Road Rules for Bali.

(Note: these rules DO NOT apply for most other countries!)

• The aim of the game is to keep the traffic flowing at all times.

• The emergency lane is acceptable as another lane.

• Driving on the wrong side of the road is acceptable, especially when overtaking 10 cars.

• Look out for the hundreds of scooters that will be driving all around you.

• Don’t be afraid to get nice and close to the other cars when you’re in heavy traffic – even if this means there’s like 6 cars on all sides of you, you’ll get through eventually.

• Driving on the dotted line between two lanes is acceptable – particularly if you’re a taxi driver. Why is it that taxi drivers drive like crazy people?

• Need to park? Driving onto the wrong side of the road to park your car is okay. Make everybody’s day by parking in a tiny lane so you clog up the traffic. (Sarcasm!!!)

• Use your horn liberally to let other people know you’re coming up beside them.

• There isn’t a lot of road rage here, everybody seems pretty happy to let others in to keep everybody moving. Leave your fury at home!

• As a passenger, closing your eyes when the driving gets particularly hairy is definitely advised.

• Driving a scooter with a small child on your lap, while not advised, is practiced here. I even saw one man with his wife, toddler and their puppy, all on one scooter.

• If you get motion sickness, the roads in Bali are probably not going to be great for you. Pot holes and tiny winding roads galore!

• As a pedestrian, you’ve got to be brave when crossing the road or you’ll never get to where you’re going. Walk slowly, because the cars will stop but the scooters will just go around you. By the end of your trip you’ll be walking out into incoming traffic like a local :) (Probably not a good idea to try this at home, though.)

More to come about the rest of my trip later :)