Have you ever got lost ?

Have you ever lost your way when going somewhere ?

It can be a frustrating experience – especially if you are running late or meeting someone important – especially if you don’t know the person very well or to be more specific – well enough .

I seem to be specializing in getting lost and that too at the opportune moment .

Now let me put things in the correct perspective -  I am no dim wit. I am energetic , enthusiastic and pretty clued in too .  

I drive a great car with an amazing navigation system  , I travel distances over 150 km quite often and I move quite fast . This is the UAE after all and the roads and signs are the very best in the world

I also use Google maps and have tried WAZE ( on my smartphone )  and manage okay with both or so I think .

However I still manage to get lost on quite a few occasions  . This results in arguments , allegations , counter allegations and blame . Others in the car often gang up against me but I soldier on manfully !

Here are some of the scenarios .

1.       I have to go to a particular location . I feed it into both ;  the phone and car navigation system  just to be sure that all is well . Now ,  under normal circumstances both should take you to your destination without a fuss -  but no , that does not happen – at least not with me . So Waze tells me to turn left after 150 meters and the car navigation  tells me to go right after 200 . Now that’s quite a quandary to be put  in when you are on the highway , travelling at 100 kmph or more and looking for the exit while listening to the blues !  Having a back seat driver who does not drive and who has probably never been in the area does not help either  . Finally after going around in circles and squares  for some time I reached my destination- LATE . By then Waze and my car has decided to make up so to say and both informed me that I had “reached my destination”  . THANK YOU .

2.       I have to go to a particular location and I have a good idea where it is,  so I set off without using the navigation system and there my friends is where the trouble begins . The UAE being the UAE , sees roads  literally being built  overnight . You go on Thursday , you take the usual exit and then you turn right – Presto there is the place you had to go to . Childs play for a driver like me .  Come Friday morning and that exit has vanished without a by your leave  – there is now a diversion complete with a proper  road , signage etc and  of course the mandatory , “SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE” sign as well . Arrows point you in the direction of travel . However this is confusion confounded and before I know it ,  I am speeding along on the  highway to Oman  . Many detours, exits and phone calls later, I reach my destination ( if I am lucky ) and yes I am late.

3.       About 10 years or so ago I had to take my daughter for private tuition . It was a 10 minute journey , so you can say it was in the vicinity and just a few kilometers away from our house . I had seen the building umpteen times and had a good idea as to the direction of travel . So we set off on the first day . After a few kilometers , I saw the large grey building on the right and was thrilled . This was a no brainer or so I thought . So I took the right loop ( read EXIT ) . No sooner had I done that when I went through an underpass . When we resurfaced , there was no sign of the building . So I took another loop and returned the same way . Building on right – so far so good . This time I  took the left exit but frustratingly when I looked for the building , it was on the opposite side of the road and there was no way I could get to it . In a few seconds the road took me in the opposite direction to the building ! Needless to add I traversed the road twice  more and finally found the correct exit & the  building . No don’t laugh as I was almost crying . We were late as well .

4.       Once we decided to have an evening out at the Dragon mart which is a good 30 kilometers away . As I was not taking my car but   that of a relative , I was a trifle apprehensive as the lady who professed to be an expert on roads and who decided to be the navigator,   is actually more confused than I am . We set off  happily  and yes , before we knew it we had travelled about 45 km and there was no sign of the Building . Now I was on the highway to a place called Hatta . This time I can swear I was following someone else’s directions and that gave me a little consolation so I was relaxed and smiling  . We must have gone up and down the same highway  a couple of times , taken various exits, loops , bridges , fly overs and underpasses – no sign of the wretched Dragon mart .  I did the next best thing – decided to return home  . So  at the next exit , I turned without knowing where we were  going and then lo and behold ,  a few kilometers ahead was the mall. By then I was too fed up so it was a drive in vain .

5.       I have had similar occurrences when travelling to other emirates as well . In the UAE,  if you miss an exit or take the wrong flyover you could travel anything from 5 – 15 kilometers extra just to get back in the right direction .

6.       I cannot end without mentioning a rather funny incident that took place a few years ago . I was scheduled to visit a school Prize day function and it was almost dark . I set out with my GPS on but from an entirely different location and I guess that threw me . As I began , I saw a small white car pull out after me . Whenever I looked in the rear view mirror that same white car was on my tail – at a respectful distance but there it was .    All was going well and I was confident there was no way I could get lost . However mid-way through the journey,  Murphy’s law decided to make its presence felt and yes – I missed the exit . Mysteriously , the little white car did as well and I began to really feel uneasy .  On one hand I was lost and would be late  and on the other hand there was this car .

All sorts of strange and weird thought began going through my head . Was it the police?  Had I committed a traffic offence ? Was there any reason for them to follow me ? Were my lights OK . Had someone banged my car and I had not noticed it? Maybe they were not traffic police after all  but plain clothes cops  , who would soon pull me over and arrest me for something I had not done .  Was it a case of mistaken identity and they were following the wrong man ? When I sped up, the car kept pace . When I slowed down , it refused to overtake me . To top it all , the white car had its headlights off . Surely this was trouble waiting to happen

 To get to my destination I must have travelled an additional 25 km and you guessed it right , the little white car did the same . Finally,  I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the school ahead . I turned  into the gate and so did the white car . By now I was worried and confused but I rushed into the  Principal’s office  and soon put it out of my mind as I met other guests  .

At the dinner after the function I related the story to a group of staff . It was then that a young teacher informed me  rather sheepishly that she and her friend were in  the white car . They   said that they spotted me as they had  set   out and  as they were not very  sure of the way themselves ,  they decided to follow my car so as not to get lost  . So obviously when I got lost , so did they !

 All’s well that ends well – but I have to admit, say what you may and snigger all you want -  I AM A PRETTY GOOD DRIVER