Driving in a 3rd world country
On my last trip to Trinidad, I was finally able to articulate why I am so reluctant to drive there.
When I first moved to the U.S I did drive in Trinidad whenever I went back, but after a few years, I would always go back during the summer school vacation and my brother, who is a school teacher, would graciously drive us around. This time, school was in session, and while I could have borrowed the car, I declined, choosing instead to ground my sons and I. In a hot house.
Why? Ahhh..
De Reflexes an' de Roads
Long story short - I feel I no longer have the reflexes required to function safely and successfully on the Trinidad roads. Yes, my reflexes have been dulled by the well-behaved Austin drivers, smooth roads and relatively well-organized transportation system. Also, you drive on the left in Trinidad.So now I move into a little Trini to capture the essence of my adventures.
Picture it.
Yuh drivin' along, an' yuh busy tryin' to dodge de pothole in front an' to de side so you move ah little lef', an' a car pulls far into de main road from a side street so yuh have to dodge dat too. But den de car in front stops suddenly (doh hit him), to pick up someone on de other side of de road, so de person has to cross de road. Not only de pedestrian holin' up traffic, taking their own sweet time crossing, dey givin' you "cut-eye" (a hard look) as if to say, "Yuh cyah see I crossin' here? Wait nah. Why you so hurry for?"
Finally yuh get to ah small stretch of straight road in ah residential area, so yuh put on some speed but suddenly bang-bada-bang! Yuh almos' break up your chassis. Yuh mean yuh didn' see dat speed bump there? Well, yuh know sometimes de Ministry doh actually mark de speed bumps an' dem, so is you to catch. Like dey tauntin' yuh, "Ent yuh want to speed in de people quiet area? Take dat in yuh chassis!"
An' wait! What is dat? Ah big hole in de middle of de road courtesy de ministry of public works, with just some pieces ah wood aroun' it an' no lights or reflectors. Man, if I was driving there in de night, me, meh car and all meh passengers wouldda en' up in dat hole yes. (I wish I had taken a picture of dat one!!)
An' if yuh not accustomed to rough roads, yuh might start to feel ah little queasy going on a longer drive on dem roads. My little one had to make sure an' not eat just before we went anywhere.
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| Pothole - a sample |
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| Pothole - another sample. It have plenty. |
De Trini Driver
But de Trini driver is up to dem challenges. Not only dey could handle dat - de holes and de bumps, dey could handle de random drunk or vagrant on de side of de road who decide to sway into de road because it have no actual sidewalk. Not to mention de stray dog dat yuh really feelin' sorry for an' doh want to hit dat yuh have to watch out for, pedestrians who cross without lookin' an' drivers; many, many drivers, who doh obey traffic signs.Doh get me started on some of de intersections - I would have to go 'round a few times to figure those out. It seems like dey tried to improve some merging traffic lanes but to me dat improvement would cause more accidents! But den again, is Trini drivers we talkin' about, so dey jus' adjust an' shrug an' go about their business.
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| Flooding you have to drive through |
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| Yes, that is a truck parked up on de sidewalk |
De Back Seat Driver
I 'fraid to drive, so I have to content mehself with ridin' in de back seat (my older son with long legs sits in front). Even de back seat is fraught with horrors.Picture it.
I in de back seat, an' when I come out de car, my entire body hurtin' from grippin' de door handles tight, tight, tight. So tight dat meh neck an' shoulders tense an' throbbin'. Meh jaw painin' because I clenchin' it so tight, tight, tight; meh backside achin' because I squeezin' meh butt cheeks tight, tight, tight, an' meh legs tired because I busy "mashin' brakes" in de back seat de whole drive.
Yuh tink it easy?
Is ah real experience drivin' in Trinidad, especially now when ah go back. Even as ah passenger ah does freak out!
Feel free to share your experiences!
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