Driving

One of the more interesting things about Malaysia has been the driving. Since they were originally settled by the British, they drive on the "wrong" side of the road. Many people have dealt with that and learned how to maneuver around in a new country with little problem. But the difference over here seems to be the "scooters". (I would use the term Harley-Davidson or motorcycle, but these are really just scooters.) They are EVERYWHERE!
The rules are different for scooters over here than they are in the states. Two cars will be driving down the road side-by-side and the scooter wants to pass. NO PROBLEM! Just drive on the white dash-line in between the cars. (This often happens on BOTH sides of you when on a 3-lane highway.) They will also pass you on the shoulder, or just go back and forth between road/shoulder. When you come to a stoplight, watch out. The scooters drive up between the parked cars, surrounding them, and get in front of the first car in line. As soon as the light changes to green, off they all go, leaving the cars to follow. We have seen at least a dozen scooters "scoot" up at a light and "surround" your car waiting for it to change. I'm sure you're thinking that since I live in the jungle, this is how the people drive. But in Johor Buhru and Kuala Lumpur, the same thing happens.
Another interesting sight is how many persons they fit on a scooter. Cars are expensive over here so I am sure this is a much cheaper method of transportation for the people. The law is that all adult riders must wear a helmet and that law seems to be followed. However, a scooter will pass you with a small child STANDING in front of the driver hanging on to the handlebars. There is obviously no law about helmets for children! Some have looked as young as a year--barely able to stand. We have also seen "families" on a scooter. Dad driving, baby standing up in front, another small child behind Dad, then Mom on the back. With our strict safety laws for children in the US, this has been difficult to accept.
The Malaysian culture is VERY laid back--almost to a fault. They move slowly, they think slowly, they work slowly. But we have determined that the ONE thing they get in a hurry about is getting from point A to point B in a car or scooter. They just drive everywhere like it is an EMERGENCY! Of course once they arrive, they stand around--but hey--they got there quickly.
Having said all that, I don't drive over here. OK, we live in a gated area and I have driven twice up and down our almost empty streets. Jeff, however, drives us to areas that are close by in proximity. I am his "scooter scout" and let him know when/where they are coming up on each side of the car. (It is an important job, you know.) They opened a new mall about the time we moved here, and it is 15 minutes from where we live and mostly highway. That has been a life-saver, because we now are able to get groceries all by ourselves! Jeff's relocation package includes "driving lessons", but the company hasn't found anyone over here to give him the lessons. I'm not sure what that means! The reality is that for HIS protection from liability, it is best if he doesn't drive. He is interviewing for a full-time driver for us now, and it looks like that should be in place in the next week or two, allowing us to just enjoy the scenery and not having to worry about crashing into a family on a scooter. That is never a good thing to have to worry about!