S4E1: Palle Bo – Driver and Passenger Ticketed For “Invalid” License & Almost Hit Cow (Transcript)

(sneak peek)

PALLE: I was doing that trip from the
Northern part of Morocco all the way down to, to Guinea and Guinea sound, which
is, I think 8,000 kilometers around 5,000 miles. But I was driving in very
small mini share taxes and the row, the quality of the roads was really, really
bad. Yeah. Potholes the size of bathtubs.

At one point on that trip, I was on the front seat and I
was next to the driver and we were going pretty fast and there was a cow on the
road. So he slowly, as we were getting closer, moved on to the left lane. And
as we were 10 meters away from this cow, all of a sudden. She decided that now
she wants to go across the road.

I don’t know if you know that feeling when you get so close
where you say, okay, we are gonna hit this.

(intro music)

BHAVNEET:  welcome back to drive with those podcast. I’m
Bhavneet.

TARANJIT: And I’m Taranjit that
was the worst, like excitement intro ever. This is the first episode of season
four and just like welcome back.

Hmm,

well, we’re super excited to be back for another season.
And we’ve talked to some really amazing guests this season, which I know we
talked to amazing guests each season, but I feel like with each season we get
more and more crazy stories.

And it’s really fun to talk to these guests around the
world and hear those stories. And we hope that you enjoy the stories we have
from the season.

BHAVNEET:  That being said, we do have a few spots left
for this season. So if you or anyone, you know, is interested in coming on the
show and talking about driving,

You can reach out to us at drivewithuspodcast.com or on
Instagram at drive with us podcast.

TARANJIT: And today’s driver is
Palle Bo he’s from Denmark.

And he shared with us stories about the time he almost hit
a cow got himself and his passenger, a ticket and unknowingly crossed the

BHAVNEET:  But before we dive into our conversation, we
have some car key bang

TARANJIT: puns,

BHAVNEET:  but a blue car.

We are super excited to announce that we have both audio
and video for our podcast. Now

other way around. We’ve always had audio. You know, now we
have video.

TARANJIT: it’s been a long time
coming, but we’re super excited to finally have video.

BHAVNEET:  Yeah. So you can head on over to our drive
with us podcasts, YouTube channel, or head on over to Patreon at drive with
us podcast to watch the full video version of the podcast.

TARANJIT: And now that we’ve got
the car keeping out of the way let’s get into today’s driver. Today’s driver is
poly Bo. He is a full-time traveler and digital nomad from Denmark. At the age
of 50, he made a bold decision to sell everything, his house, his car, all his
furniture, and then set out on a quest to visit every country around the world

Well documenting everything on the radio vagabond podcast.
He is a long-time radio producer and bronzes production company. Radio grew
while he’s on the road here, he produces radio podcasts and other sound design
for his clients. Like the Lego group. Let’s meet today’s driver. 

(transition music) 

BHAVNEET: Welcome Palle. Thanks
so much for joining us today.

PALLE: It’s a pleasure to be here

TARANJIT: We’re so excited to
talk to you about your driving stories, especially since you’ve traveled so
many places around the world. , before we drive, , before we dive into

PALLE: before we drive.

TARANJIT: Yeah. Before we drive,
you know, I’ve already into the driving zone,

PALLE: Yeah.

TARANJIT: let’s get our listeners
a better sense of your driving experience. So what are some of the places that
you’ve driven and where are you currently?

PALLE: Well, I I’m , I’m a Danish
citizen. So I grew up in Denmark. , and, , before I started traveling, full-time
I’ve been driving all over, especially Western Europe. I think I’ve been to at
least 15 countries driving around, , in Europe. , and then on my journey, I’ve
done many, many road trips in the U S at least 20 different states, maybe.

Close to 30. I’ve done a bit of driving in, , in Canada, in
Ontario and Quebec. , also in Mexico, , in, in Asia, it’s only been a bit of
driving in Malaysia for some reason, as far as I remember. And then I’ve done
quite a bit of driving in the Southern part of Africa. I did a road trip from
Cape town in South Africa to, , Johannesburg and, , went to Eswatini , , what
used to be Swazi land.

And then I almost went to Lesotho, but that’s a story of
that. And I think we’ll get back to, and, , right now I’m in El Salvador and, ,
I just completed a two week road trip, , driving around Costa Rica. , I haven’t
been driving here in El Salvador, but, , I might do that before I leave. , if I
can, if I can get a car here and I love driving and I, I feel it’s a great way
to, , to travel around, , and not being dependent on buses and stuff.

, I remember I, when I was in Columbia a couple of months
ago, I was driving on a bus and I just thought, oh man, I want to go here and
get a car and drive from north to south or the other way so I can stop whenever
there’s something beautiful. I want to see. So yeah, I’ve I have been driving
quite a lot.

I’m I’m 56 years old. And so I’ve been driving for. 30
years. , when, when I was young, it was 18 years in Denmark. , not 16, like in
the U S that was the limit for when you can get a license. They’ve changed
that, recently, but, , when I was young it was 18. And then I’ve been driving,
, a ton since then.

