Fun with Traffic

So today I had a funny experience.  We literally got caught in gridlock today.  As we were driving towards the main road(Samba) on the way home we hit one of the many pinch points along the way and literally we were all stuck.  (Similar to the picture attached on a smaller and tighter scale with 0 outs, pic not from Luanda).  I am always checking things out and saw it coming, but it was too late.  About 10-15  cars and the rest backed up behind them making it worse sat there for 4-5 minutes with our dicks in our hands.  The next thing you know a man jumps out of his truck.  I realize quickly that he has identified the problem/solution to getting us moving.  He walks straight to the car, that with a slight movement can get us going.  Like football navigating traffic in Luanda is a game of inches.

Inside the car is a Chinese man who is extremely surprised by the sudden appearance of the newly anointed traffic cop.  The next 3-5 minutes of instruction from traffic cop to driver were quite intense.  Let's just say lots of yelling in Portuguese and pointing, tapping on the glass, giving the roll down the window sign etc.  The driver is simply not responding and gives the go away sign a couple of times.  Onlookers on the sidewalk are very intrigued.  Finally, the Chinese man who most likely does not speak Portuguese and is clearly scared shitless opens his door, I have no idea why.  By the way I have a front row view and this is all happening 5 feet from me and at this point I am in tears laughing at the entire situation.  While I am a little nervous for the driver, I can't help myself.  Adriano is driving me today and he does not think any of this is funny, but as I have said previously he is a little rough.  Next thing,  Mr. traffic cop literally leans his whole body into this man's car and gives similar hand gestures as he was giving outside the car.  I don't know what was different, maybe he finally understood the international symbol for move forward and right(you know put your hands together and make a fish like movement to the right), but it worked and the traffic cop stepped back and the driver went about 1 foot forward and right giving clearance and we worked ourselves out of the jam.  20 minutes at least we sat there stuck, funny as f.