The healthcare system here includes public and private sectors. Sometimes you can get certain services done through the government, but you are usually better off doing private healthcare and paying for it yourself. No one with a medical problem wants to be at the mercy of a government who has trouble making deadlines. Thankfully, healthcare is significantly cheaper here. When we walked out of the lab place, we were met by a lady asking for donations. She claimed she needed money to buy a bus ticket or something. I don’t know about you, but I always have difficulty knowing what to do in these situations. I’m happy to help someone in need, but I don’t want to enable them to buy things they shouldn’t. It reminded me of another day, a few weeks ago. There was an older man that came to our gate and wanted some money to help pay for a prescription. I went in to get my wallet, not knowing what to do. Then I realized that I could offer to go down to the drugstore with him and buy it, pretending to believe him, but secretly calling his bluff. He said, “Oh, you don’t need to do that…” and, “In that case, no thanks.” Then he slinked away.
While we were driving on the main road that cuts through the city, our friend was explaining to us how the bus system works. In the middle of the main road, there is a “bus only” road that runs throughout the city. There is a barrier between it and the rest of the traffic. These buses look like 3 buses hooked together, with accordion-looking material at the joints, so they have a great carrying capacity. Since they only drive on the middle road, there must not be a need to make sharp turns. They have bus stations in the middle, so people can board a bus going either way. I thought it was an interesting solution to the problem of traffic, since it would take forever to get across town on a bus that is stuck in traffic. During rush hour, the motorcycles manage to squeeze in between the cars and get to the front of the line. I saw someone riding on the back of a motorcycle, holding a box the size of a toaster oven, while the driver squeezed by other stopped cars and motorcycles. We also saw a motorcycle passenger carrying a small bookshelf. I also know that you can use your motorcycle to push your friend’s bike home or to tow a wheelbarrow. They’re quite versatile. If you had one with a trunk, trailer hitch, and umbrella, there would be no need for cars.
Well, there are my random observations. If they are too boring, you can just form a mental block and forget that I wrote this post.