Nov.4 – Driving – Driving in these countries is an interesting and sometimes dangerous activity. In America, at least, the line down the center of the road has a clear meaning. The story of the first road with a painted center line is an interesting one by the way. It was in Indio, California. It was the first road in the world with a center line. Look it up. It was painted by a female doctor to stop auto accidents.

In Vietnam and Cambodia the center line, if there is one, means absolutely nothing, perhaps it is a guide line. Perhaps that is where the term comes from. It is mainly a way to insure that you are driving equally far from doom on either side of the road.

When a large truck or a load of fifty wooden chairs on a small motorcycle approaches, you simply move a little to the side.

Likewise, when a car or a large group of pedestrians are in the way, you simply honk and warn them before scattering them into the countryside.

I see the few body shops and mangled cars all around us. I guess that can be taken a couple of ways. …….Sorry about the gap in the text, we just missed a few more cows. Anyway, as I was saying, there are a few damaged cars about. Either they don’t hit each other, which I highly doubt, or they are driving so slow due to traffic, little damage is done. I think the later is the case.

Perhaps they just dig a large hole at the side of the road and burry the cars and the dead together, quickly, and move on.

Things are different here. People are just trying to survive the best they can and have little time to care about the environment or much else. Gotta go, our bus just hit a car or a small animal. Just kidding, it was a giant hole in the road.

Try to remember that our country is unlike any other in its infrastructure and riches. We have little to worry about and so dream up problems to keep us up at night. Is our running water clean? Is the air clean? Yes is the answer and don’t forget it or take it for granted. Not always so in other countries. That is the American dilemma.