This highway doubles as a sidewalk for uniformed children walking hand in hand. It’s also a good place to sell fruit or baskets. On – not off – the highway.
Our driver is doing a pretty good job for someone driving for the first time in his life. What’s important, what it all really comes down to, is that no matter what lane he’s driving in – oncoming or ongoing or shoulder – and no matter what gear he is driving in on the highway – forward or reverse – he makes sure not to collide with another car. Or schoolchild. Or cow.
We stopped at a toll booth nearly empty on fuel.
“How far to the next petrol station?” he asks the booth attendant.
“35km ahead.”
“Oh no, I don’t have enough to get that far.”
“There is one you just passed.”
“How can I reach it?”
“Reverse out of here and go back a couple km.”
Of course, the attendant meant to reverse out of the toll booth, turn around, and then cross over onto the other side of the highway until the proper exit. But our driver took the directions literally. He put the car in reverse and kept it in reverse all the way to the petrol station. Against traffic. In the far lane. On the highway. Several kilometers. All the way to the petrol station.
