Traffic Koans [Day 27]
This is Day 27 of the 30-day Traffic Koans contest. Details on how to enter can be found here: https://steemit.com/traffic-koans/@jedau/traffic-koans-halfway-update-1505319420-6600256
Several fish were stuck in a pond and have given up all hope of being set free.
One day, a storm caused a large flood which bridged the gap between the pond and the river.
Seeing the opportunity, the fish swam towards freedom with all their strength.
Unfortunately for them, the flood subsided while they were midway towards the river.
Some tried to swim back, while the others continued on. Whichever direction they took they all suffered the same fate.
The fish laid on the ground, squirming as they suffocated under the harsh sun.
After my two-day tirade against taxi drivers who refuse to stop for passengers, I guess it's only fitting to turn my attention to a mode of transportation that stops too much. Unfortunately, they weren't intended to, especially midway through the trip. I'm talking about trains.
I showed this before, and to emphasize, this is not a proper stop
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People who read (and used to read) my posts know how much I love riding trains. I strongly believe that the MRT can make or break a country. It can separate the first-world from the third-world. The reason I say this is because it helps people get from one point to another the fastest, making the money move the fastest. Since trains aren't traditionally known for delays or traffic congestion, it's the fastest mass land transportation currently available.
That is, when they work properly.
I wish I was kidding
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Now, I used to ride the train every day, to and from work. I have tons of wacky train stories, but I was fortunate enough to have never experienced this. Really though, I don't know what I would do if I was forced to wait for hours in line to board, then be forced to walk at least a kilometer in the middle of Metro Manila's busiest highway because the train broke down. I tip my hat to those people who are able to endure this on a daily basis. You guys are the real heroes.
But, this is the truth
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I can't fault the drivers because they're just doing their jobs. The people at fault here are the people in charge of the Transportation Department, specifically Mar Roxas, the former secretary. That son of a bitch thought he had a legitimate shot at winning the presidency last year. What a joke! His holding companies are the ones responsible for the poor quality trains and screwed up dissemination of driver's licenses and license plates. He switched this:
Matatag na Republika translates to "Strong Republic"
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To this:
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Oh sorry, I meant this:
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I mean, sure, I like the simplicity, and that's exactly the excuse they gave. But, the cost to make the new one is equal or greater than the old one. Does that make sense? I know people who have applied for a new plate for years and they have yet to receive it. Some have been using conduction plates for years now. That's fine though, because they have been using an expired driver's license for years as well. Wait, no, they have renewed it a couple of times now, but it doesn't show on the card itself because the supplier keeps running out. If that isn't blatant corruption, I don't know what is.
That smug bastard even had the audacity to call other people out on their corruption. During his campaign, he took the train once to show that it doesn't malfunction. He had an entourage of armed bodyguards and media coverage during his announced trip, too. Unlike his other rival who boarded the train unannounced and without any media coverage. People only knew that she rode it because people on the train took pictures and posted it on social media. I'm going to stop now before this gets any more political.
Have you ever been stranded on the train? Do you have funny or infuriating train stories? Share them in the comments section and get a chance to win SBD. I'll just leave you with an image of a train that didn't stop (not during Roxas' tenure, but it was purchased and maintained during his).
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Wow, your trains suck ass!! In the nicest possible way of course.
I thought ours were bad but they are just occasionally late. They are heavily subsidised by the govt but are still paragons of virtue compared to the sound of yours!
They're not all bad. If you want to be squished between sweaty bodies, get your shoes stepped on a hundred times and get shouldered every which way all before you go to work then... Oh wait, huh... Hmm... I guess it beats traffic. That is, unless the train stops working and you're forced to walk on the train tracks. I'm really trying my best to think of a redeeming factor here, dude.
While I'm at it, allow me to regale you with a happy memory of the MRT. I got off early from work one time (it's rare because I'm usually late) so I wanted to go out and make a night of it. So, I boarded the train and, as always, was teleported to a scene that resembles the state of sardines being canned. You see, I had been waiting for an hour in line, so I didn't want to miss yet another train. Thankfully, I was able to slot myself in, with some space to spare. Sure, everyone was face to face, but there was still room to breathe.
Then, in came a rather hefty fellow. At that point, not even a person half my size could fit in comfortably, but here was a fellow more than twice my size squirming inside the train.
"Come on, guys," his face seemed to scream. "We can do this! Just squeeze in a little more."
I was the one he was directly shoving, so I tried to stand my ground. My experience with trains had forced me to bulk up, and I was the fittest I have ever been but I couldn't hold my ground. Suddenly, the arm of the person in front of me stretched out and grabbed hold of the hefty man's neck. By grab hold, I mean strangled. And by strangled, I mean with the intent to injure and not in a BDSM way.
The muscular fellow threatened the bulky intruder to continue stepping inside. If I remember correctly, he even dared him. A hush fell over the cabin, and I was left stunned in the middle of the whole mess. In the end, the hefty fellow retreated and everyone had more room to breathe. I went back to my condo, stripped naked, bathed multiple times and curled up in my bed.
Whew! This was even longer than my post!! Hahaha! I left this story out of it, but I wanted to share it with you, dude. I hope people have the good mind to vote on it like they would do to a post haha!
My word, that is a post in itself!
I would have done exactly the same dude. I might not have came back out for several days. I am glad we don't really have the sardine can thing going on here in Scotland. People are too prickly I think. There would be a mad fight every time!!
A bonus for the Boomdawg himself!
I think the scarcity of trains force people here forces people to not care about getting packed in. It wouldn't have affected me so much, had my face not been breathing distance of that muscular guy. He looked at me like I was next haha!
One of my real hate sis when you are in a crammed situation though and you end up breathing in someones hot breath. OMG its awful
It's funny how something that could be so sensual could be so horrifying at the same time haha!
