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The problem is - as a non-local you can't really distinguish between Google knowing what it's doing and not until it's too late. For example I've been taken to

The problem is - as a non-local you can't really distinguish between Google knowing what it's doing and not until it's too late. For example I've been taken to the following: AUSTRALIA - definitely not a "road" more like an unused hiking / herding path with nothing but lazy kangaroos in sight. CHILE - down an unpaved half-lane road making its way down the side of a cliff, marked "mucho peligroso" ITALY - completely off road over giant potholes and big rocks. Middle of the night. ABU DHABI - across a clearly pedestrian plaza. In all cases it worked out - as it happened to be traversable in my tiny rental car and indeed the way to get where I am going. But that's in retrospect, could have easily been "death by GPS" types of scenarios. A few things I recommend when driving in places like this: - refuel religiously. Don't let your tank get below half, as theoretically that should give you enough to backtrack to where you got gas last time. Not always possible of course. - try to ask yourself - if I had to back out / turn around, could I? And be very leary of locking yourself out of that option (although easier said than done.) - be mentally prepared to sleep in the car. At some point it is safer to do that and figure things out in the morning, even of there's a chance that your amazing tuscan villa airbnb is just another mile down the washed out road (cuz it may also not be) - think of it as a fun adventure and don't freak out.

chaostheory 6y ago
There was a clue though. It was the nickname of Kolkma Highway aka “Highway of Bones”. Anything named as “Devil”, “Death”, “Hell”, “Tears”, or anything else sketchy I would either read about or stay away from. The problem in this case is that Google didn’t show the nickname.
- xyzelement 6y ago
  I think that's hardly the problem. First, the highway of bones I think refers to the Stalin-era political prisoners that died building the road. Second, Kalyma colloquially refers to an incredibly far away place. Like in English you may say "it's on the moon" to mean that something is ridiculously far, in Russian you say "to Kalyma" Fundamentally, you don't end up anywhere near that region randomly. It's not like they were going for milk and died on the way to the store. It's hard to really understand what they were thinking - but there's no way they didn't understand that the whole area was ... challenging.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  It held that name back when it was a major highway. It's not a particularly dangerous road by the standards of the region. The other commenters is right that the name comes from the prisoners who died building it. Allegedly they were buried in the road. I say "allegedly" because everyone who's ever built a road knows that the road base is key to longevity and that adding things that will decompose to it is the opposite of what you want to do.
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YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago
>> ITALY - completely off road over giant potholes and big rocks. Oh, that's just how roads are in South-Eastern Europe.

chaostheory 6y ago

There was a clue though. It was the nickname of Kolkma Highway aka “Highway of Bones”. Anything named as “Devil”, “Death”, “Hell”, “Tears”, or anything else sketchy I would either read about or stay away from. The problem in this case is that Google didn’t show the nickname.

xyzelement 6y ago
I think that's hardly the problem. First, the highway of bones I think refers to the Stalin-era political prisoners that died building the road. Second, Kalyma colloquially refers to an incredibly far away place. Like in English you may say "it's on the moon" to mean that something is ridiculously far, in Russian you say "to Kalyma" Fundamentally, you don't end up anywhere near that region randomly. It's not like they were going for milk and died on the way to the store. It's hard to really understand what they were thinking - but there's no way they didn't understand that the whole area was ... challenging.
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
It held that name back when it was a major highway. It's not a particularly dangerous road by the standards of the region. The other commenters is right that the name comes from the prisoners who died building it. Allegedly they were buried in the road. I say "allegedly" because everyone who's ever built a road knows that the road base is key to longevity and that adding things that will decompose to it is the opposite of what you want to do.

deleted 6y ago

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YeGoblynQueenne 6y ago

>> ITALY - completely off road over giant potholes and big rocks. Oh, that's just how roads are in South-Eastern Europe.