only) as their natural pathways. (Much like elephants in the wild do and DO NOT get in their way.)
Yesterday, ‘Himself’ and I drove into the 5 o’clock traffic – oh silly silly people – towing our caravan to the dealers for service and a new fridge.
Generally in Johannesburg it is an orderly crowded mass in ‘rush hour’ traffic. (The name is stupefying because it is the slowest movement of vehicles ever witnessed.)
It is midwinter and the distances are great so darkness fell as we were finally on our way to our daughter’s home near Pretoria.
The electric blue in the sky became a dull red glow on the horizon.
We were completely stationary on a raised section of THE main arterial road taking hundreds of cars to their homes.
I had been away for long enough to be caught up in the magical sight before us. Ahead there was a wide river of red tail lights. Coming towards us, twinkling like diamonds was a massive tide of white and yellow lights. Overhead these 8 lanes of traffic were the sentinels of bright gold globes down the centre concrete barrier. Breathtaking.
But I knew the family was eagerly awaiting our arrival and there was a log fire and a good meal waiting for us. So I had a different perspective from the driver who was weary from a day’s work, anxious to get home.
Then we met our nemesis.
Literally 1 kilometre from their home we were caught in a Mumbai/Cairo nightmare.
Taxis proliferated all over the intersection literally making their own traffic lanes in the face of volatile oncoming traffic and one was trying to muscle in, in front of us.
Himself crowded so close to a car in front to prevent his rude behaviour, that the driver got out in the midst of this maelstrom of cars to check that we hadn’t damaged his bumper…………fortunately not.
About a million cars, vans, delivery trucks, taxis and us were desperate to turn right down West Road and somehow we did so without a scrape. True there was a cacophony of sounds from hooters, screeching tyres and people but no loss of life.
And then my day was made.
Twinkling through like a bright silver thread came ‘Mr Bojanjangles’ on his bicycle.
I burst out with delighted laughter.
He wove like a slippery eel, a blaze of moving lights through the muddle of cars. He had a big decorated board hanging behind his seat. The words ‘hoot to pass,’ in lights invited at least a smile. He wore a builder’s protective helmet that had a rotating flashing light glued on top. No doubt he was generating his own electricity by the power of his legs pumping the pedals.
He was a relaxing treat in those few minutes of absolute chaos and by the time we pulled up on our daughter’s driveway I was ready for the hugs and laughter of the family spilling out of the house to welcome us.
It’s all in the detail actually.
AND it’s up to each one of us to find that which is always there to lighten the moment.