Its funny how I miss my little red Zen. The one I took for granted all these years. They say you don’t know the value of something till its gone. So true. I have to admit I’ve never really been a car person. I guess that was because I lived in a city like Mumbai, where the last thing you needed was a car. Any Mumbai person knows that the frustration of trying to find a parking spot is lesser than the frustration of a bumpy auto ride to your destination. Either way, I still had the car in my garage, just incase I needed it. Having moved to Austria (Yes, I’ve started accepting that I moved to Austria and not the UK), I have managed to find myself in situations, where life without car seems very similar to prison life.
Situation 1 – Missed the bus to the city and got drenched walking from the bus station to my hotel, depressed over the fact that I couldn’t make it to Capoeira
Situation 2 – Missed the bus back to the village from the city, making me hitchhike till the motorway and walk 2 hours
Permanent Situation – Being stuck. No explanation required. The feeling of being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Well, the issue here is not about the car. I guess I could get one or borrow one or rent one if I wanted. I don’t have a license to drive in Europe. I’ve been told that you can drive for the first 6 months with your Indian license, but honestly I don’t know if Austrians know that. I didn’t take an International license in India due to the bureaucracy. I haven’t applied for a driving license in the UK because I have to go back to driving school and write tests et all. I guess its the same story for Europe. Call me lazy or whatever, I just think I should be allowed to drive here.
What do you think I should do?
Should I try this story with a car rental and see if they will let me hit the road in Europe with my Indian license. After all, If I can drive in India amidst all the traffic and the occasional elephant, shouldn’t driving in Europe be a piece of cake?
Or, should I just accept the fact that from cars to bikes to scooters to bicycles, I’ve finally reached a situation where it will be me, my two legs and miles to go?
…… any other thoughts?
Hey, won’t it be difficult to drive since the driver’s seat would be on the left?!
I guess so but its like using the controls of the video game the other way 🙂