I'm Driving!

** Cue Forrest Gump voice**

That's my ca-ar.

I don't know it well enough to name it yet, but it's a VIOS so I thought about Dios. Or Dio. After the Holy Diver guy.

** Cue Rain Man voice**

I'm an excellent driver. Dad let's me drive slow on the driveways on Sunday . . . but never Monday . . .

Har har! Always thinking of Rain Man as I drive here. I never drove in Indonesia, so my only taste of driving on the wrong side of the road (yes, British friends, the right side is the right side for a reason!) was in Australia, where I nearly destroyed Dave and Rene's car on several bridges in the Outback. So here at first I had to stop completely before attempting to inch through narrow gates, toll booths, etc. and had a couple of close calls with schoolgirls walking home and people trying to pass on the left on motor scooters (the outer 1/4 of any lane in Asia is considered public space for standing around, fixing your motorcycle, selling sate, etc.). So it's just something one gets used to.

Anyhoo, am now taking longer drives through traffic and finding its not so bad. As long as you assume that EVERYONE on the road is basically the equivalent of a 14 year-old American kid who is joyriding in Mom and Dad's Olds, you'll be fine. The driving test is your first clue about this: on the day I went, the reaction-time-measuring machine was broken. When I asked if I should come back later, I got laughed at. They just gave me a license anyway, like it was a coloring contest where everyone gets a certificate. Of course, you have to pay out the ass for the privilege, but hey.

So I am now trying to figure out HTF a traffic circle is supposed to work. The only one I recall in America is near my childhood home in Litchfield, OH, pop. 30. So I've never been in a traffic circle where thousands of people are honking and merging and nudging and crashing. I just seems like the stupidest idea on the planet. What's wrong with a LIGHT?

On a more positive note, I drove a whole hour last night to the hash, arriving on time and intact. Was easy cause I had directions. Driving home proved to be more difficult. I was trying to follow the signs back to Nonthaburi, only to realize that half the signs had been mysteriously stolen (or never put up in the first place, more likely). Got completely lost for 20 min. and finally came to a place I recognized, only to realize I was HOME! I can't remember the last time I got lost and ended up in the right place. Hopefully this is going to happen more often from now on.