human CHRONICLES 24 click pictures. A short spin in the neighbouring parking lot of a trucking company gave me the courage to conquer the English countryside. Absolute Power There is a sense of absolute power in driving a manual car. My left hand caressed the leather-bound shift and refused to leave it. I learned to drive with just my right hand. It took me some time to subconsciously open the correct door to get in and drive! By the end of the day I thought the constant shifting of gears and flexing of elbows and knees would take its toll. But I was surprised at how well my body accepted the challenge. My wife and I were very vigilant to keep to the right [left!] side of the road and getting into the lane early enough at roundabouts. I kept repeating in my head, “Keep left”. My wife kept repeating, “Keep your distance, watch the lanes, to the left, to the left”. After a long stretch of highway I forgot about the clutch, the engine turned off, and we jerked into the middle of a roundabout! Luckily there were no cars bearing in on us. Despite the minor challenges it was a pleasure to drive around the English countryside. Round and about Roundabouts in England come in different shapes and sizes, and few of them have traffic lights. A stretched roundabout can bridge over highways and let loose six or more exits. Getting into the dedicated lane before entering a roundabout takes coordination between the navigator’s interpretation of Google maps and the driver’s skill to push into other lanes. We went round and about a couple of times doing complete loops at many roundabouts before exiting. We took the wrong exit a few times and came back fighting among ourselves and our egos. Soon I learned to don the mask of a Brit with a stiff upper lip. On the first day itself we drove down a narrow country road; ‘was it deliberate or an accident’ is still a matter of heated discussion. At a blind turning going downhill, we stole up in front of a massive farm tractor with a zillion
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