TARANJIT: Yeah, I agree with you
when you’re mentioning earlier, that does having the ability to drive, even
when you’re in other countries, just gives you more freedom of where you can go
and what you want to do. Whereas if you’re like in a tour group, or if you’re
on a bus, it’s very limiting of how much time you have in each place and where
you can get off and explore.

PALLE: Yeah.

TARANJIT:  Tell us a little bit about your driving
career. What would you say, is your relationship with driving? Do you love it?
Do you hate it? And do you prefer being the driver or passenger? Most of the
time.

PALLE:  I love driving and I, I love driving myself. I
also, I don’t mind being a passenger. , so whenever it’s possible to go on a
road trip with a, with a friend so we can take turns in driving. I also enjoy
that, but I don’t mind driving. I don’t like driving too long. I normally, when
I do these road trips, , I, I normally only try to do three to 400 kilometers.

, how much is that in mind? 250, , per day. , so, and, and
that’s normally something I can do in like three hours, but, , then it can, it
can mean that I get plenty of time to do some stops along the way. , I w I, I,
when I lived in Denmark, I, a friend of mine drove all the way from Italy to
Denmark in one stretch, without any breaks at all.

And it’s like, 16 hours of driving. And I would never do
that. I, for one thing is it’s not enjoyable. And I feel that the driving
itself, it’s not about getting to the destination. It’s also about getting in
the car and driving out your driveway. , when I, when I did those trips, so I
would always, when I, when I did a trip to Italy, I would always make a stop
along the way to spend the night.

So I, I can also be awake when I’m driving because, , I
feel it’s, , it’s, it’s super dangerous when you’re driving, when you’re tired,
it’s, it’s almost like drunk driving in my opinion. But, , I, I really, really
enjoy it.

BHAVNEET:  Now that we know a little bit about your
relationship with driving, what would you say are some of your top craziest
driving experiences?

PALLE:  Well, I, I mentioned before, the time that I
almost went to Lesotho, , for those listening that don’t know, Lesotho is a
small, tiny kingdom, totally, totally inside South Africa, but it’s in
independent UN nation. So I’m on a quest to visit every UN nation in the world.
So when I was doing that road trip from Cape town to Johannesburg and I was so
close to it, I, yeah, I needed to go there and I rented this, , normal sedan.

, it was a Toyota Corolla and, , I looked at a map and ,
that’s a mountain road up to, , this, , this small kingdom in the mountains. This
is, , it’s quite a, quite as challenging road, but I was not aware just how
crazy it was. It was insane. You do not drive up this road.

That’s called Sandy pass. You do not do that unless you
have a four by four. , and I was driving a Toyota Corolla and I don’t know how,
but I managed to get to the border. And I didn’t even know that it was the
border. So I just crossed without stopping, because I was on a roll. I was
driving up. These, it was, it was basically just big rocks.

And sometimes the bottom of this car would scrape against
the rocks, but I was taking it slow and I was so focused on, on getting up
there. I just crossed the border and then I came to a river and I thought,
okay, I better stop here. And I got out of the car, it was like, , two, 300
meters from the border crossing.

, so yeah, around a thousand feet from the border crossing
and, , and I just stopped there. And, , this, , officer, he, he came after me.
He wasn’t even driving up there. He was just walking slowly because he knew for
a fact that I was not going to go any further than that. I was not going to
cross that river in that car.

And I’d bet that I could just, I wish I had been a fly on
the wall inside that office when they saw it. Toyota Corolla crossing that
border. They’ve never seen anything like it, not up there. , and I bet the
conversation they must have had. What was that? And then one thing, , let me
just stroll up to him and speak to him because that is crazy.

And he came up in this wonderful south African accent. He
asked me what I was doing. And I said, I’m going to Lesotho. And he just said,
not in that vehicle, you are because the road from here is just getting even
more crazy. And I don’t know how you managed to get so far. It’s crazy. I think
he got in the car and we were backing, , back to the, the border control. And I
went into the office and they said, well, you’re not going to get up there. You
can wait here. And maybe there’s a four by four coming. You can get a lift
with, but you, you can’t go up.

It was like, it was like running a marathon in flip-flops
insane. So I have not been there yet. , that small piece doesn’t count as a
visit to Lesotho. . So I, I just turned around after no, it’s not going to
happen and made my way down the mountain again, .

BHAVNEET: I can, I can just
imagine what they were thinking. Like, was that a, yeah, that was a Corolla.
They’re to make it very far.

PALLE: Not in that vehicle

TARANJIT: I was just thinking
that you probably just made their conversation for the day, like a good one.

PALLE: I mean, I bet they’re still
talking about it. But thank God I, when I do my, my, my travel podcast, I keep
my, my recorder recording all the time. So I got the whole thing on tape with
him coming up to me and the conversation I had with him and the going into the
office. So that’s, that’s in my podcast.

You should absolutely just search for, , if you want a good
travel story or driving story, it’s, it’s called, , the day I nearly went to
Lesotho, so yeah. Quite insane. , when I got to, , to Costa Rica, I, I, I’d
also seen that the roads in Costa Rica, especially if you get off the main
roads and onto the small roads.

And I like to do that, , you should get a better car. So I,
I didn’t get a, a four by four per se. I got a nice big SUV. So I was able to
drive in, in some of the more challenging roads that I wouldn’t be able to do
in a Toyota Corolla. , but at, at some point, , I. Onto a road and was, I was
the only one there, it was a dirt road and sometimes over small rivers and
stuff like that.

