Traffic

Something that was 'in your face' from the beginning when arriving in Kabul, was the traffic. Not that Kabul has more than any other city i have been in, but there are definitely new road rules to learn! Except for the center of the city, there are no lines of any kind on the roads, the ones that are paved that is. Traffic generally goes in a US-style two way direction -until someone gets impatient, then he will simply pull into the oncoming lane and drive there for a while. This gets very confusing to a newcomer, and a bit nerve wracking too, until you get used to it. Morning rush hour times are the most intense. Lots of rushing ahead in the vehicles, quick stops to keep from running into someone's rear end, or avoiding the wheelbarrows and carts trying to make their way from one side of the street to the other. Young kids look back and laugh when they barely escaped from getting hit - a sort of game they seem to be accustomed to playing daily. Pedestrians and bicycle riders are thick along the sides of the roads, making their way to work. There is almost an art to the way the bicyclist stack and balance large loads on the back of their two wheeled transport - everything from large auto tires, stacks of naan (bread), recycled cardboard, etc. Since i have to be driven to and from work each day, i try to talk with our drivers, asking questions about the buildings, the people and such. Sometimes, the traffic is so busy in the mornings that the driver has to concentrate to weave in and out of the swarm of cars, buses, carts pulled by humans or donkeys, and military vehicles that seem to barrel through the throng of traffic. I usually remain calm through all this, but when the traffic gets so congested, i can't help but look from side to side, trying to mentally push our SUV or van through the stream of traffic. I have found that, like many things in Kabul, patience is required to when traveling in the city. Sit back, relax, enjoy the bumpy ride!