h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi!

It is so true what you right about them! A few weeks ago my father and I went from Berlin towards Föhr - one of the Nordfriesischen Inseln - by car. Still in Berlin we got into our first Stau. And just after we passed that one, there was the next! And another! Well, we sure had fun...

BTW, great entry!

Methos

Thanks a lot
I had muuuuuch time to take my notes for writing the entry, while standing, well, you guess it

Yeah, I can guess...

And then there is that phenomenon when every driver in the Stau drives just a little left - or right - to maybe see what is the cause of all that standing...

Methos

... and motorcycles speeding between the lanes. Once it saved my life (ok, not that, but my car) to drive halfway offset to the car in front. They hit the brakes and I stopped right side-by-side to them

Hey, and then there are that really clever drivers who take that emergency lane... I hate those. But that could be because my father never takes that one...

BTW, I don't have a driver's license, so all I say here is from the perspective of a front passenger.

Methos

Now do you wear a pair of Yoo-Janta peril sensitive sunglasses when being a front passenger?

That were those glasses which go perfectly black when things get a little dangerous, weren't it?

No, I don't wear them. 'Cause I don't need them! I belong to the very special -a nd rare - species of absolutely fearless front passengers.

Methos

Oh you must have had some terrible training in Mongolia

Actually I was fearless even before I went to Mongolia. But after experiencing the joys of the traffic of Ulaanbaatar - the Mongolian capital - I got a fearless passant, too.

You know, it's like: Traffic lights? Oh yes, but who cares? Pedestrians? Oh yes, but who cares? - Seriously, I've always wondered what would happen if a pedestrian wouldn't jump back at the right moment. On the other hand, this is like a rule, too. You know, if you are a pedestrian and you want to live, you just have to be careful...

But hey, the first few days, I wondered how to get across that damn street. But after a few more days I got used to it. And back in Berlin, it irritated me terriblby that cars actually stopped in front of a red traffic light.

Methos

Oh, have you seen this entry: Berlin by Car, http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A580998 ?

I wouldn't bet a single Pfennig on car drivers sticking to the rules

I wouldn't contradict you there.

The difference is, in Germany you break the rules, but in Mongolia it's the rule to break the rule. Do I make any sense here?

Methos

Oh yes, perfectly! Perhaps the tickets are too cheap in Mongolia? Or the police are only equipped with, err... uuggh, what are they, yaks? camels?

Well, I don't know anything about tickets in Mongolia and I've never seen a policemen. Oh, no wait...

I stayed with the sister from a friend and her boyfriend took me sight-seeing on my first day. When we couldn't get across the damn street because of the traffic (!) - he just stopped a friend who drove by and that man was a policemen. Hey, but he didn't drive any different then all the others.

Methos

P.S.: There are both camels and yaks in Mongolia. As a matter of fact Mongolia has the highest population of camels - the ones with two humps - in the world!