Negotiating your way around the highways of a foreign land can be an intimidating experience for the uninitiated.
To take a leap from the comparatively deserted roads of New Zealand (especially Dunedin where it takes less to half an hour to drive nearly anywhere in the city limits) to some of the busiest roads in the world takes some adjusting.
I've been fortunate enough (or unfortunate, depending on your view) to drive in both Jakarta and Bangkok, which are two of the busiest cities in the world. I haven't driven in India or China which I hear can be quite perilous as well.
What follows are some observations and tips which will hopefully see you right when you hop onto a scooter/motorbike/rental vehicle of some description in said countries. I won't claim to be an absolute expert on the matter but I didn't crash in either place which must count for something, right?
I should note that I actually had a lot of fun driving in both of these places. You have to keep your wits about you though, because the roads are quite different to the West.
*In Bangkok, during rush hour the public transport such as the free public buses, the MRT and the Subway are the best option to avoid driving and getting caught in gridlocked traffic.
*In Jakarta, the public transport system is seriously lacking, and the footpaths are mostly terrible and sometimes non existent. So have a crack at driving yourself - expect a lot of traffic though.
*Direction:
In Indonesia and Thailand they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheels are on the right, just like in Australia and New Zealand, so no problems there. In other parts of Asia they drive on the right.
*Licenses:
Technically you should get an international driver's license before driving away from your home country but I didn't. In Phuket a cop stopped me on a scooter and seemed to accept my New Zealand driver's license. I've heard of people being harangued by police in Bali for bribes from minor infractions so I guess there is no solid rule.
*Traffic:
There are a shit load more cars on the road. Like ten times as many. This means more traffic and generally more frustration. Bring a book for those long journeys (such as the trip to the supermarket around the corner). Scooters are good cause you can weave around cars a lot of the time and save yourself time. Just don't fall off.
*Air conditioning:
It's a must in hot climates. Make sure to close the vents inside your car or you will be breathing in a lot of exhaust from the car in front of you.
Lack of indication:
Generally, indicators are underused. Often a car will begin merging with little warning so be super vigilant.
Motorbikes and scooters:
They are everywhere.. Especially in Jakarta. Check your mirrors because often a guy, or a whole family may be just centimetres from your vehicle.
Sudden stopping, overuse of hazard lights:
In Bangkok, a lot of taxis seem to just stop in lanes of traffic, put on their hazard lights and pick up or drop off people (a lot of the roads don't have an area to pull over, just high curbs). This creates traffic buildup and eventually cars start weaving around the stopped vehicle and into other lanes of traffic. This is a prime spot for accidents so be careful.
Aggression:
Don't expect people to give way. After a couple of weeks of driving you'll understand why. When people spend approximately ten times longer in traffic than they'd like; they become a bit frustrated. They are not prone to letting others in front of them because there are so many damn cars around. It's like opening the flood gates. Being considerate is great, but expect to be taken advantage of.
After a few weeks in Jakarta I was opportunistically cutting people off like everyone else. Why? Because it seems you could die waiting an intersection waiting for someone to let you in.
Driving the wrong way up a road:
This is common. Especially for motor bikers, they will usually stick to the very far right side of the road coming towards you. Again, stay alert.
Safety, or lack thereof:
You will see many things on South East Asia Roads that would make a safety minded bureaucrat run for the hills. Backs of pickup trucks crammed with workers, scooters overloaded with families, people texting while driving, children who are clearly too young to have gotten their licenses with no helmets, giant trucks or vehicles with loads that are so precariously balanced that look like they may fall off at any moment. Get used to it. The police do their job, sometimes. I hear that they are grossly underpaid and as a result corruption is rampant.
Speed:
Some places have speed limits, others do not. In reality, there is so much traffic in most places you'd be happy doing 40 kph.
In sum, it is quite a transition from a quiet, regulated Western road to a big, pulsating mass of traffic and frequent bad driving (I am not implying there's not plenty of bad driving in the West by the way).
BUT, it can be fun driving in Asia and you should give it a go if you can.
I would not suggest driving during peak hour traffic because that it would more accurately be described as sitting stationary in your vehicle with the engine running. It can take literally hours to drive a couple of kilometers during peak hour. At those times, best to grab a tuk tuk or ojek - have fun!
If anybody actually reads this, I would be interested to read about your driving experiences abroad....
