Driving Me "Nuts"!

Nuts!

Literally, I went to buy nuts.

I went to Lebanese Roaster on Nadja Street (aka Fatima bint Mubarak Street) to get some roasted nuts (they have the highest ratings and they do coffee and Turkish delights too).

Inside Lebanese Roaster

When I walked back to the car, I found another car parked perpendicularly to mine with no notes on window whatsoever. What could I do?  

The red car parked right across my front

I opened the door.  Sat down.  Started the car for aircon.  Put my phone onto the holder.  Set the GPS.  Strapped the safety belt on myself.  Had a drink of water. Then? 

I honked!

Then a guy sitting on a stool right behind my car ran to move the car away?!!!! I couldn't believe that he just sat there all this time and didn't do anything until I honked?!

I've rented a car for a week and driving around town was extremely stressful because it was a near-death experience.  They don't care about rules so the list of their outrageous behaviour is long.

- They turn left from the go forward lane

- They don't observe speed limits

- They reverse in high speed without looking

- They double-, triple- and quadruple-park

- If you signal to change lanes, they would put their foot down on the gas from miles away

- They don't wait when others are parking, they would just shoot through any narrow passage possible

- They blink and honk at you when they don't want to slow down despite there are other cars in front

- They drive with two wheels on kerb

- They don't stick to their side of the road and drive in any direction they like

- They don't give way

- They park wherever they like

The perfect location to park, at the end of a U-turn lane?

When I was looking for a parking space near the Spice Souq in Dubai, I was weaving in the back alleys where the lanes were supposed to be one-way traffic. Apparently, that applies only to some!  I found a parking space available and was going to get in.  Then I saw a car from the perpendicular lane reversing in high speed into my lane, wobbling over the pavement and then stumbled back onto the road and took my space!!!!!!  Not that he was doing it very skilfully.  It was more because of how dangerous his manoeuvre looked that I'd rather sit back and let him take the space.

The red arrow bit shows how he reversed into my lane

Entrance of the Spice Souq

On the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway, the car in front of me was constantly leaving a wide berth on his left and he kept over-compensating.  So I kept a wide berth from him; not the others though.  When the car eventually rode right in the middle of two lanes, two cars drove up and sandwiched it.  I thought that was it.  Three cars driving on two lanes in a speed of 130km/hour; they were going to crash right under my nose!!!!  

When I told the staff at the car rental company about that story, two of them said simultaneously, "must be locals".

Everyday, what I hear outside the window is car skidding sound or honking or the occasional "bangs!"

Now that I have returned the car.  I'm taking a break and reconsidering if I should take a car out again.  

Inside the Spice Souq