You are absolutely correct!!!
I know you are but what am I!?
Holy moly!! I'm amazed at those pictures of people walking along the train tracks. Wow, just wow.
Yep as meesterboom says, lateness/delays is the main problem here - but really nothing compared to what you have to deal with by the looks of things!
I bet we're neck and neck with India in terms of horrible trains, but I bet they don't routinely have to walk in the middle of a commute haha! I'm not really sure that's something we could be proud of.
That picture of the train overshooting its mark is the same train that I used to board every day to work. It could've easily been me on that carriage. Luckily, that happened in the middle of the day. Where there are tons of cars on the road. The same road that I take heading in to the city. Really though, I should really readjust my definition of luck.
It's such a world away, I can't even begin to imagine! And wow.... yes... I dunno that does seem lucky...and also not!!
I hope this doesn't paint a picture of a backwards country. There are some parts that are, but there are a lot of parts that are at par with the more progressive countries in Asia. I think the reason why we rank near the middle is because they're taking the average of the good and the bad haha!
Ah not at all! I know very little about the Philippines so it just makes it more interesting for me!
The contrarian in me is coming from a place of good intentions though. For me, if you know the worst parts of some place and you still choose to visit, everything that you'll experience would be better than you expected haha!
Very true!
Am I right? I mean, am I right? I feel like I'm due for a post in the Tourism Department at this point.
Ugh, I can't imagine this type of scenes here. Quite some time ago, trains were pretty crowded but mostly in peak hours, especially when students were travelling from one town to another. Back then people could smoke, drink and eat in the wagons, so it smelled so nastily that everyone came out of the train in a cloud of stank. So I started to hitch-hike, I mean I couldn't afford myself to add some throw-up smell to the already offensive stench that made me feel nauseated in the train.
The policy of the railway improved last years, so they have a eat&drink wagon, and special division for smokers, so the rest doesn't come off feeling like they have turned into an ashtray full of cigarette butts. It got quite comfortable, actually.
Great to hear about the changes. I'm surprised that there is still a smoker's area, I would've thought that would've been abolished. There are eat&drink wagons here too as it might become messy. Plus, the ban on drinks was placed because there was a bomb threat years ago that involved unknown liquid substances. At least improvements are being enacted. Always forward, never back.
Thanks for stopping by, my friend! I appreciate it :D
I have only been on a train a few times in my life, and once of these times was this past summer when I took it from Long Island into NYC to meet @surfermarly and a crew of other great steemit chaps. The ride in was great, no problems, met a couple of girls who just got back from a big hippie fest and offered me a warm beer and helped me figure out which subway was the right one to board to get to my final destination.
The ride back? Um, well, I think they have some issues with their electricity because the lights and air conditioning kept blinking on and off. It might have been scary except every patron on it looked bored and my guess is it was business as usual. Someone really should look into that though.
Oh yeah I remember that, with hansik and the others. I bet it's a common occurrence. Something about it being the norm that makes people think it's just passe. Too bad that trains aren't given more emphasis like in Japan or Singapore. They're a real boon to the economy, and making train riding pleasant would really unclog the roads.
Wow. I have limited my experiences with trains to missing them, getting off at the wrong stop, and hoping that they don't shake the ceiling down. I think I'll stay away from your trains.
But... it's one of the must-try attractions here! Aww come on! You have to try it at least once haha! Actually, the first carriage is reserved for women and PWDs. While it's a bit sexist, women are actually lucky because I have been told multiple times that it's quite pleasant to ride there. No cramped spaces. I really don't know why some women prefer to ride the normal carriages. Maybe because some of them have male companions they don't want to be divided with.
Wait... the first carriage is reserved for women? That's interesting. The first carriage is usually 1st class ticket holders. If I was traveling with a guy friend, I'd definitely ride with him on the regular carriages. Although... if it's as crowded as your saying, we may just have to meet at the right stop. Crowds freak me out.
No 1st class tickets here, so I guess that's the redeeming factor concerning equality. Separating on the train and just meeting up at the stop is definitely the best way to go about it, and one that I suggest to female companions every time.
I don't know if I'll make it to your neck of the world, but I'm definitely keeping that in mind 'cause I really don't dig crowds.
I'm with you there. There are other less crowded modes of transportation though, so that would be the option to take.
Wow... You made me realize we should be proud of our train services.
The truth is that I never use the train. Because we don't have one XD. We have only subway trains in the capital and the regions around it. I haven't heard of a train breaking down in the middle of a tunnel or people walking on the railways, that shit is another level.
The subway is by far the fastest way to move around the city and is the main method of transportation for most of the citizens, every day hundreds of thousands people use it.
This is how one of the main stations looks like every day of our live at the rush hour.
Shoot! Trains breaking down in a tunnel would be such a nightmare! Trains should be the fastest and safest of the mass transports, so I'm glad yours doesn't suffer any breakdowns. That scene looks about the same as the scene here though haha! Venezuela and Manila's train systems look so much alike haha! No trains where I live as well, the MRT is only in the capital and the regions around it as well.
Thanks for stopping by, compadre!
good post @jedau.
using transportation, a good move to change the world.
hopefully more people are the same idea with you
Uh.. thanks? You do realize that the picture involves people getting of in the middle of the tracks, right? Oh, wait no, you probably didn't read the post.
you are a good writer..
I know this is spam, but thank you for saying that. You see, I wasn't hugged enough as a child that's why I developed a complex that requires constant reassurance. So, thank you!
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Awesome!
Oh! To me, this was all about people trying to push through an intersection even if there's no room on the other side for them to exit the intersection.
That interpretation was for a different koan haha! Definitely interesting how you would arrive at that though.
Stranded!
Exactly.