Aficionados of the Olympic blue ribbon event know that to be truly successful as a sprinter you have to explode from the blocks. You need to get into your stride quickly, pump your arms and legs like billy-ho, and be accelerating, not slowing when you cross the line.
The same is true of crossing the road in Libya.
Here, the main roads are invariably duel carriageway with a central reservation running down the middle to stop oncoming traffic encroaching on your side of the road. This is not universally successful because at various points there are gaps to enable traffic to turn into side roads on the opposite side of the road. In practise these are used for u-turning at 5 mph into oncoming traffic travelling at 90 mph.
But these are not the reason why crossing the road requires a good pair of spikes. For this we have to look into the psyche of Libyan drivers.
The first thing you need to understand is, there is no point driving at 80 mph if your car is capable of doing a ton. Similarly, why would you allow another driver to overtake you if you are already going flat out? No, its much better to maintain a line straddling both lanes, and lurch erratically from left to right as required, depending on whether the idiot trying to pass is attempting to overtake or undertake.
Giving way is something other countries do. Indication of any sort, other than leaning on the horn, is frowned upon.
But the up side is I am now achieving times for the 100 metres I haven't recorded since school. And this has helped me in my only available evening pastime.
I have discovered that the fridge in my villa has an alarm that goes off if you leave the door open. How far from it can you get before it beeps? I can't quite make to the bedroom yet, but I've got as far as the hall.
Still another couple of weeks road crossing and I'll think I'll do it easily...
In my next entry I will talk to you at length on the humble chicken...
No comments:
Post a Comment