Friday, March 14, 2008
Driving in South Africa
I have now successfully driven in South Africa a number of times. This has been a bit intimidating for various reasons. The enormous size of the vehicle (a huge VW van that comfortably seats about 12 people), the fact that they drive on the left side of the road, shifting with my left hand, and being yelled at by road-raged drivers to name a few. I took my first “driving lesson” with five other people in the van after I set the ground rules that people couldn’t yell out driving instructions- particularly one of the male footprinters who is 18 y.o., doesn’t have his license, and loves to yell out random advice- the first (and last) bit of advice that he offered was “don’t forget the clutch”. Unfortunately I’ve already experienced the heart pounding fear of being pulled over by the police here for speeding-thankfully I got off with a friendly warning. Anyway, it’s been fun to have a vehicle here to get around the beautiful African countryside!
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5 comments:
ha ha, that's funny.
on my first time driving there, i practised on the dirt road for all of 3 minutes.. and then decided i was good enough to drive into Masoyi. well as soon as i turned on that highway to go up that hill, i stalled! luckily for me, the massive bus speeding up behind me swerved around me! that was my first and last driving experience there. yours sounds much more peaceful!
write more Laura... I check this site everyday, and I absolutely love your stories!
miss you! God bless!
Hey Buddyyyy!!!
Miss you tons!
Awesome stories!
Good thing you've got prairie blood, otherwise I don't think chicken's feet would go over too well in de belly!!
Hugs!!!
Hi Laura,
I enjoyed hearing about your experience of driving a car on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the vehicle! When I worked in the Middle East I had to learn to drive that way too.
I remember some things I learned that may help you:
1. The biggest vehicle usually has the right of way; especially if you drive fast.
2. Constantly honking your horn helps to let people know you mean business; especially if you remember rule #1 and drive fast.
3. Frequent and sudden deviations to the side of the road and onto sidewalks will assure that you have everyones attention; especially pedestrians.
4. You will be amazed at how quickly pedestrians can move when you combine the above driving rules.
5. Finally a tip for night driving. Remember to flash your lights constantly, leaving them on bright immediately before meeting oncoming traffic. This will ensure that you will be able to see Hippos and water buffalo that may have wandered onto the highway between you and oncoming traffic allowing you to go into "animal avoidance defensive driving mode".
I love to read your blog!
Love you lots,
Dad
Hi Laura,
We're glad you made it there and are enjoying it tons. It was good to hear your voice the other day even though it was on the answering machine.I tried to call you back but I reached someone that ,well, wasn't you.
We miss you tons, especially Mason, he misses all of the cuddling. He has started smiling and is getting a little ticklish.
We love you and hope to talk to you soon,
Mason, Mark, Anna & Co.
hey i just read your dads comment and i now understand where your great humor comes from. i was rolling on the ground laughing-well kinda. good to hear you're doing well. I'm sure we'll chat soon. Love ya!
Lori
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