Other notes: traffic lights are called "robots." Someone told me to turn left at the next robot and I thought, how cool, they have robots directing traffic. Also, South Africans like to drive fast, a limit of 120 kph is common (that's about 73 mph). There are also lots of vehicles that definitely would not pass inspection, so on the highway speeds range from about 80 to 150 kph. FYI the conversion between kph and mph is the golden ratio (more or less).
So in addition to the other aspects of my cultural adjustment there is the thrill of driving on the left-hand side (a legacy of English influence in South Africa). Sometimes I don't even think about it, and sometimes I suddenly look around and think, "Yikes, I'm on the wrong side, oh wait, no I'm not." In some sense most things are just reflected: steering wheel, shift, etc. (and once you get used to it, it is easier to steer with your right hand and shift with your left - if you are a righty). But somethings are translated, not reflected, like turn signals and the pedals. And traffic circles go clockwise instead of counterclockwise. Probably no one thinks about this but me, but for the first week every time I wanted to indicate a turn I switched on the windshield wipers instead. As a pedestrian you also have to learn to look to the right for oncoming traffic, not the left.
Other notes: traffic lights are called "robots." Someone told me to turn left at the next robot and I thought, how cool, they have robots directing traffic. Also, South Africans like to drive fast, a limit of 120 kph is common (that's about 73 mph). There are also lots of vehicles that definitely would not pass inspection, so on the highway speeds range from about 80 to 150 kph. FYI the conversion between kph and mph is the golden ratio (more or less).
2 Comments
Betsy
4/17/2013 08:07:42 am
Looks like you, the driver, were taking this video, hmm?
Reply
steve
4/18/2013 05:17:58 am
I plead the 5th on that one.
Reply
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