And I w I didn’t meet anybody for half an hour. And then I
got to where the road just turned into one big river, and I could just see
myself trying to drive through it. I might’ve been able to, but I’m pretty sure
that I would have gotten stuck in the mud. And, , it was so far away from
everything. So there wasn’t even a signal on my, on my cell phone.

 I could just see
myself getting stuck there, not knowing where I am and not having anybody to
help me. So I turned around on that one too, and drove all the way back where I
came from, but it it’s, it’s an old part of the adventure. And I like to get
off the main roads and get onto the small roads,

TARANJIT:  That was a one that crazy story. Have you had
any other crazy stories in all your adventures of the different countries?

PALLE:  I do have one. I remember , , , whenever I’m
driving in a different country than, than my own. I, I really try to , always
keeping the speed limits. But at some point when I was in, , North Carolina, I,
I missed. A flashing light and I was stopped for speeding in a school zone.

It was not my proudest moment. And at the time I was a
house sitting and, , my house sitting hosts, , she became a good friend of
mine. And, , at some point when she was back at the house, we wanted to go to
a, a network meeting, , because she’s also quite a bit of a traveler. And I’ve
been driving her car for, for quite a bit.

And she said, oh, do you mind driving? I need to answer
some emails. So I was driving her car when I was stopped. , . And he got my, my
Danish driver’s license, which is, , a plastic car that says EU on it. It’s a
European union, , type a standard driver’s license. And it’s totally
international. I’ve been renting cars with that in the U S many, many, many
times without an anything specific saying international driver’s license.

I can totally do that on this one, but this young police
officer, when he was in his twenties and he he’d never seen anything like it.
So he took it back to the squad car behind us and, , and, , came back and said,
I, I, I I’m giving you a fine to her. He said, obviously I’m getting a fine
before for speeding.

That was only fair, but he gave her a fine as well for
letting somebody drive her car. Without a valid driver’s license. I said, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no. I’ve been, I’ve been renting cars in and I think I even
added, I’ve been renting cars for the last 35 years in, in the U S so he could
think, okay.

Before I was born. So I said, okay, I can totally do that.
I, I can definitely do that. , and then he went back to the car again and, and
spoke to his superior and came back and said to her, well, I’m sorry about
that. You’re not going to pay. I just didn’t know. And we were all fine. And I,
I paid my fine. And then.

He said to her that , she didn’t have to do anything, ,
that it would be canceled, but it never was said she got, she got to pay a fine
for, for letting me drive quote unquote, without a valid driver’s license, ,
which was, , really not fair. , so that was one time I was, , pulled over. ,
and another time was.

A more pleasant experience. That was, , when I was getting
close to Canada after a road trip in, , in new England. And, , just before the
border, I stopped at a rest stop. , and I, I had an American SIM card and one
phone and, and, and my other phone with a Danish number. So I was sitting in
the car, close to the border with two phones and, , a police officer came up
because I was so close to the border and he was there to patrol anything
suspicious,

and, , he found it curious that I was sitting there with
two phones and what’s going on, but then when he got the story, it would, it
all turned out fine. And we started chatting away for. 15 minutes. And, , he
even told me where I can get some Duty free liquor. So , that w that turned out
to be a really, really pleasant experience with the, , the, the U S police
force.

, but, but it, it varies.

TARANJIT: That’s

funny.

You would think that with the amount of, international
travelers that come into the U S that they should train police officers to at
least have an idea of what different licenses will look like and what is
actually valid,

PALLE: Yeah. Totally. Especially,
especially, especially because it’s, it’s a standard for the entire European
union. , , it’s very common. And in, all countries so far, except for one, I’ve
been able to rent a car, , without having one of these cardboard international
driver’s permits, , that I can get.

I know when I’m back in Denmark and I, I do have one now, ,
that I got the last time I was there, but, , when I was in, , in Jeju island a
small islands in the, in South Korea, , I rented an Airbnb in the middle of the
island, so quite a bit away from everything, but since I was going to have a
car, it wasn’t going to be a problem.

 I booked a car and
when I got there, they wouldn’t give it to me just because I only had my, my
driver’s license and not that, , special where it says international drivers
permit. So I was stuck there and had to go on buses, which was very
inconvenient because, , they were not that many of them.

So yeah, that was a totally different experience than I
would have had if I, if I got the car. And I live and learn. , and, , I need to
be aware of where I need that and where I don’t need.

TARANJIT: Are there a lot of
countries where you would have to get an international license or like, what is
the process of getting an international driver’s license?

PALLE: Well, for me, it’s, I’m pretty
straightforward , just walk into the, , the government office they have, where
they serve people, , which we call boa service. , and it’s, it’s just a place
where you go in and you also get, , a passport renewal and, , just go in there
and say, I need, , , an international driver’s permit and they, they take my
driver’s license and fill out a few lines and give it a stamp.

And it’s like, $4. It’s next to nothing. I don’t think
they’re valid for that long. , so I have to renew it every time I’m back in
Denmark, , or every other time I’m back in Denmark. It’s not that often I go
there. , but, , , it’s good to have and I have one now, the time in South Korea
is the only time I’ve experienced.

