Dude, I am NOT Frogger

Crossing the street

(Andrew) In Vietnam, crossing the street isn’t as easy as the green man saying go, it is a skill mastered by experience. Here there are more motorbikes than cars. That means more vehicles can fit in the space given. At a stoplight there might be 50 or more motorbikes waiting for the timer to run down from 23 seconds to green. The red light is the perfect time to cross; that or the huge break in flow. When you start; you can’t stop, look at the vehicles or even acknowledge them. They will flow around you, not even minding. I hate having to do this. In many places there are no stop lights to guide you, so you have
to cross with as much courage as you can muster. And even if there was a stoplight, some people just go flying right through it. Many people speed past: old ladies, middle- aged men and families of 5 people on one bike. I squeeze my dad’s hand, my heart pounds, and I start to sweat. When we finally cross this river of madness, I am relieved of the pressure. When we get to the next crossing, I squeeze my dad’s hand, my heart pounds, I start to sweat…

Waiting to smoosh Frogger