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Mexico City. Even the taxi from the airport gave me nightmares.
Portugal, don't know if it is the same now but it had one of the highest accident rates in Europe if not the worst, and all the taxis were Mercs-how could they afford the inevitable repairs! Lisbon looked ok but some of the single lanes through the villages were barely fiesta-wide, with no sidewalks! -
I always found driving a left hand drive car in England worse than driving in Europe or the US.
But I did drive for about 2km on the wrong side of the road in the US one time. Luckily it was in Vermont so I didn't hit any traffic.
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic.
The other was a FOB Samoan dude picked me up hitchhiking one day and emulated the Vietnamese driver, I was likely saved by the fact we passed an off duty cop who called the local cops who pulled us over, turns out the Samoan dude didn't have a license. The off duty cop stopped as well and was from Napier so he gave me a ride back home.
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@Nepia said in Happiness Scale:
I always found driving a left hand drive car in England worse than driving in Europe or the US.
But I did drive for about 2km on the wrong side of the road in the US one time. Luckily it was in Vermont so I didn't hit any traffic.
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic.
The other was a FOB Samoan dude picked me up hitchhiking one day and emulated the Vietnamese driver, I was likely saved by the fact we passed an off duty cop who called the local cops who pulled us over, turns out the Samoan dude didn't have a license. The off duty cop stopped as well and was from Napier so he gave me a ride back home.
I can't imagine what you guys would have talked about.
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@Nepia said in Happiness Scale:
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic
I developed a theory about that while over there. Namely that they drove cars in the same manner they ride bikes. One makes sense, the other doesn't.
Still better than the complete disregard for human life on display in India. Coaches overtaking on blind curves with certain death if you leave the "road".
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@antipodean when I was in Egypt we did an excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel, we were in a 10 seater van, but part of a 20+ vehicle convoy.
Immaculate roads, that had only recently re-opened to tourist groups due to 'pirates' in the Nubian, therefore we had police escorts too.
Anywhoo, point was, this massive convoy was reminiscent of the wacky races cartoon.
We'd have a full bus pass us on a blind corner going over a hill at 70+ mph, then 10 mins later we'd be flying past several other buses on corners we had no business passing on...what i learnt, was it was basically one big old game of Chinese whispers...guy at front taps his brakes 3 times when a vehicle is coming, the vehicle behind does the same and so on...
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I used to have a theory about these countries who seem to drive crazy compared to us - ... "but it seems to work, so... : shrug :"
But then started to notice... hmmm... their cars have more dents than ours, and then... bike ride in India, 1 day out, 1 day back... - multiple bus wrecks on the side of the road on the way back that weren't there on the way out.
Nepal - coming across a bus wreck within an hour of it happening... not great.I don't know if one gets that shit in Iberia - I've never done country roads there, only seen the city action... but I get the impression they keep their crazy to city-speeds, city-risks.
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@taniwharugby they must be better at it than their South Asian counterparts. As Kruse notes, the roads are littered with evidence they're not good at Chinese whispers.
A taxi driver in Delhi said to me "the secret to driving in India is having three things; "good brakes, a good horn and good luck".
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@antipodean said in Happiness Scale:
@Nepia said in Happiness Scale:
I've twice completely feared for my life in a car, but driven by others, once in Vietnam where our driver from Hue down to the caves (can't remember their names) is the worst driver who just passed everything regardless of oncoming traffic
I developed a theory about that while over there. Namely that they drove cars in the same manner they ride bikes. One makes sense, the other doesn't.
Still better than the complete disregard for human life on display in India. Coaches overtaking on blind curves with certain death if you leave the "road".
Yeah the bikes definitely make sense, I've got great footage from a bus I was in Saigon which went down the wrong one way street, just backed into the traffic and the scooters just all went around, no issues, no honking.
I haven't been to India yet.
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@antipodean said in Happiness Scale:
@taniwharugby they must be better at it than their South Asian counterparts. As Kruse notes, the roads are littered with evidence they're not good at Chinese whispers.
A taxi driver in Delhi said to me "the secret to driving in India is having three things; "good brakes, a good horn and good luck".
I kind of respect the Indian model - everything infront of you is your problem, everything behind you is theirs.
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@sparky said in Happiness Scale:
Anyone ever lived in Switzerland?
Two years in the late '80's/early '90's.
Really lovely people (hospitality outstanding) but the place was so rule-bound it became a bit of a pain. Things rarely went wrong, but when they did, it was total chaos.
Simple, sensible tax regime though.
Happiness Scale