I’m sure there are other countries that ask for it, but
it’s just something that I never experienced before .

BHAVNEET: With all the places
that you have been that you’ve driven or been a passenger, have you noticed
that there are certain types of drivers in different areas? For example, we are
in Maryland in the us. And what we’ve noticed is a lot of drivers do not like
to use their indicators. Have you noticed any certain, like driving types in
different areas that you’ve been.

PALLE: Yeah, well, , in some
countries they, they drive a little bit more crazy than you guys do in the U S
and , we do in Europe, , might be even, , differences throughout Europe. How
the drive, the, the further south we get in Europe, , some people might accuse
the Spanish and the Italians and the Greeks for driving more crazy, but it’s
not something that I would be afraid of driving in those countries, , before
getting ready for this.

I was thinking, are there countries where I wouldn’t drive?
And I say, yeah, well, I don’t know, in some parts. , the Sri Lanka, India. ,,
and also some parts of Mexico, I have been driving in Mexico, but it might be
in some parts, there might be a, be a dangerous, not for the traffic itself,
but more for the, the risk of, , being, being stopped by some people who want to
do you harm

and the same goes for, , obviously some places in Africa, ,
where I think I might not want to drive, , Through, , some of the countries
there, but, , , the driving styles. . People in some countries drive more
aggressively than, than others. I’ve never had any issues. I’ve been driving so
many places in the U S and I, I, I can’t really say that.

I noticed that much of a difference in the driving styles.
I’m sure there is, but, but I, it’s not something that I thought a lot about.
There are different rules that apply for driving in different countries. For
example, in Denmark, when you’re driving on the freeway or the highway, you’re
not allowed to, , pass somebody on the inside on the right side.

A lot of people do, but it’s, it’s technically illegal and.
I think it might be legal in, in, in the U S or at least in some parts of the U
S

BHAVNEET: yeah, I think the
passing on right is frowned upon here But people would do it. Nobody cares.

PALLE: exactly.

TARANJIT:  Now that we’ve heard some of your crazy
driving stories, , let’s dive into more of what kind of driver you are. How
would you describe yourself as a driver and would your family and friends
agree?

PALLE: I am the best driver. There
is. No, I know. I don’t know if I am , , I think I’m a sensible driver. , I
wouldn’t say I’m a boring driver and I think I, well I’ve, I have had a
driver’s license for more than 35 years. , I think if, if you’d ask my, my
friends and family, or if you’d asked me like 20 years ago, I would say, yeah,
I’m a pretty good driver.

And then they would upset no no no no no but now I, I, I
think I’m pretty decent now. I don’t take crazy risks, , especially when I’m
driving in another country or driving in a country like South Africa, where,
where they drive on the wrong side of the road, not like you and I do. ,, I
I’m, I’m driving, I’m a sensible driver. I don’t take crazy risks. I much
rather, , take a little bit longer I’m not, I’m not racing. , and I try to ,
make sure that I, I follow the rules even though the locals. Absolutely. Don’t
, and sometimes I’m sure they’re driving behind me thinking that I’m so
annoying because I’m driving so slow and just driving a little bit above speed,
liberal level.

, I’m not, I’m not crazy. Like I have to be exactly of
them, but just a little bit over about, , they would go crazy and tailgating me
all the way and being super annoyed with me.

TARANJIT: Since you did mention
the wrong side of the road and the correct side of the road, , have you driven
in countries where you had to drive on the opposite side of what you were used
to and what was that experience like?

PALLE: Yeah. I have like a, like I
mentioned, they do that in , South Africa and, and also in Malaysia actually.
And also I’ve been driving quite a bit in, in the UK, in England and Scotland.
, and they, they also do that , but the rest of the Europe, the rest of Europe,
, is, , like in the U S the first time I did that was .

Eight nine years ago, I was in Cape town and I rented a
car. And, , I spoke to other people who had done that. They would go out of the
city to rent a car. And just so they can drive on no, some small roads, but not
me. I got one in, , in the center of Cape town. And, , that’s where I drove on
the wrong side of the road or the left side of the road for the first time in
my life.

And, some people said that was impressive. And I didn’t
think I th I thought the, , what do you call them? The roundabouts, , the. The
realm things thing is we call it. Yeah.

TARANJIT: Okay.

PALLE: I thought that would be the
tricky part, but that wasn’t actually so bad. It was more the, the big right.
Turns in a, in a, in a big intersection, , where, okay.

I need to keep my eyes straight. How do I do that? And try
to follow the other said, . That’s because normally it’s just like, just
skipping around the corner, but here you are, it’s just so upside down, it was
actually not until I’d been driving in South Africa for quite a while, and then
I’ve just became so used to it that I forget it.

, so if I’m exiting from say a gas station and I’m going
right. I’m supposed to go on the other side of the road. , , and I, I’m
supposed to look in, in, in both directions before doing that, but then that’s
when I become careless and forget that I’m, I’m not just going around the
corner because that’s so ingrained in you that I would, just only look left and
then go out right.

With a big truck almost coming straight at me. So I had
that experience where it was a close call because I gotten so used to it. It’s
more like in the first few days, you’re very observant and very focused because
you have to drive on the other side of the road that you’re used to.

