After you arrive in Santo Domingo, you’ll notice two things when you step foot outside of the airport. First, is the heat. There is no way around it and the air conditioning rarely ever works. The second, is the chaotic traffic. Stop signs, traffic lights and safety precautions do not exist in parts of the Dominican Republic. We have witnessed cars driving the wrong way on one way streets and parents holding their new born babies, with one hand, while driving a motorcycle. The one thing you will never witness is road rage. For some odd reason, this chaotic traffic works and works well.
So how do we navigate the roads safely while scouting for new opportunities? Motor Scooters.
The thought of paying a driver daily was not cost effective. We had to train ourselves how to drive in a safe but aggressive flow with the traffic.
We started driving on the weekends, in the morning. This seemed like the only time the traffic flow slowed down. We also had to be as safe as possible while operating the scooter, which means added head protection is needed.
NOTE: The helmets here look like a kid’s toy helmet made of light plastic. We ordered Department Of Transportation certified helmets online.
Once we felt safe and finally hit the open road, the new opportunities for 4North were endless and not to mention cost effective. We can scout many locations and connect with the locals from a further distance than just the city of Bani. This truly expands our projects and programs to a new level.
So with our nerves finally settled and the new respect we were gaining from the local drivers, it’s now a breeze. Like we said, for some odd reason, this chaotic traffic just works. You have to know when to be aggressive and of course have your thumb on the horn at all times.
