Road Rules

Dominican Rules of the Road. Still don’t know that there are any “rules” per se, but there are generally accepted norms when it comes to driving. Never ever a dull moment when traveling. 

I wrote about strange moto experiences a couple months back, but here are a few lessons learned from the passenger seat:

1. There’s always room for one more.

Be it packing people onto a tiny guagua, or transporting goods, there is no such thing as having too many or being too full. It may not be comfortable, you may not even have a seat, but there’s usually always a space (of some sort) for you, and you always get where you’re going. This same philosophy apparently applies to platanos too. If this truck looks like it is leaning too much to the right - it probably is.

Tons of plantains. This sight even surprised the Dominicans on the guagua with me.

2. Age is just a number (and not a driving requirement). 

Which is why you can be 11 years old and drive a moto, and no one except the Peace Corps Volunteer seems to mind. 

host brother drives now

3. Others will always get you where you’re going.

We already know this applies to pedestrians via bolas (free rides or hitch-hiking), which are very culturally-acceptable. But turns out, drivers also have a responsibility to other drivers - think roadside assistance, a kind of neighbor to neighbor AAA-style. For instance, say your moto runs out of gas, it is then the responsibility of another moto driver to (literally) push you along and get you where you need to be. Yes, and I do mean push. Here’s how it works: moto 1 runs out of gas, driver of moto 2 puts right foot on the back left foot rest of moto 1 and the two drive (well one drives, the other just kind of steers) alongside eachother as if all is normal. Until this happened to a moto I was on, I never really noticed that people did this. But now that I’m aware, I see the running-out-of-gas-moto-pushing scene just about everyday. ...Which I guess says a lot about a. gas prices & b. how much faith people place in their fellow drivers.

Why, yes. We are all moving in this picture. Scary at the time, but in retrospect - where else are you going to find people this nice?

4. Just because you’re a volunteer doesn’t mean you can’t ride in style sometimes.

Truth. Check out the new taxis in my town:

Kind of Disney-esque/European-ish, right? No? Well fine, at least in my eyes then. There’re only 10 of these here, but they are awesome! They will take you anywhere for a flat 50 pesos, no haggling, 50 no matter what. They are half moto/half tiny car buggy-style, perfect for times when you have to travel with a billion things (aka: Teacher Training), with too much to carry on a moto, but aren't willing to smush into a carro publico. Each tiny taxi has a radio and speakers, and passengers can even request American music to be blasted during the trip free of charge! ..& by passengers I mean me. Anyway I’m a big fan of the mini-taxi, but I’ve made that much clear.

5. ... 

And I don’t have a photo for this, or even a take-away lesson - but this one wins the crazy moto prize, hands-down. One evening watching the Mao news with my neighbor, the reporters showed a video clip of a guy doing all sorts of crazy stunts on a moto. But really not even a moto - a pasola (scooter/moped - meant for one rider, and smaller than a moto). These moto tricks may have been super impressive if I wasn’t scared to death the guy was going to fall off and die the whole time. The driver did a lot of crazy things, but to name a few, he full on stood up on the moto seat, held on with two hands while dragging his feet behind, rode backwards, did some kind of breakdancing move - all while the thing was in motion. And he wasn't even filmed at some fancy motocross or stunt show - all this while just driving around town. Bueno. If we ever meet - never ever accepting a bola from that loco. 

Drive safely!

XO

PS -  To conclude, here’s a picture of a tarantula found on the wall at school. Hope you enjoy it more than I did.

It was suggested I take the tarantula home. I declined.