I think that was quite a bit more challenging for me.
Driving in South Africa was every time I had to put the indicator on. I would
put the windshield wiper on because they’re also upside down. So every time I
was about to make a turn, my windshield wiper would go . Yeah, crazy. And
actually, , on my first visit to Cape town, when I was the day that I was going
to take the car back, , I came out to the car, I put my bag in the trunk and,
and I got in the driver’s seat and I closed the door.

And that’s when I realized I was sitting in the wrong seat,
I was sitting in the left side and the steering wheel was over there and I was
all alone. And I just started laughing hysterically because that’s just so
silly. I’ve been driving for two weeks at that time, every single day. And now
here I was, and the fact that I managed to close the door and was sitting with
the key, trying to put that in where it was no room for the key was just so
crazy.

BHAVNEET: That’s hilarious. All
right, I’m ready to go. Self-drive

PALLE: Exactly.

TARANJIT:  I wouldn’t get so confused if I was going back
and forth between driving on the left than driving on the right. I feel like it
takes a lot of, you have to think about it and be like, okay, make sure I’m on
the right side of the road. Because our uncle who came from England and
visiting in the us, he said he forgot for a little bit and accidentally ended
up on the wrong side of the highway.

And then when he realized he had to, U- turn.

PALLE: Yeah, exactly. And that’s
exactly what happened then, because you, you just forget all of a sudden
driving is like walking when you’ve done it so much and you don’t even think
about what it is that you’re doing. , that’s when it becomes dangerous. When
you actually forget that you’re driving in the left side.

TARANJIT: Yes, I agree. What
would you say out of the countries that you’ve been to, or you can say in the
states too, since you’ve been to so many states, which one was your least
favorite to drive in? And which one was your most favorite?

PALLE: , the roads and the quality of
driving , in the U S is, , is so, , It’s so good all over. I would say the least
favorite is where I’ve been driving, , where nothing much is happening. It’s
just a long stretch of road for a very, very long time. , I did, , , quite a
long, , road trip from billings Montana to Los Angeles, but , I was taking huge
detour.

 I was going through
15 states in a total of, , 4,500 miles. And so it was like a big S , driving
around and some parts of that was, , going through for hours and hours and
hours on more like a justice great line through nothing where nothing really
was happening for a very long time.

And that might be the least favorite, but it’s not like the
quality of the roads was bad. It was. A bit boring because nothing was
happening. , it’s been super interesting. , I, I mentioned briefly that I was,
doing that, , a trip from the Northern part of Morocco, , all the way down to,
, to Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, , which is, , I think 8,000 kilometers around
5,000 miles.

And, , I wasn’t driving myself, but I was driving in very
small. Mini share taxis from old per shows that they made into a seven seater,
they call them set plus, and, , people crammed in, in those old cars from the
eighties and the row, the quality of the roads was, , really, really bad. It
was like potholes, the size of bathtubs.

And, sometimes as a camel or a cow walking around on the
road. And, , so yeah, that was, , some parts of me wish I was driving myself so
I could, , it could have been more comfortable and I could have stopped more
places. But then at the same time it was, that was more a matter of getting
from a to B and not the journey itself because there was, it was rough.

And, , yeah, the suspension in those cars were. , also not
so great. And sometimes I would be in the, in the back corner, , in the tiny
seat with three people beside me. , and I’m, I’m quite a tall guy. So I would
be with, , with a metal beam on top of my head because I was in the corner and,
, whenever it hit a pothole or a bump in the road, I would bang my head against
the ceiling.

So yeah, some of that was a really a bit unpleasant that I
wish that I’d been, I’ve been driving myself, it was more, , rough than, ,
driving around Europe or, , South Africa or, the U S , I would definitely say.

TARANJIT: It’s like you can go to
the driver and be like, , can I drive please?

PALLE: Yeah. At one point on that
trip, , I was on the front seat. I got shotgun for that. So that was nice. And
I was next to the driver and we were going pretty fast and there was a cow, ,
on the road. We were driving on the right side and the cow was on the right
side. So he slowly, as we were getting closer, , moved on to, , the left lane.

And, , as we were 10 meters away from this cow, all of a
sudden she decided that now she wants to go across the road. So we were so
close and this cow just not really thinking about it was walking right in front
of us. And, , and I don’t know if you know that feeling when you get so close,
where you say, okay, We are gonna hit this thing we’re gonna, we’re gonna
crash.

We’re going to crash right into this cow is gonna come
through the windshield. So it was like brace for impact. You got that feeling
that the split seconds before, and I don’t know how the driver managed, but he
just managed to swirl around it on the, on the right side of it. And it was so
close to that.

And I could just almost see the, his heart was in his
throat as we were going on. We didn’t speak the same language, but I, I patted
him on the shoulder and said, good driving, man. , that was so close. , , that
was a cow and bid later, it was a camel and, , a few pigs. , quite a crazy road
trip.

BHAVNEET: Ooh, that must take a
lot of skill to be able to avoid headaches and all that.

 With all the type of
things that you’ve seen while driving, what would you say is your biggest
driving pet peeve?

