A week or so before we left for this vacation, Mom suggested that it might be a good idea to rent a car. I concurred. The resort we'd be staying at looked to be a good distance from the airport. There would be a small town about a mile down the road, but it was unclear how often or reliably the local "safari bus" ran. Taxis were a possibility but could get expensive quickly, and walking to town didn't sound like a real viable option. So Mom set about to reserve the car, provided I would agree to drive it.
See, they drive on the left side of the road in the Virgin Islands.
I said yes and figured it would be an adventure.
When we landed, our little red Ford Focus* was waiting for us. Things didn't get off to a tremendous start owing to my driving out of the lot with the parking brake on.
(Which, really- why? I feel like this should not be held against me.)
Once I'd gotten the parking brake off (and put the car in D instead of L**), the transition out of the airport and on to the real roads was actually pretty smooth. You drive on a one-way road that merges gently from the left into the two-way traffic.
Ugh, but then you have to make a turn.
So as I discovered during my four days puttering around, driving in the left lane isn't that hard. It's just like driving in the passing lane of a two-lane road. What is much more difficult is navigating turns from the left lane. You have to really think about which way traffic is coming from, and which lane you need to go toward, and convince your brain that what it wants to do is wrong. I was honked at more than once for not turning left quickly enough. And the roundabout! Those are complicated enough when I'm driving at home!
I'm happy to report that there were no major incidents, though, and actually the most challenging part of driving had nothing to do with what side of the road I was on. The most challenging thing was the actual roads themselves.
The islands of St. Thomas and St. John are small and hilly. To get from point A to point B, one has to follow the terrain, which usually means going up and over. And in such a compact space...have you ever wondered what it would be like to drive in MarioKart but for real?!?!
Imagine careening down a 45 degree slope, and also making a hairpin turn halfway through. Or coming over the crest of a hill so steep that you can't see which direction the road continues until you get there. And the speed bumps! They really like their speed bumps. Potholes too- the abandoned red and green shells of the course, if you will.
Another unique driving experience was taking the car ferry over to St. John. They are only able to load and unload the ferry from one end. Therefore, in order for cars to drive off the ferry facing forwards, those cars have to load the ferry facing backwards. It is already a little nerve-wracking driving your vehicle onto a barge that's listing just ever-so-slightly back and forth. Having to do so backwards, and then having to fit the car in a narrow lane and within a foot of the car behind you, just seems like a lot to ask. And when I really thought about it...wouldn't it be easier to back off the ferry? Because the spacious parking lot where you'd make the Y turn would be more forgiving to a small error than the cramped boat, no?
But all's well that ends well. I managed to successfully navigate the ferry situation both to and from St. John, and felt like, overall, the driving on the left and in the hilly terrain went fine.
(This minor damage to the rental car might tell a different tale, but it popped right back in so MOVE ALONG FOLKS, NOTHING TO SEE HERE.)
*It was little and red like Stella but it was NOT Stella. It smelled vaguely of cigarette smoke and was not nearly as fuel-efficient. I called him Stanley instead.
**What does the L stand for, anyway?
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