Road Trip, southern Africa.

[kerouac2]

I think everybody has seen the vision of puddles on hot roads a zillion times.

I don't understand the second description at all unless you have been eating magic mushrooms for lunch.

[onlyMark]

First one, many, many times, as K2 says.
Second one, no. Mirages I can do, hallucinations not.

[questa]

I think it may be related to the eye over-compensating for seeing too much of one subject.

eg...Hold a red sheet of paper against a white background...Stare at it for about 20 seconds
Take away red paper but keep looking at the white background. You should see the shape of the red paper only now it is green...the opposite colour to red.

If I am gazing along a straight road, the forward movement of the car at speed gives the effect that the road is rushing to meet me. After many km, when I stop the car and look down the road it appears that "the tape is being run backwards".
Instead of rushing to meet me, the road is rushing away to the horizon. This lasts about a minute, then fades away like the red/green images.

I am surprised you have not been aware of this, Mark. Better get more driving in.

[onlyMark]

At the moment it is two to one against for this phenomenon, so it could be we need a bigger sample, but currently "I'm surprised you are aware of this, better do less driving."
Maybe it's from when you were dropped on your head as a baby.

[questa]

Ah...yes! The dropped-on-the-head-as-a-baby syndrome...explains a lot about me!

[bixaorellana]

Just sticking my head in to say I'm still following this thread. Your posts from Africa are always interesting, especially since the whole continent is still a place I know almost nothing about.

[onlyMark]

You missed out the words "deepest, darkest" before "Africa".

(Though a lodge tour of Namibia doesn't quite apply)