PALLE:  I would actually think I was, , Something I
experienced more when, when I lived in Denmark, when you were driving these, ,
two lanes, freeways, , and there’s a slow driver in front of you on the left
lane with nothing in front of it. And, and they, , should be pulling over to
the right. , I’m not allowed to pass them on the right.

, so most of the times I wouldn’t do that, but it’s kind of
annoying that they don’t pull in. I’m not the guy who’s driving super close to
them, but I still get annoyed. , I keep my distance. I’m not tailgating them. ,
but then what really, really gets to me is when there’s a. , a car tailgating
me behind and flashing the lights.

We don’t really use the horns a lot in Denmark than, than
people do in other countries, but he would be very close behind me and flashing
his light and maybe he would be driving a really nice big luxury car. So he’s
feels like he’s entitled to the whole road for himself. And I can’t, I can’t
move. I can’t move.

I want to move as well, but I there’s this idiot in front
of me. And. So, so I feel like I almost tempted just to slow down or maybe at
least put my foot on the brake. So the light is flashing. So he might be a
little bit scared because if I were to break and he would slam up, so he, it
would be his responsibility, but I get really annoyed.

, I don’t get road rage. I must say I never get road rage,
but this is one of the things that really annoys me. So what I do instead is I
pull into the right, let him pass and then I pull out behind him and then I
start flashing my light just to give him a bit of chase of his own medicine. ,
but not for too long because I don’t want to provoke him.

, that is something that, , it really, really annoys me.
And another thing. That really gets my blood boiling is when I’m, I’m driving
on the freeway and we’re going uphill and there’s, there are two huge, , ,
trucks passing each other, and they’re almost at the same speed. So it takes
like five, five minutes for one to pass the other.

It’s so annoying. It really, really so annoying when
there’s we call, we have a term for that in Danish, we call it an elephant
passing because it’s, it’s kinda like watching two elephants, just walk side by
side and one trying to pass the other. It takes forever. And, , that really
gets to me and I remember, , driving in France at some point, the French truck
driver, , you don’t want to do anything to mess with them because then they
would just park their trucks on the, on the freeway.

They, they, whenever they have a protest, they park, they
block all the traffic and in all of France.. But then I think they have some
kind of communication system because as, as he was finally getting done with a
passing, I was so annoyed being behind him all this time. So I just flashed my
light just a few times just to let him know that that was not cool, dude.

, and then after that, the next half an hour, whenever I
got close to a truck he would pull out in front. So I’m sure they were on the
internal radio system saying 10, four rubber duck. There’s a, there’s a guy in
a, in a Hyundai coming, make sure that you annoyed him by, by pulling out and,
, yeah, annoyed him because he would blink his light at me.

And we don’t want that. I wish I’d said that with a French
accent.

TARANJIT: Oh, I can just see this
now, all the truck drivers, just communicating with each other and be like that
car. Don’t let them go.

PALLE: Don’t let him go.

TARANJIT: Well, you did mention
earlier that you don’t get road rage yourself. Have you ever had someone who
had road rage towards you?

PALLE:  One that I can think of. , when I was super,
super young, I just got my driver’s license and, , there was, a party in the,
in, in the next village from where I lived back in Denmark. And, , and I was, ,
I was assigned to be the designated driver for the night,

and, , there was a. , another guy behind me and he may have
come from the same party and he may have been drunk or something similar, or
have his buddies in the car, , egging him on because he was tailgating me the
whole way, , flashing his light, , really with a strong light , in the back of
my window.

And, , as he was turning and I had to go straight, I, , I
flashed at him. , I don’t, for some reason I came, so I could give him a bit of
his own meds. Yeah. He passed me. He passed me like crazy, really, really
irresponsible. And then just as I was making a turn, I gave him a flash. Then
he turned around and came after me really, really fast.

And, and for the next 10, 15 minutes, we were driving like
crazy because if he had caught me, I’m sure he would have kicked my ass. And, ,
and I was, , really, really afraid. , so yeah, I was being chased around my
hometown and I was super scared. ,

BHAVNEET: that sounds really
scary. , it seems like flashing your lights. Do you guys is equivalent to us honking
her horn because everyone here prefers to honk over a flashing lights. I don’t
think people really flashed our lights.

TARANJIT: It’s more like flashing
your lights here is more of like that.

Okay. You can go kind of symbol as opposed to get out of my
way.

PALLE: Yeah, we’re, we’re very polite
in Denmark. Uh, uh, I think I th I think, um, he might have, uh, used a horn as
well. , but when we used a horn is it’s either, if something is really
dangerous or if you want to say hi to somebody, sorry. Uh, so, uh, yeah, ,

and I bet if there’s some Danish people listening, they’re
saying, oh, that’s not right. We do. But maybe it’s just me. I don’t know.

TARANJIT: Yeah, in comparison to
everywhere else you’ve been, it’s not as bad.

PALLE: Yeah, exactly.

BHAVNEET: Well, now that we knew
a little bit about your driving experiences, let’s go back to how it all
started , how would you describe your first time driving experience and who was

PALLE: Honestly, I don’t really
remember. When we take, , our driver’s license, , we don’t have the thing where
you can drive with the, your parent , or maybe we do now, the rules have
changed, but, and no, no, , we have to go to a special driving school and also
go and drive on a test track.

