Venturing Out

Went for a bike ride yesterday. It's really difficult riding on the opposite side of the street (note use of the word "opposite" instead of "wrong"). At one point I was making a right turn and somehow I got confused and forgot that in Australia a right turn means you're turning across oncoming traffic. I almost got myself killed in my first week down under.

But the funniest part was the reaction of the other driver. Naturally I felt like a big moron and put my hands up to say "Whoa, sorry about that", but the other lady had beaten me to the punch. By the time I realized what was going on she was already waving her hands all over the place with a super apologetic look on her face. It caught me by surprise - I guess I was ready for a bit of hornblasting or at worst a savage American-style beating.

I think people here are just incredibly safety conscious. Apparently you'll get a ticket if you get caught riding a bike without a helmet. And it's not like it is in the States - it's not that they can give you a ticket, they really willfine you. Hard to imagine, but that's what I hear.

Hopefully they don't issue citations for riding while gay, because if that's the case I'll definitely get a ticket. I've been riding Fiona's old pink bike from when she was a girl. I won't even bother describing it, I'll just post a picture tomorrow.

Assuming I don't get hit by a car before then, that is.

Posted by flow Frazao on December 20, 2004 at 10:39 PM in Australia | Permalink