Traffic buffers

Fortunately, I can usually commute by foot or by bike, both of which are fairly immune to traffic. I'm accustomed to having realistic time estimates on how long it will take me to get places. If I'm late, I know that it's my fault for not leaving on time. This trip I've had to get accustomed to the whim of taxis and to be patient with bottlenecks caused by accidents on one lane roads.

At home, a half hour buffer is sufficient if I need to be somewhere on time. In Bali, I added an hour, thinking that would be plenty of time given the shorter distances, but I needed double that.

Interestingly, locals have had similarly poor estimates for how long it takes to get places. This is a good reminder that time buffers vary from culture to culture.