 And then I, I did, ,
get a car of my own and, and got into an accident where , I was driving to work
and, , at some point I came up on, on some very small roads.

, I came up to this, , road where I thought I was going to
turn. Right. And then my coworker was next to me. He said, no, we’re not
turning here. So I put the, the indicator on. , so it, it maybe flashed once or
twice. And then I put it off again because we were going straight and there was
somebody coming from that road.

And, , only look at me when I was blinking and then she
thought, okay, he’s, he’s turning. So it’s safe for me to go out. And then she
just drove out right in front of me.

 So I smashed into
the side of that car and, , it was, , quite a bit, nobody got hurt. , but, ,
both cars were quite in a, in a bad shape. , and we actually ended up getting
50% of fault for that accident because I, I made it that I’d, I’d, I’d flashed
my light, but I still think it was her fault for driving out in front of me.

BHAVNEET: That makes me wonder. ,
if you see someone that has their indicator on to say, they’re turning. Would
you just pull out onto the road or would you actually wait to see if they
actually are going to

and they, didn’t just leave the light?

PALLE: yeah, I would absolutely wait
to see if they were actually going or just having it on by mistake. I can
imagine, especially if you’re going onto a road and somebody’s coming from the
left. , I would never turn left without looking to see if somebody was actually
coming in no matter if there wasn’t.

 It was mostly her
fault, but obviously I had a bit of responsibility in that, but I think it was
definitely mostly her fault.

TARANJIT: Yeah, I agree. I don’t,
I don’t think I trust other drivers enough, especially here where first they
don’t use their indicators it’s either you don’t use it or you leave it on. So
I don’t think it’s enough to be using it right.

PALLE: Yeah, exactly.

TARANJIT: You

touched a little bit on this, but I’m curious to know what
the drivers test processes like in Denmark, because in the U S here you
practice, you get your permit and then you practice with your parents, and then
you can go for the test. And I know you were briefly touching on this, but I’m
curious to know what the process is like and what the test is like.

PALLE:  The rules have changed slightly. I’m not, I’m
not really that familiar with how it is. , now only that you can. They did
start a bit earlier before you turned 18. , I think you can start when you’re
17 now, but in my case, when, when, once you turned 18, you go to a driving
school and, , you get in a car with them, , next to you and they have, , they
have pedals as well, so they can hit the brakes if, , I don’t do it and then we
just go on small rows and, , take, take lessons.

And when the driving instructor thinks that you’re ready
for it, you, you go up to a driver’s test, , since then there that you also
have to go on a special track and try driving in, wet , and all that. But in my
case back then in the day when everything was black and white, there was, it
was not the case.

, we would just go on the roads and sometimes we would go
driving at night But , it was up to the driving instructor when, , in my case,
a woman, when she felt like you were ready. And then there was also, , more
like a theory class where you need to study and go to an exam and, , have to
answer all the questions.

Right. , and if you fail that the driving test itself was
with, , somebody from. A skill driver from the police, , I think, , next to you
and they would just be there not saying anything, but yeah. Turn right here,
turn left, go straight ahead. Ever make a parallel park here, do this and that.

And they wouldn’t say anything and just be sitting with a
little piece of paper and I’m taking notes. And if, if they feel like you’re
okay, , then you pass and if they feel that you’re not, you have to get some
more driver’s lessons and spend some more money on that and go up to another
test. And then until you, until you get it, I remember my mom, , she took her
driver’s license when she was in her.

Late thirties. I think when I was a kid and, and she, I
think she, she had such a hard time learning. So I think she did seven driver’s
test before she got it. And so, so many drivers, our says, so, so that’s the
way it goes. , and then once you get it, I remember my, my drivers, I was in
high school at the time or gymnasium as we call it.

And she would drive me to school and say, congratulations,
and, and remember that you still have a lot to learn. So don’t think that
you’re a world champion. Now you got your driver’s license and you can go
driving alone. But, , don’t think that you’re a champion and you still have a
lot to learn. So that was good advice from on, on her side.

TARANJIT: When you get your
license, when you pass that on the road test here in the U S you have like a
provisional license and then you have to like drive for like a year or so.
After you pass your test before you can be upgraded to the quote unquote adult
license. Is that something similar?

PALLE: No, no, you, you do get a
piece of paper. That’s kind of the provincial law licenser, but that’s, it’s
just as valid as the normal it was licensed. , that’s one of the things, as far
as I know, that is, , nowadays, when, when you get the license, you have to, ,
be with your, parents.

So I think we might have a similar system in Denmark now,
but I have to check up on that. , but, , the, yeah, as I said, the rules have
changed. I haven’t funny story though, about, , driver’s licenses, , that I
heard when I was in the Nicaragua. , A friend of mine there. He told me that
once you go up to the driving test, , you maybe in that case that he described,
there were 15 people there and they randomly selected one, , to, , to go first
for the driver’s test.

And when he came back and, , he was told that he passed all
the 14 other people in the group were cheering like crazy. , because if he
passed, they all pass and if you fail, they all fail. That’s the rule that
Nicaragua apparently that’s so crazy.

BHAVNEET: It’s a, you’re taking
the test for all of us.

