Driving is one of
those life skills that makes travelling easier. Being able to drive provides
freedom and opportunities. It can also lead to many amusing adventures. Here
are a few of mine.
Turkey
Moving to Turkey
in my late teens introduced me quickly to driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the
road. I learned to drive on the left, but suddenly I was driving on the right.
Not only was I consciously trying to remember to drive on the correct side of the road but the
mountain roads had sheer drops on one side and often a rock wall on the other
which was quite frightening. While driving in Turkey I also noticed (it is hard
not to) that there is definitely an increased use of the horn in Turkey. It
means ‘get out of the way’ ‘are you turning?’ ‘hello!’ Slow-driving Turks also
tend to indicate left (while driving on the right) to communicate with the
driver behind them that it is safe to overtake. I could never understand this
rule, especially on my way down a bendy mountain road when I indicated left
because I was turning left onto a side road and the driver behind me sped up
and almost collided with me, potentially sending us both to our deaths down the
cliff face. Scary? Very.
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| Turkish mountain roads often feature precipices! |
Australia
The land
downunder is a perfect place for a roadtrip, but you must be aware of the
distances you could end up covering. We all look at maps and we can all easily
see that Australia is larger than the entire continent of Europe, so why the
distances are constantly being underestimated is a mystery. Driving any
distance in Australia is like a survival challenge. It is essential to make
sure you have enough fuel until the next petrol station, which is sometimes
hundreds of kilometers away. It is wise to avoid driving at dawn and dusk to
minimize your chances of coming off second best to an errant kangaroo. You should
always have water with you too in case you break down.
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| Australian roads often cover large distances |
USA
In America
driving is a way of life. Everyone drives everywhere so services have been
tailored to drivers. Just about everything from donuts to cash machines are
available as drive-thru. It is very convenient, so long as there isn’t a queue
or the person in front of you breaks down. As a visitor I found it great fun
trying all these things as a drive-thru, but I can see how easy it would be to
become very lazy indeed. I also noticed that it is permitted to turn corners on
red lights. I appreciated the convenience but thought it weird no investment
had been made in an extra ‘green arrow’ light to make this clear. Drivers
behind me made it quite clear with their horns though so I quickly got the
message. Traffic lights and signs are overhead too which takes some getting
used to.
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| Road closed? What road? |
These are just a
few of the things I have noticed while driving abroad. I was also surprised at
the number of armed soldiers at roadblocks in Egypt, the lack of road name
signs when you are driving through 8ft tall sugar cane in Barbados, the heavy
police presence along roads in Uganda and had a confusing time trying to work
out why a French GPS ‘moo-d’ at me like a cow periodically while I was drove
through snow in Provence…
Driving abroad is
always an interesting experience. For some it is frightening and just less
stressful to take a bus or a taxi, but if you are up for it hire a car in Italy, Barbados, Morocco, Canada, Australia. Wherever you go there is bound to
be an adventure!
What experiences
have you had of driving on your travels?
