Driver Beware!

Another milepost: I DROVE, for the first time in a foreign country, on these crazy streets!

Those who know of my driving in the states know that I do not like to be behind the wheel even in the US, where people (for the most part) obey all traffic laws, go within 20 mph of the speed limit, and have a concept of being a courteous driver. Because none of those things are true for nearly all other countries in the world, I have always refused to drive in all the places I've lived. Public transport has always been more than competent to get me to my desired destination.

Not true here. The only feasible public transport is the taxi, and well...you've read those stories! So I borrowed a car yesterday to go visit two friends who live clear on the opposite side of the big city. And per norm of my life, craziness ensued.

First, round-a-bouts. Ahhh!!! I understood round-a-bouts in Europe, even if I didn't have to drive in them. I can't figure out here if people don't obey the rounding rules, or if there are just more people driving faster, which makes the round-a-bouts all the more terrifying. But I realized, I didn't know how to use my blinker in the round-a-bout (ahhh!), I didn't know which lane to be in to turn (ahhh!), which lane to be in to go straight (ahhh!), or how to yield to anyone (ahhh!). So what did I do? Screech into the round-a-bout (screaming "ahh!" in my car), go where I needed, and basically prayed the entire time all other cars would stay out of my way.

Maybe all the other drivers were doing the same thing, and hence why all round-a-bouts seem to be a mad circle of freaky drivers?

Secondly, I go lost. Big surprise. I followed the signs to the mall, until suddenly there were no signs for the mall, and I didn't know where I was anymore. I called a friend, and you know what his advice was? "Pull up next to a taxi, roll your window down, and ask him for directions." Let's remember, please, that I have yet to find a taxi driver who speaks English that I understand. And I realized, I couldn't figure out how to roll the windows down in the car. (And no, I'm not blonde. There was no handle nor any button anywhere. Foreign car with a cassette player, what can I say?)

Third, I was meeting a Central Asian. (Someone please remind me today that I love them.) I finally find the mall, pull into one of the FOUR parking lots, and call her on my mobile. She says, "Meet me at the entrance to the parking lot." I remind her there are four, and she tells me, "Just look for me... Do you see me?" Arg. She refused to park her car and come meet me inside (I was supposed to follow her to her house from the mall). She refused to come to the parking lot where I was. She insisted it was easier for us to drive around and look for each other. She finally calls and says, "I'm going to get on the major highway towards my house. Just get on it and look for me."

WHAT?!? I tell her, "Sati, I don't know where that road is. It is a major road with lots of traffic. I don't even know what kind of car you're driving. How in the world am I supposed to find you?"

"My car is a Ford."

"I'm not getting on that road to look for you."

"It's blue."

(Here comes the sarcasm...) Oh! A blue Ford. That helps so much. Now I know exactly which of the 800 cars on the road to look for! So helpful, thank you. NO! I threw a temper tantrum, parked my car, and told her I was not moving until she came and found me. Go figure--less than two minutes later...my way worked and she found me. I didn't feel like visiting at that point, to say the least. And I never want to drive to that mall again.

Then, coming home, it took me two hours to go less than 40 kilometers. I'm not great at math, but I believe that equates to the following.

• Less than 40kms = less than 60 miles
• 2 hrs for 60 miles = 30 miles per hour
• 2 stinking miles per minute! Somehow, I know I had to be driving even slower than that. Maybe it wasn't 60 miles. Anyway-- THAT's how bad traffic is here!

But I lived, as did all others on the road. And, I paid a total of 80 ds round trip (gas and taxi'd to pick up the car) instead of close to 200 ds, which is what a taxi there and back would have cost. Maybe I'll get better at the round-a-bouts, since this is what I'll be doing every Tuesday for the next few weeks...