The streets of Manaus provide an excellent example of what some might call controlled chaos! Here are some loose rules or common practices that I have picked up while living in Manaus.
1. When crossing the street, pedestrians never have the right of way unless you are waved across by a car. You have to be careful!
2. Motos use their horns to let cars know to give them more space and when quickly passing alleyways so other drivers know they are crossing.
3. Drivers of both motos and cars bump into each other all the time and simply continue on their way.
4. Brazilians walk on the street even if there is a sidewalk.
There are five main modes of transportation here in Manaus. People travel by car, bus, moto, boat and foot. People use all of these types of transporation quite frequently, even in the middle of rainfall. Families typically have one, maybe two, cars for transportation. Personally, I typically take an Uber moto if my location isn't walking distance but I will take an Uber car if it is raining. People don't drive at extreme speeds here, but they would if they could. The streets are in fairly poor condition and potholes are common, so drivers keep a lower speed to accomodate this. Boats are used to reach other areas in the Amazon.
