Driving in Sydney - Don't Forget your Puffer!

Yesterday was my first time driving in Sydney. Not only did I drive in the big city of Sydney (twice the size of T.O. and twice as many crazy drivers), but I did it on the other side of the road - the most nerve wracking experience ever! Part of my job requires travelling out to clients and doing work for them on-site. One of my clients (Sanitarium Pty Ltd - they make Weet-Bix cereal, the number 1 cereal brand in Australia!) resides on the Central Coast of NSW, about 1 1/2 hours north of Sydney. Yesterday was my first time going up there and that's when I had to drive.

Overall, the drive up there was okay. The hardest bit was getting out of the city during rush hour and onto the freeway. Once you are on the freeway, you're in the flow of traffic so it's not so bad. It's being in the city that gives you a heart attack. The first thing that freaked me out was the roundabouts. Some people think I'm a knob b/c I don't like them, but sometimes they're big and and confusing! Stuart thinks they are way better than 4 way stops, but in my opinion they're much more complicated. I have no idea who gives right-of-way when. I basically drive up, stop, and go in when I think it's right...it's not good, I know, but I don't know what else to do. I'm sure once I go through them a few more times, I'll think they're the best thing since sliced bread. That always happens...

My drive home wasn't as enjoyable as it was in the morning. The exit I was supposed to take to get home was closed so I had to take a detour. A detour in a city you hardly know = lost. And it was getting dark too when I got lost, which made it worse. As I was stopped at a roundabout, I thought it would be a good time to put on my headlights. As I flicked through the switches, I accidently high-beamed the car in front of me. Wish I knew what was coming when I did that. Buddy in the car got really pissed off at me, slammed on his brakes, through his car in park and got out to yell at me for high-beaming - right in the middle of traffic! So not only were my palms sweaty b/c I had to do a roundabout, but now I wanted to cry. After he laid into me, he took off, and I somehow found my way on the right path home. Phew! I was so happy to get home and off the roads. Hopefully next week when I do this again, I'll have a better go at it.
~Christine