Traffic and Trash

I will never complain about Austin traffic again! First of all, it just hit me after 4 days of being here that there are NO (yes I said NO) traffic lights!!!!! Officially you are suppose to drive on the left side of the road. All through town there are two lane roads but if you were to watch it from above you would think there are at least three. There are 2-3 lanes of cars - mostly 14 passenger taxis and then HUNDREDS of motorcycles zipping in and out and around these cars. Pedestrians have no right of way. There are drainage ditches (full of nastiness) on either side of the roads so you can't swerve there. I am sooooooooo thankful that we have VERY good drivers. I can't imagine trying to do it ourselves! Ok, throw into this chaos ROUND ABOUTS!!!!!! It's absolutely crazy. I've tried to take pictures but we've been told to be careful taking pictures of the streets. Think how you would feel if a van of Africans drove by in Austin snapping pictures of you. I'll try to take some indiscreetly.
I will also pay my garbage fees without complaint. We drive by huge piles of rubbish and today actually saw a garbage truck picking it up. But apparently this is a trial thing - only been around about a year. Normally people just burn their trash. They are trying the trash trucks but they are breaking down and no one knows how to or wants to repair them so this pick up stuff will probably stop. Mostly people burn their trash. At each school we've seen burn piles and kids playing nearby. Don't they know burning those plastic water bottles is BAD! I tell you, an asthmatic would have trouble here. Between this smoke and the dust in the air it is bad! But it does make for beautiful sunrises and sunsets!