Nice people thread part 6 - thrice by twice as nice :)

CKhalvashi

mystic_trev wrote: »

I find driving in the UK boring, and it's certainly no fun here in the SE.

Give me driving on the right, wether it's through downtown Chicago or up a Mountain in Chile.

If you want a go at real driving, try Moscow in winter. No-one indicates, everyone drives at normal speed, and it's really fun. I've happily done it in £60k of Jag, and didn't smash once!

I'm scared of driving in the UK, not due to my own driving, but because I'm scared of what others are going to do. Moscow's the same, but noone seems to crash! Went out to see the Gypsies in Korolyov in January, and it's brilliant!

CK

Nikkster

PasturesNew wrote: »

When I saw it, it was "other vehicle" overload - so much so that I nearly completely missed the runner as you've no idea where they are in the procession.

Advice to anybody going is: make sure you can see the most length of the oncoming convoy .... and get a "spotter" to spot where the runner is and to give you a warning they're about to come past!

I got a snap, although I was turning round and spotted she'd gone past, so I aimed and clicked... expecting to get a blurry shoe

I agree. I'm glad we went, but my particular highlight were the 2 oldies that followed behind the convoy in their mobility buggy thing. They got the loudest cheer too! I also quite liked standing in the middle of the road - small minds and all that

PasturesNew

Nikkster wrote: »

I agree. I'm glad we went, but my particular highlight were the 2 oldies that followed behind the convoy in their mobility buggy thing. They got the loudest cheer too! I also quite liked standing in the middle of the road - small minds and all that

You couldn't have stood in the middle of the road where I was. I'd started on the other side of the road, but once the convoy started coming through they'd let a bunch of 'regular vehicles' through heading towards it, then stopped them dead... so suddenly, as it started and I tried to take some snaps, I was photographing a car roof from about 1' away.... so I waited for a gap and crossed the road, but it was twisty/winding and there were some big flags up... so I was on a wall ... and couldn't see it approaching/had no idea where the runner was... so turned to jump off the wall and realised she'd just passed me. The bus in front of her (man/camera hanging out the back so that's probably the TV view) was probably just 6' from her nose....

JonnyBravo

CKhalvashi wrote: »

I'm scared of driving in the UK, not due to my own driving, but because I'm scared of what others are going to do. Moscow's the same, but noone seems to crash!

:rotfl:

What?
Have you been drinking?
Moscow's roads are some of the most dangerous.
Plenty of Youtube clips of Moscow crashes and nothing else.

CKhalvashi

JonnyBravo wrote: »

:rotfl:

What?
Have you been drinking?
Moscow's roads are some of the most dangerous.
Plenty of Youtube clips of Moscow crashes and nothing else.

I have never had an accident in Moscow, and my driving does fit in well with the locals.

I've never been in the Levosoko tunnel, so can't vouch for that one, but driving out there isn't that hard!

CK

JonnyBravo

CKhalvashi wrote: »

I have never had an accident in Moscow, and my driving does fit in well with the locals.

I've never been in the Levosoko tunnel, so can't vouch for that one, but driving out there isn't that hard!

CK

Driving anywhere isn't that hard.
A lot of the "difficulty" depends on the attitude of others though. Youtube has plenty of examples of why Moscow's roads are so deadly even for those driving sensibly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NId_3ZU_rjo

PasturesNew

It's been horribly overcast/grey and drizzly all day ... and cold. Cold, bleak, grey and horrible.

Bet the tourists are impressed....

lostinrates

I feel fine now, glad i did not waste hours in hospital.

Hope there is a decent film on tv tonight. Its film, soup and snuggle weather tonight imo. I am going to put some pjs on in prep for this. We had a pub lunch and i am not cooking tonight. This week and weekend i have to finish emptying the five rooms the builders get for the first week. I get two of them back v, quickly, hopefully before that Weekend i plan to have a few friends arriving! I have said i need a cooker by then, but don't mind if i only get it the day before.

lostinrates

JonnyBravo wrote: »

Driving anywhere isn't that hard.
A lot of the "difficulty" depends on the attitude of others though. Youtube has plenty of examples of why Moscow's roads are so deadly even for those driving sensibly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NId_3ZU_rjo

Driving also depends on conditions. Driving in france i love, but driving through france in torrential rain that obscured the view beyond the end of my bonnet was not fun. Now was driving through mist that i could not even see that far, just a vague blur of my lights infront. Driving into italy after a day of the worlds worst driving weather infrance was also hairraising. I like driving, and yet i admit i had white knuckles that evening. I never crashed or got hit in italy, and i am sure it was my uk plates that kept the car safe...people thinking they did not trust my reaction times.

vivatifosi

lostinrates wrote: »

Driving also depends on conditions. Driving in france i love, but driving through france in torrential rain that obscured the view beyond the end of my bonnet was not fun. Now was driving through mist that i could not even see that far, just a vague blur of my lights infront. Driving into italy after a day of the worlds worst driving weather infrance was also hairraising. I like driving, and yet i admit i had white knuckles that evening. I never crashed or got hit in italy, and i am sure it was my uk plates that kept the car safe...people thinking they did not trust my reaction times.

I enjoy driving abroad, but I have had some shocking experiences with the weather. Probably my least favourite journey was on I4 in Florida, with a small tornado in my rear view mirror for a not insubstantial amount of time. I watch those storm chaser documentaries on TV (which wouldn't have bothered with my piffling little tornado) and just think "why do they do that"?