Night in Tunisia

driving note

Just meant as an addendum to what Tiara wrote.

The driving here is nuts. Seriously crazy. I have yet to see a
vehicle that doesn't have a scratch, and those without serious body
damage are in the minority.

Tiara's director described it something like driving in Italy but with
the difference that there the drivers were good doing stupid things,
and that here they're terrible doing stupid things. Like passing on
the outside to turn left in front of a moving car (two wheels up on a
sidewalk to be able to get on the outside...) or pulling a u-turn on a
highway (no speed limits worth anything, of course - so fast traffic)
from one shoulder to the other while the traffic rages. And only
wimps use signals. Meanwhile pedestrians, donkeys, cyclists,
cart-pullers and motorbikes just sort of weave in and out wherever
they like. Traffic lights almost mean something (most cars abide by
them), horns are to let other people know that lights have changed,
that they should be faster, that a car is coming (so pedestrians aught
to get out of the way), that you are merging in front of them... etc.
So are high-beam flashes. One-way streets are suggestions, as are any
traffic-flow controlling attempts, like police with whistles in the
intersection...

Crazy.

posted by Loren @ 3:05 p.m.