First of all, filling stations are not that easy to find here as they are hidden away in palm grove plazas or at the back of gigantic malls. When I eventually found one I discovered I was entering from the wrong direction so had to back up and make a considerable detour to find the entry. Then I had to queue behind about six other cars. But this gave me time to read the manual and find out how to open the petrol cap and what sort of fuel to put in it. However, when I reached the pump it said "Members Only" and as I don't think I belong to anything in America my only option was to drive off again. If you ask someone where the nearest gas station is they will say something like "Take a left on Park, then a right on Mortimer, go six miles then make a U turn, then it's just three blocks down on your right". So you thank them kindly and just hope they aren't looking when you go precisely in the opposite direction from where they were pointing... Petrol was getting low so I decided not to risk taking the freeway, but to stay on the smaller road which is only eight lanes across as opposed to fourteen on the freeway...Eventually I spotted two filling stations, one on each corner, on the other side of the road, so I turned, only to find that I couldn't access either of them from the road I was now in. This meant driving another mile or so before I could make a U turn and come back. So now I knew there was one on my right so I kept to the right. There are some very irritating road signs here which say "RIGHT LANE MUST TURN RIGHT", which is what I did, only to find that I had turned before the petrol station and was now back on my original road, going back the way I had come. Guess what? Yes, another U turn. This time I went beyond the filling stations and cleverly made another U turn so that I was on the right side of the road. Success. The good news was that it only cost £24 to fill up the tank (but 10 miles of detours to actually get into a filling station). Now for those who said: "But what are you going to DO over there?" now you know that it is quite easy to waste a whole morning just trying to get petrol in the car...I rewarded myself with a little afternoon on the beach and paddling in the Pacific. This is Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. Just beautiful.
It's a good job you have got a degree. us lesser
ReplyDeletebeings would have spent a week trying to get gas.
The moral of the story is to buy gas every time
you pass a gas station!!!!!!! PGH
Oh thank you Peter for this brilliant piece of advice. I shall certainly keep it in mind! L xxx
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