DDay -20:

Observation #12:  I've been to England so I've actually experienced the bizarro world of vehicle transportation, but I personally never had to drive there.  That was somebody's else job, ie; mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, etc, but it was only when I moved to Hong Kong that it became my job/problem.  When we went car shopping, I searched and searched for the ONE car sitting there that might have been imported from the US or mainland and therefore it would be left side steering.

Alas, that car was not to be found so we purchased a street legal car from the Wan Chai Car Center and I started a new, albeit begrudged, era of my life. I have to admit it felt exciting, although unnatural, riding on the wrong side of the car while my husband effortlessly navigated the busy highways of Hong Kong.  He made it look so easy that I actually began to think I could do it quite easily myself.  I was wrong.

The first day I got in the driver's seat of the car, it felt awkward and unpleasant trying to move the transmission lever with my left hand but I managed to get it in drive and off I went...very, very slowly.  As I made my way around the curves and over the bridges of Hong Kong, I began to grow more and more anxious, scared and embarrassed.  There were giant buses that seemed bigger than a house towering passed me and sexy little Ferraris and Maybachs soaring by at what felt like the speed of light.  I wondered how much it would cost me if I hit one of those cars.

I figured I had better slow down just to be on the safe side because I felt like I was going just way too fast for a beginning right side steering driver. I tapped the breaks only a little, don't want to cause another driver to hit me in the back.  I looked in the rearview mirror to make sure the driver behind me was breaking, too but what I saw in the mirror completely freaked me out. There was a looooonnnnng line of cars full of disgruntled looking drivers behind me and I panicked.  "Oh, Lord! How fast am I going?"  35 kph (20 mph)!!!  What???  That's it??? On a major road!!!  I was mortified. I honestly felt like I was going at least 50 mph.

When I could, I pulled over to the side of the road and I let about 40 unhappy drivers go by, those poor souls.  I managed to make it to my destination, Stanley Plaza, but after that, I only drove during low traffic hours.  After a few months, though and one small, insignificant accident, I actually became a pretty good right side steering driver.  I finally have the spatial awareness for that other side of the car, something we take for granted when we drive the US way, so I'm not constantly curbing the tires or almost hitting pedestrians on the sidewalk. I can even maneuver my way up the notoriously tiny parking deck ramps here and the bridges designed only with horses and buggies in mind. I have also become an expert at backing into a parking space which is something that every one does here for some reason. It's fun and it makes exiting the tight quarters of the car parks much easier.

Now I just laugh when I see drivers slowly making their way up Repulse Bay Road with an unbelievably long line of traffic behind them.  Most people make fun of them but I  have lots of tolerance and sympathy for them because I've been in their shoes. I know that one day they will be experienced drivers here, too. They'll realize that right side steering isn't so bad.  It kind of tastes like chicken.