I can see that all phillo drivers have taken the Italian driving course before failing their phillo one. Have you ever driven in Italy? That would have to be the worst countryfor drivers, and I visited 18 countries last time I went OS, Bill

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Ooh how topical, my son in law picked us up from Manila Airport last night and drove us back to the hotel, he is a relatively new driver having just bought his car about four months ago (I the licence came in the glove box), so he is cautious in the extreme, and I can honestly say that being timid and driving in Manila just does not work.

When you are o your way here they hand out packs on the plane, these packs included a blind fold, and I thought it was to help you sleep on the plane, but clearly I misunderstood, these were passenger calming devices. Many times I wished I had mine.

For those of you who know Manila just imagine a timid driver that has not yet discovered the indicators, and thinks the lines on the road are meant to go down the middle of the car.

I had a Philippine drivers licence (expired), I bought it years ago.

The drivers hadbook

WE all complain about Australian drivers, until we have spent some time in some of the less well disciplined road systems. Then you come back to Australia and you realise just how good Aussie drivers really are.

You also realize how ordered Australian society is, we queue properly, we only cross at the proper crossings, etc. We are like a boring bunch of well behaved sheep!

I went for a drive yesterday, I borrowed my step son's new car and traveled about 60k out of Manila.

Lets start from the beginning, we hopped in a cab at the Holiday Inn, to travel the 5k out to where we would pick up the car, it was straight along Ortigas Avenue which is now six lanes, in the morning it is configured as 4 in, and 2 out. It was busy in both directions. At one point the van beside our taxi stopped to let a car turn left (driving on the right so left turn is across the traffic) across in front of him, because he stopped our taxi had no choice.  

That one car that was turning left was then followed by dozens more, thus the flow of traffic out of the city was stopped for maybe two minutes, when a traffic enforcer arrived and stopped the stream of cars turning left, we were faced with six lanes of traffic heading in the opposite direction!

I am not sure if the taxi driver shut his eyes as he drove head first into it or not, but gradually it just all squashed back into the four lanes heading the other way.

We picked up the car, and now it was my turn. I have to admit I actually sort of enjoy driving here. It is like playing a PC based video war game, but instead of dealing with two or three threats at a time you are having to handle dozens. The worst two are jeepneys (a large extended WW2 Jeep used as a type of public transport, they stop anywhere, and are typically very well skilled traffic bullies, with their huge front bumpers made out of railway line), and todas (a tricycle based on a 50 or 100cc motorbike, that is used like a small local taxi carrying up to 5 or 6 people). At intersections traffic goes in all directions, and basically you take advantage of any gap to get through.

There are official road rules, they mean little. The basic rule that all road users appear to operate by is to make progress as you can, and watch out for everyone else. The front of your vehicle is your responsibility, the sides and the back are other peoples problem. It sounds chaotic, and it is, but it works mainly because of the low speed of the traffic.

It's more fun in the Philippines!