PALLE: Exactly. And he was just
randomly chosen then. Yeah. So yeah, he, a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

TARANJIT: I don’t like that rule
because you know how the other people drive. What if they’re really bad
drivers? Oh, ma’am, I’m glad that’s not a rule here. switching gears a little
bit, we talked about your past driving experience in your current driving
experience. Let’s dive a little bit into the future of driving, , with the
possibility of self-driving cars, becoming a thing, maybe not that soon in the
future, but eventually what are your thoughts on self-driving cars?

And would you get in one.

PALLE: Absolutely. Because if they’re
there, I guess that’s some people who know better than me have made sure that
they’re secure. So, , yeah, absolutely. I can’t wait for that. This is it’s
it’s gotta be possible. . I’m sure it will. It’ll it’ll get to us and I just
can’t wait to, for that.

TARANJIT: Yeah. I feel like with
traveling too, it might make it easier, especially if you’re not comfortable
with all the different rules of driving in different countries, you could just
get in this car and let it do its thing.

PALLE: Mm. Yeah. And as a, big, maybe
the biggest, , back to the future fan, there is on this planet, I would say
when other flying cars coming, that’s what I’m saying. Okay.

BHAVNEET: Yes, that would be
awesome. Just avoid

all

traffic,

PALLE: yeah, but I guess with the
self-driving cars, I guess I would be freaking out if I was driving on a road
and there was a car coming and the nobody was inside. It was like, what is
going

TARANJIT: Yeah.

PALLE: just somebody was in the
backseat playing cards since like this just too weird. But, , I guess we’ll get
used to it all changes, take some getting used to, so, yeah, it’s interesting.

TARANJIT: Final bonus. Question
time. Are

PALLE: here it comes. Eric comes
here. It comes. You’ve told me that there’s going to be a bonus question that,
, is going to be a big, big surprise. So I can’t wait.

TARANJIT: If you could make one,
a new driving law, what would it be?

PALLE: Did you say one nude driving
law? Uh, no, no. Oh, that is a tough one. Oh,

 I have no idea what
I would say to this.

TARANJIT: You have all the power.

PALLE: I have all the power. All the
power. And having been stuck in traffic so much, I would make a rule that that
should always be. Elaine opening for me whenever I got, because I have Supreme
power and everybody was, would just be getting out of the way. , yeah, that,
that, that would be nice. , but probably not that realistic.

TARANJIT: Just have like opposite
of pose. Like instead of like a magnet that like attracts you should have like
a repelling, it just push the cars.

PALLE: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And, um,
yeah, a special vagabond lane or a paddle lane would be, yeah, that would be,
that would be nice. You did say ultimate power.

TARANJIT: Yes. now that we’re
coming to the end of the episode,

PALLE: Aw.

TARANJIT: What are some driving
tips or advice that you would have for other drivers, whether it’s just for
driving or if they’re interested in taking road trips and traveling to other
countries.

PALLE:  I think it would be, that, , when you get in a
car in a different country, , just take it slow. Don’t. Don’t try to rush
anything, just take it slow and try to, , be. Be very nice to the other, ,
drivers and, , but at the same time, don’t be too slow try to follow the
traffic, but, be careful , and be aware that, , people might not be as good a
driver as you, the might be in some countries, , more drunk drivers on the road
that then there are in your country.

 And some of them
might have just won the lottery in Nicaragua with a driver’s license and may
not be super skilled. So be aware of that, but, , take it slow and, , don’t be
in a rush and also don’t be scared.

BHAVNEET: Very great advice. ,

TARANJIT: before we let you go, I
know you have a podcast of your own, where can listeners find you?

PALLE: Yeah, my podcast , is it’s a
travel podcast is called the radio vagabond. And, , I, I bring my microphone
everywhere. So. There is a ton of me sitting in a car, , talking to myself and
the listeners about what’s happening. And also recordings of when I get pulled
over by the police or when I try to do Sandy pass

 So there’s a lot of
that. It’s called the radio vagabond. And one thing that’s important is that
you search , the radio back back abound because if you just search. Radio
vagabond, you get the Danish version and I don’t think you want that. So the
radio vagabond and the blog is called the radio vagabond.com.

TARANJIT: Well, thank you so much
for joining us today. And talking to us about your crazy driving experiences it
was really interesting to hear about different countries. And now we know don’t
go to Nicaragua. There might be a lot of people who just won the lottery and
got their license.

PALLE: Yeah. It wasn’t absolute
pleasure speaking to you. And, , I’ve listened to your podcast for quite a
while. So it was, , it was quite an honor to, to be a guest here.

(outro music)

JOHN: So we’re coming from Orlando. I have a group it’s like a group of five. Like the traffic was really bad. It’s jam packed, like 1.7 miles. We were in traffic for three hours. It’s double lanes, but it started to free up. And when people don’t pay attention, you can get over. And I got over and I cut somebody off and I didn’t mean it.

I really didn’t. And I put my hand up, like, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. We come to a light and I look in my rear view mirror, oh my gosh. It’s like yesterday, look in my mirror and he has a gun. And he goes like, now I see this. I told my friends, I said, oh my God, the dude got a gun. And he was just go, John, just go.

I was like, oh no, I ain’t running from no gun. I ain’t scared of no gun. So the light turns green and I started going like 10 miles an hour.