Push to the limit !

I tried to convince my husband that I will not drive in Corsica. Since I had my licence I never get to drive here as it could be stressful….stressful, and have aggressive, crazier drivers than in Marseille. For some great reasons that roads are not only twisted but also very narrow. Add to that quite dark roads without no lights in the mountain side could be really exhausting and dangerous especially at night. Some part of the roads have lights only when you enter in the rural area. Along that winding roads will be in total darkness. When I mean dark just imagine yourself blind ! This is a not to exaggerate things.

Image from goolge.com

We went to Bastia to spend sometime at the beach since we’ve gone to rivers three times already during our first week in Corsica. Later that day we have to meet up with hubby’s childhood friend who’s apparently organizing a karaoke every Friday night. Obviously, we have stayed up late. My intuition serves me right since yesterday morning when we left the house that I will definitely drive during the night going back to the mountain. So husband was slowly preparing me mentally since then. Trying to ask me if I would feel comfortable to drive around. My answer was I will be stressed out but I will try my best that we get back home in one piece. Do I have a choice ?

At exactly 11 in the evening we decided to leave the karaoke party. Leaving the city of Bastia driving was still okay like most of the big cities as we’ve got a clear vision. Husband was still in good shape and capable to drive around the city. As expected he did not hesitate to ask me to drive for 15 minutes as all of a sudden fatigue has set in. He only asked me for 15 minutes of sleep for him to recover. That took me a special kind of angst when he stopped the car in the midst of darkness and gave me the wheel right just in time to drive in that narrow, dark and winding roads of Corsica. He was trying to tell me that it’s okay if I am afraid he’ll continue driving. I told him I’m not scared but I will admit I am starting to stress out !!! Of course, I would rather obliged myself rather than let him drive under fatigue which could be detrimental.

I took the wheel and drove. I was all by myself while everyone else is asleep. Husband was asleep in just a matter of seconds. The only sound that keeps me awake was the severe snoring of husband and son and the awful roads I have to take. As I drove on our way back it was constantly uphill, downhill, twisting, dark roads back to the mountain. I don’t simply care if the pet peeves find me slow. And because of a number of crazy drivers on the road even at night I kept my calm and tried to focus myself. It was difficult to drive particularly when approaching those blind curves or going towards the inside of a fairway with obstructed visibility as there were drivers who tried to tailgate me. Normally, the maximum speed is 70 km/hr but I was driving at the speed of 60 during that zigzag roads but one thing I am sure of that wild drivers were driving fast enough like a serious racer. Some parts is at 90 and 110 km/hr on the departmental highway is long and straight . I have used my head light (high beam mode) when I found myself driving alone and needed to changemy headlight to low beam mode in case there are cars coming from the opposite lane or for those who tried to double take when they got the chance. A forgotten 15 minutes has long gone !

My driving all went well! I have realized that driving in Corsica is not that bad at all it only demands constant attention and prudence twice more than I do. Finally, we’ve arrived the junction after 45 long minutes of driving in the dark going to the village itself. From the junction I've tried waking him up to pass the steering wheel and he did. He said thank you to me and complimented me because we have reached the carrefour successfully within the expected time-frame. He was expecting that it will took me more than that. From that moment, I immediately found myself relieved from everything. Husband drove for another 15 minutes and finally got home in good time, tuckered out and glad to be back. I want to kiss the ground and thank the heavens we got back all in one piece. ...