Driving in the Philippines – Cross your self first and sprinkle the holy water

Its a crazy dodgem game, gigantic bulks of metal and rust push forward overtaking Jeepney’s (local public transport) and tricycles (motor bike a sidecar another public transport vehicles) its complete havoc each and everyone drives defensively.

Coaches and large Jeepney’s drive at death defying speeds, well at least much to fast for the narrow and bad surface roads of the Philippine. With each mode of travel being loaded like a sardine tin, some drivers play very loud music and everybody is sweating on a very hot day.

I prefer to drive a motorbike as it is seemingly safer than a car because I can dodge the on coming traffic. When I am driving into the city I am completing with hubble-hubble drivers an illegal Public transport that the police seeming turn a blind eye to. It’s a normal motor bike that they simply crowd on passengers (7 being the record seen so far).

There is a law that safety helmets should be used by every one traveling on a motor bike, seemingly only foreigner such as myself follow this rule. Others carry their helmets to quickly put on before a police check and most never wear helmet.

This article was inspired by the fact that I have just realized why Filipino’s fail to obey road safety rules such as wearing helmets.

The other day I was watching people getting on hubble-hubble motorbikes, each and everyone of them religiously cross themselves like good Catholics do. Then I remember all the people that get on public transport normal follow the same procedure.

That means that they put their trust in God when risking their life’s and those nuts that don’t wear helmets rather trust in god than have a sweaty head. The strange fact that there are not many accidence’s here properly shows that this blind faith may work. Or perhaps the engine cc being no more than 200 cc on motor bikes and the bad roads slow down traffic speeds.

However its fun and just like the dodgems at the fair and pretty scary when driving at night as many forms of transport lack lights and those that do wish to blind you. I am not going to cross myself only be cross with them, lol