The city of Meknès is sometimes indistinguishable from an obstacle course. Merely crossing the street is a feat in itself. If there are even traffic laws I really don’t know, but even if there are there is no one here to enforce them. Danial told me one day that it was easy to drive in Morocco, where you have only to pay attention to what is in front of you. And what is more, there are no rules. What could be easier? However, this attitude makes it tricky for pedestrians. As for rode bikers, it surprises me to see any still living. Anyway, walking the three or so miles to school must be done with great caution. Dodging cars and gauging their speed has become a part of everyday life.
As if this was not enough, cars are not the only thing that must be dodged. There are also packs of leering and catcalling men, donkeys, and motorcycle drawn orange carts. Another problem is that quite frequently, one can find rode signs set in the middle of the narrow, deteriorating sidewalks. This poses a problem when there is a pack of men on one side of the strategically placed sign, and cars zooming by on the other. The only choice is to duck under, all the while looking determinedly at your feet so as to avoid making eye contact with strangers. Once, however, I did not do so well maneuvering this obstacle. I was walking with my head turned around laughing at Jennifer, who had just fallen off the raised walkway and onto fresh cement, when I actually ran into a big metal rode sign. With my face. Since then I have gotten better at evasive walking, but there have still been some close calls. At any rate, I urge all new comers to stroll with caution.
P.S. Sorry I don't have any pictures. If there had been a cameraman there as I ran face first into an iron post, I surely would have included his documentation.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire