Crazy muzungus on wheels
Last night I was driving 20km/hr (12mph) on the main road. While those jeep commercials make four-wheel-driving look like soooooo much fun, when you have to bump and jump every hole and ravine, you pray for pavement after day 1. The context of this story - It was night and the road was quite slippery from the downpour that had happened that afternoon. I was scanning for the turnoff where a friend lives. A motorcycle was a behind me a bit.
I noticed a baby goat in the road and slammed on the brakes. I looked in my rearview mirror and the motorcyclist pulled up unsteadily next to me. He threw down his bike and was not very happy. In a similar situation in the U.S. I would have had three thoughts: "did I cause an accident/was it my fault/is the other person okay?" Here I thought "no/no/yes" mouthed that there was a goat in the road and gave him a "give me a break" look. Seriously, if this guy fell because of me he's not a very good driver. Plus, he didn't fall, because he pulled up next to me to express his discontentment. I'm a bit tired of having absolutely no room for error because I'm a muzungu (white person). My once friend splashed mud on a guy on a motorcycle with her truck as they were passing in the street and he demanded she buy him new clothes!
I turned onto the dirt road where my friend lived. The motorcycle followed me, not that I was too worried about this guy, as the car was locked and I had my cellphone to call in troops in the unlikely event I needed help. The road has a bit of a tricky uphill, and a young man and woman moved to the side as my truck struggled to go up. Unsuccessfully, as it turned out, since I kept sliding back. I tried a few times. I think the motorcycle tried to follow up once and then got the heck out of my why as I slid back towards it. This guy probably became convinced that I was actually trying to kill him, because he left. I popped out of the truck, smiled at the couple, asked if there was crazy guy on a bike around (I think the look they gave me was "nope, but there's a crazy white girl in a truck!"), and locked the wheels so I could engage the four-wheel drive. Two attempts later I made it up the hill to my friends house.
I know what you're thinking: "was the baby goat okay? Did the little guy make it?"
Indeed he did.
I noticed a baby goat in the road and slammed on the brakes. I looked in my rearview mirror and the motorcyclist pulled up unsteadily next to me. He threw down his bike and was not very happy. In a similar situation in the U.S. I would have had three thoughts: "did I cause an accident/was it my fault/is the other person okay?" Here I thought "no/no/yes" mouthed that there was a goat in the road and gave him a "give me a break" look. Seriously, if this guy fell because of me he's not a very good driver. Plus, he didn't fall, because he pulled up next to me to express his discontentment. I'm a bit tired of having absolutely no room for error because I'm a muzungu (white person). My once friend splashed mud on a guy on a motorcycle with her truck as they were passing in the street and he demanded she buy him new clothes!
I turned onto the dirt road where my friend lived. The motorcycle followed me, not that I was too worried about this guy, as the car was locked and I had my cellphone to call in troops in the unlikely event I needed help. The road has a bit of a tricky uphill, and a young man and woman moved to the side as my truck struggled to go up. Unsuccessfully, as it turned out, since I kept sliding back. I tried a few times. I think the motorcycle tried to follow up once and then got the heck out of my why as I slid back towards it. This guy probably became convinced that I was actually trying to kill him, because he left. I popped out of the truck, smiled at the couple, asked if there was crazy guy on a bike around (I think the look they gave me was "nope, but there's a crazy white girl in a truck!"), and locked the wheels so I could engage the four-wheel drive. Two attempts later I made it up the hill to my friends house.
I know what you're thinking: "was the baby goat okay? Did the little guy make it?"
Indeed he did.
posted by Sahara Sarah at 12:12 PM
3 Comments:
Sarah,
Being a motorcycle nut myself (kamikaze style in Athens) I share the thoughts of the unhappy cyclist who had the bad fortune to be behind you.
Down with the car drivers!!!
Tasos
That is what happens when you have big cars in lil' ol' Port-Empain! Watch it though. Don't want you under some nganga's spell... ;)
Cyclist - 2, Goat - 0
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