The last two Sundays have seen heavy rain in Bodrum and by heavy, I mean torrential. Imagine a bath upturned on your head. On days like this I'd rather stay on the sofa with a good book, but our newest family member has to venture out a few times a day. I try and live by the line "there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing" and have the full wet weather gear; rain hat, long mac and high boots and thanks to a great buy from Amazon, Jake has a waxed jacket to keep some of him dry. Because we spend the winter in the centre of Bodrum, to get to any pedestrian or green area we have to negotiate the town's original narrow roads. In the past, these roads would turn into rivers as the water from the surrounding hills funnelled down to the sea. Floods are rare now, but the new drains struggle to cope and when it's really pouring, six inches of water sits on the road surface. We have no choice but to use these narrow lanes and as I walked along last week I conducted my own anthropological survey. 32 cars drove by us as we walked along Turgut Reis Caddesi, 29 slowed down before reaching us and passed without a big splash. 3 cars made no attempt to slow down and sent an impressive wave up and under my mac, and over Jake's head. The considerate drivers were all 48 plates, i.e. from the local area. The other 3 were from Izmir and Istanbul. Not a scientific study I know, but one that unfortunately confirms the stereotype of city drivers that we all believe anyway.
I feel like those 34-license plates make a point to splash as much as possible :) I probably look like a drunk when its raining, but I really make a point now to avoid big road puddles and on-coming traffic in this city after 2 or 3 hard (and wet) earned lessons. Hope you got some warm tea after such a sloppy walk.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately these roads are one big puddle - no avoiding them.
DeleteWe get some torrential rain here...and streets in San Jose can be like rivers in no time, which is why pavements are high.
ReplyDeleteI've yet to see splashing....but there would be no way to differentiate between town and country dwellers by number plate anyway.
Jake looks decidedly smart!
He does look smart doesn't he. I have to chase him around the room to put it on though.
DeleteOur narrow roads are too small for pavements - hence no avoiding the cars.
I hope Jake appreciates how you suffer for him. Jx
ReplyDeleteHe has brought us great joy - he is such a funny character.
DeleteAh, the inconsiderate drivers from the big city, speeding around in their Nissan tanks. How I remember them well! BCSD always sprang to mind :-)
ReplyDeleteBCTinyD - more like.
DeleteThere's not much anyone in this town can do to avoid splashing pedestrians. However, as an ex-Londoner, I greatly appreciate any effort.
ReplyDeleteJake does look very smart in his waterproofs.
I'm amazed so many of the local drivers here slow down in wet weather.
DeleteIncredible points. Solid arguments. Keep up the great spirit.
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I'm more likely to be splashed by a tractor or flock of sheep if I venture out here. No puddles as such, just pools of mud. But I know what you mean about those Bodrum streets. It's bad enough dodging the traffic in the summer without pavements, but this weather must be a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteI love Jake's raincoat. I should get one for Poppy next time I'm in England. She only has a jumper for cold weather at the moment.
Poppy would look very dapper in a mini coat.
DeleteHmmm. . . I have to say that drivers here go as fast as possible and don't bother to slow up for anything or anybody. When they flash their lights at you, I learned that it doesn't mean you can proceed across the street in front of them. It means "Proceed at your own risk." There are never any police to control this, maybe because they're afraid to try.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like having a dog to get you up and getting a little exercise every day.
Exactly- You can take the driver out of Istanbul but....
DeleteHello:
ReplyDeleteHow we hate inconsiderate drivers such as you describe here and often have a similar experience when out walking the city streets in the rain. Most often for us the drenching seems to happen when waiting to cross the road.
A well placed umbrella spike often dissuades drivers from splashing by at traffic lights.
DeleteAll of this may depend on where you live. The roads here are great since all the new drainage has been done but there's one little stretch where it's just not worked. It's right by some traffic lights so if they're on green, cars hurtle towards them from a distance to try and get through...leaving us drenched!! :)
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed with Fethiye's roads when I drove through in September. Shocked by the amount of traffic though.
DeleteSorry - too busy admiring Jake's coat (and his similarity to Darwin) to spare much time for a considered reply - though I think you're probably right about townies being less considerate. Off to scour Amazon for a snazzy raincoat for my dog!! (You didn't notice if they did matching dog wellies, did you?) Axxx
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. . they are also the ones who drive in the most aggressive and dangerous way (mostly) (added to make the observation scientific!
ReplyDeleteThere is a certain desperation to 34 plate drivers.
DeleteJake is adorable!
ReplyDeleteThank you - we love him.
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Doesn't he look sweet? I bet you don't feel sweet when you get drenched yet again. I think big city drivers get so used to cutting in to get where they want to go that they stop noticing anyone else on the road.
ReplyDeleteThey cease to see pedestrians as people. In fact I don't think they register us at all.
DeleteWhat a cutie Jake is all dressed up....he even posed for you to take a photo of him before his venture outside.
ReplyDeleteI got a chuckle when I read that you counted on how many cars drove by.....and even noticed their plates and where they were from.
Hope the rain subsides....here we had tons of snow one day the next it rained and packed the snow and melted some....then overnight the temperature drops and the city turns into a sheet of ice. My friend is a Dr. in an emergency hospital and said during this rain and ice they can't keep up with broken limbs.
I'm so glad I'm not in the snow and ice. I'd probably be one of the casualties.
DeleteDear Bodrum, the study seems sound enough to me to be convincing. Our neighbors consider us; others may not. And here in the United States we seem to have lost--or misplaced--our civility. But kindness and thoughtfulness start with one person. That's what I try to remember as do you. Peace.
ReplyDelete