A little over a week ago we learned our first lesson in car maintenance. I had been out most of the day with the car in Shueng Shui visiting a friend. My last errand was taking Grace to some soccer training about 20 minutes away. As I was sitting at the light, about to turn into Hong Lok Yuen, I noticed that there were a couple lights on the dash that had turned on. I decided that I would mention it to Andy when he got home, but when thinking of the day, realized that my cd player had been going in and out, which seemed odd. I wondered if it was connected to the new lights I saw. I arrived home and put the car in reverse to back in to our car park, and the car just stopped, died, turned off, kapoot! Luckily, momentum had carried the car halfway into the car park, but I was still sticking out into the road halfway. I called Marina and asked her to come and help me. Together, with the help of the domestic helper from next door, we managed to push the car the rest of the way into the car park. It was a little cockeyed, but at least it was out of the street:)
When Andy got home, the first thing he asked is if I had parked the car. I told him "No, I pushed the car!" and I explained what had happened. After walking to the gas station nearby to see if they could help (no, they cannot) we asked around for a reputable mechanic. After a few suggestions, I called one the next morning and got an appointment. Then, I called the towing company connected with our insurance and asked them to tow our car to the garage in Tai Po. They were very kind and able to get me there for my 10:30am appointment. The driver picked up my car, and I got in the front seat with him, ready to show him a picture of the garage in hopes that he knew where to find it. My lucky day...he did! All the way there, I just prayed that the mechanic would be honest and that this would be a smooth process. The driver dropped my car off in front of the garage and the mechanic met me outside. He took one look under the hood and said I needed a new battery. I didn't disagree, and thanks to my friend, had already gotten a baseline price of batteries. He was going to charge me $150HK more than my friend had just paid for her battery. I suddenly got a streak of boldness and told him I wouldn't pay more than $100 off his asking price. He asked for $50 more, and I compromised with $25 more...sold! He told me that it would be done in 15-20 min. I decided to go do some exploring and told him I would be right back. I walked away wondering if I had made a good decision to negotiate with someone who is going to fix my car?
When I got back, the mechanic was sitting on the curb waiting for me. He said that the car needed a new alternator. This didn't surprise me, since Andy had made that suggestion, too...so I asked the price and proceeded to continue practicing my negotiating skills. All in all, I got about $350 HK dollars off of what he was going to charge me for everything. They were very kind, and I took a taxi home...Andy and I picked the car up that evening after Grace's soccer game...and the car is running great:)
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| Yep, really nice tow truck driver...in flip flops! |
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| Our car being worked on in front of the garage...that's all there was to the garage, space for one car:) |
There are a few other lessons I have been learning as I have leaned heavily on prayer and my GPS during these driving adventures:
1) Hong Kong is not that big. Even when I am lost, as long as I keep looking for the right signs (which, for me, is usually Shatin) I will get where I am going.
2) Don't lean so much on the GPS. Today I got lost for almost an hour. Granted, I am not patient enough nor do I have a good sense of distance, so when it tells me to turn in 200meters, I usually turn too early. But today, when I knew I was lost, the GPS told me that I had arrived at my location. Well, I had not! I was lost in Kowloon City trying to get to Sai Kung...two very different places. On the way home, I chose to follow a hand written map, follow the signs to Shatin, and use my own instincts...and surprise, I made it home, no problem!
3) There are some roads that should not be defined as roads. Our friends live in a beautiful area of HK known as Sai Kung. They have a gorgeous home with a beautiful view. But getting there is a "white knuckler!" Driving it for the first time today, I don't think I was even breathing. It is pretty much a one way road for about 10 minutes before getting to their home...and there are not a lot of places to get out of the way. Today, I had to back out twice...only hitting the wheel once (with no damage:) Like my husband said..."I guess you just get used to it?"
These photos were taken when I was sitting in the front seat of a taxi last May...knowing that I would probably be driving these roads. I'm not sure what is harder...driving or being the passenger?
4) Every day the driving comfort circumference grows. After all, it's just driving. If I don't have to be somewhere, I will take a risk and give it a shot. Yes, I have been honked at more times than I can count. But the more times I go out, the more comfortable I get. It has been fun, in most respects, with a dose of humility and stress added in. But my children love that I can come pick them up after school...and for them to get an extra hour of being home versus on the train, it's worth it:)
Haha! I've relied heavily on the, "Hong Kong is a small place" theory, too. As long as I don't run out of gas, I figure I can go around and around in circles and eventually find my destination. It's not like you can cross the border and end up in China by accident.
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