Driving on the Other Side of the Road and Zip-lining Over Waterfalls: Just another Thursday in ZA

Wow! Our two week break from school flew by! Tomorrow we go back to school to start a new term at Herbert Hurd. I will be in Mrs. G's third grade classroom for the next three weeks-- learning their ways, teaching some of my own, and getting to know this particular ZA school a little bit better.

This past week, our last week of break, we did some souvenir shopping at a flea market several miles from home, made new friends at a local cafe and rented a car to do a bit of traveling. I have GOT to tell you all about our travels!

In ZA, like most of the world, drivers are seated on the right-hand side of the vehicle and drive on the left-hand side of the road. Also, a majority of the cars in ZA are standard transmission (they have a stick) which requires one to shift with his or her left hand. Renting automatic cars in ZA is mucho expensivo! These differences change the road rules quite a bit for a driver used to hugging the right side of the road, shifting with his or her right hand, and passing on the left. It was QUITE the adventure!

I have made a list of ZA "road rules" that I learned during our trip:

• When driving on the highway, slower vehicles must stay on the left side of the road and any passing vehicle (highway or not) must pass on the right. Complete opposite of home.
  
• There are large shoulders on either side of the road. These are used for passing purposes. On one lane roads and highways, it is courteous to move over onto the shoulder (dangerous too!) to let speedier traffic through. I am not sure of the legality... no one told me it was illegal....
  
• Once a car has passed they will turn on their hazards (if they are thankful) as a 'thank-you.' You must either turn on your hazards to "say" 'you're welcome' OR flash your lights at them.
  
• The speed limit seems to be optional... at least to a majority of traffic.
  
• Speed is calculated in kilometers per hour rather than miles per hour. 1 kph is slower than 1 mph since miles are shorter than kilometers. The typical highway speed in northeast Ohio is 65mph. In ZA, on the Eastern Cape, it is 120kph. 
• Here is some math for you kids back home: If 1 kilometer = .62 miles, how many miles is 10 kilometers?
  
• The paved roads are very nice. I didn't come across any potholes or large bumps (except on the dirt road-- more on that later). I was surprised by the conditions of the roads. I wasn't expecting them to be so great.
  
• The McDonald's drive thru is backwards. Yes. Backwards. Think about going in the out and out the in... that is how you do it ZA style. (photo below)
  
• There are random road blocks set up intermittently on the highway. Whether or not you have committed a traffic violation you must stop and show your driver's license. Murray (our friend from Freewalker) told us a few weeks ago that road blocks are pretty routine-- to check for unpaid traffic violation fines and/or expired driver's licenses.
  
• When a sign says "Do not feed the baboons," you should stay in your car and NOT feed the baboons. You should do some research on baboons and figure out why feeding them would be a bad idea!
  
• The Chrysler Sparklite is NOT a 4x4... it does NOT have off-roading capabilities. In fact, it is probably the smallest car in the world.
  

Away we go! 

A bit nervous to start...

It was so difficult to remember to stay on the left side. And so strange.

120kph = 74.6mph

We had to go through the McDonald's drive thru!

There were some seriously huge mountains along highway N2-- what the locals call "The Garden Route"

On our first trip in the Sparklite we drove to Tsitsikamma National Park-- about two hours southeast of Port Elizabeth. Why were we driving to Tsitsikamma you ask? To zip-line!

Gearing up!

Britt and I are ready to rock!

The waterfalls that we crossed.
  

It went so fast! There wasn't enough time to be scared...

We had an awesome day driving through ZA, flying through her trees and over her waterfalls.

On Friday we took the good 'ole Sparklite off-roading to Kwantu-- a wildlife reserve on the other side of PE. What an adventure that was! I will post more on that tomorrow. Until then... drive safely!!

Peace,

Sarah