Oooops!
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Did you know that they drive on the left side of the road in Thailand? It was for this reason that I was rather surprised when Nancy asked me if I was ready for to try my hand at it this afternoon. Apparently everyone was away or busy and I was the only person available to pick up her two sons, Zion & Silas, from school. So, being the adventurous gal that I am, I agreed. And after finding a suitable co-pilot and some quick directions, we were on our way.
Now, there are a few main differences aside from the obvious. For one, the driver sits on the right side. So, you must change gears with the left hand instead of the right (which requires extra attention if it's a stick shift.) Another difference, I figured out as we were pulling out of the driveway. I flipped on my turn signal on and my windshield wipers started going full speed. You guessed it, the turn signal and windshield wipers are opposite, too.
Other than those small adjustments everything seemed to be going well. After about 10 km on the same road it was time to make my first turn (really more of a "Veer"). As I turned, I was really focusing on NOT hitting the cars on my right (it's quite an adjustment to have oncoming traffic to the right) and apparently I didn't pay enough attention to my left and well... I hit a pole on the side of the road! Now before you get scared, let me clarify. I really only nicked the pole with my side view mirror. But unfortunately, it was just hard enough to shatter the mirror! You'll be happy to know that the rest of the trip was quite uneventful. After we arrived at the school to pick up the boys, they thought my little mishap was quite funny and couldn't wait to tell on me. I ended up bribing them with candy to keep quiet until I had a chance to tell Nancy myself.
Everyone here had been very understanding and they all say, "Don't worry, it happens to everyone!" It doesn't seem to be a big deal, especially since the repair costs are so cheap out here. (It will probably only cost $25-50 to repair the damage). All in all, We've had some pretty good laughs about it and it's a great story, One that we'll tell for years to come.
Now, there are a few main differences aside from the obvious. For one, the driver sits on the right side. So, you must change gears with the left hand instead of the right (which requires extra attention if it's a stick shift.) Another difference, I figured out as we were pulling out of the driveway. I flipped on my turn signal on and my windshield wipers started going full speed. You guessed it, the turn signal and windshield wipers are opposite, too.
Other than those small adjustments everything seemed to be going well. After about 10 km on the same road it was time to make my first turn (really more of a "Veer"). As I turned, I was really focusing on NOT hitting the cars on my right (it's quite an adjustment to have oncoming traffic to the right) and apparently I didn't pay enough attention to my left and well... I hit a pole on the side of the road! Now before you get scared, let me clarify. I really only nicked the pole with my side view mirror. But unfortunately, it was just hard enough to shatter the mirror! You'll be happy to know that the rest of the trip was quite uneventful. After we arrived at the school to pick up the boys, they thought my little mishap was quite funny and couldn't wait to tell on me. I ended up bribing them with candy to keep quiet until I had a chance to tell Nancy myself.Everyone here had been very understanding and they all say, "Don't worry, it happens to everyone!" It doesn't seem to be a big deal, especially since the repair costs are so cheap out here. (It will probably only cost $25-50 to repair the damage). All in all, We've had some pretty good laughs about it and it's a great story, One that we'll tell for years to come.
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