Page 8
12/25/2023
More hidden lives of sidewalks…
Sidewalks in my part of town often serve many functions, depending on the work shift. As I've noted previously they become breakfast stops in the early morning shift, lunch stops during the mid-day shift, and cafes during the evening shift.
In this part of the neighborhood below, they are parking lots during the day as well as walkways for pedestrians trying to avoid traffic. At rush hour, however, they become another traffic lane.
Given that most Vietnamese spend a great deal of their time negotiating the amoebic organism that is traffic, it's no surprise that habits formed on the street are transferred to everyday life.
I've noticed at the park, in stores, at airports, and anywhere people gather in numbers, that people behave like they are driving a motorbike. They change lanes without notice, cut in front of others already in line, walk wherever they want to walk, ignore posted signage, merge without looking or waiting for others to advance, tailgate each other, jockey for position, and stand mere inches away from other people. And strikingly, nobody seems to mind?!
NOVEMBER p.2, p.3, p.4, p.5, p.6, p.7