The Road Ahead

There are a couple of things I really really love about Oman. The first is that gas prices are low and set. This means tha tyou can stop at any gas station and the price will be the same. No hunting for the cheapest gas prices AND they pump it for you! Love it!



I also love the driving circles called round abouts. At first they scared the pants off of me. I sweated just thinking about it. I refused to drive for a long time...I observed and cringed. Then one day I had to get behind the wheel. I am a driver...I love driving. I am the crazy Texan who took a bright red pontiac sunfire into Manhattan and drove around New York City like a pro. Everyone else freaked out, but I had fun. Anyway, there aren't many stop lights here...or stop signs like at home. Start, stop, start, stop. That is the old rhythm. The new one can be relatively smooth if done correctly. Ideally, you come to a circle, watch the traffic pattern, glide onto the center and go around until you meet your exit. It can be beautiful! I love it. One day I got to my destination with NO stops...I repeat NO STOPS! That is what I am talking about. Smooth sailing. And it was so much fun sweeping around the circles. So efficient.

Also, I have met a lot of really nice drivers who let me in when I have to make a left turn. More than in Texas.

Also, the speed limits are higher and I have this nice feature on my car that it beeps when I reach the max speed alotted on the highway...that means I can drive and not have to glance at my speedometer...and that is so great for me! Of course, if I choose to stay in the realm of the actual speed limit it annoying beeps the whole time...but I shouldn't complain...it is more helpful than not.

I also particularly enjoy the opportunities we get to do some offroading. Because there is so much construction and sewer installments, a lot of the roads are just piles of dirt and rock. I don't know how people make it here without 4 wheel drive. I have had the pleasure of using it multiple times while exploring my own neighborhood. It is quite fun! Really, I am not being sarcastic at all. I love it. I particularly like seeing the itty bitty cars try to make it through some of the areas I ram through. They drive so daintily and I just mow on through. Great fun. Makes me feel powerful.

the downside:

Of course, IDEALLY the driving system of Round abouts is great. If you drive the way it is set up then everything just F L O W S and it can be a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, there are lots of nuts on the road and they mess it up for everyone. There are a lot of idiots out there who simply don't care. I think they must take the In'shaallah attitude to the next level. "Inshallah if I live or die" "Inshallah if the people around me live or die." And that is a scary thing. Today my kids got home late from school and I KNEW that some idiot had wrecked into them. Sure enough my little angels jumped off of the bus and exclaimed to me that "Mommy! We got wrecked into!" (the girls were just fine!) This was not news to my ears. Not at all. The school confirmed that the accident occured on a round about.

So I do love driving here...it is an adrenaline rush.