Friday, May 19, 2006
05/2006: Antigua and St. Lucia: 'driving tips'
Not everybody knows that a local driving licence has to be bought, the car hire company will arrange this. The licence costs EC$50 in Antigua and EC$54 in St. Lucia. The driver of the vehicle has to be over 25 years old and even the experienced drivers should know that there are very few signs on both islands. So, it's a good idea to have a good map handy but also to be prepared to get lost. Frequently.
Caribbean directions can be ‘creative’ - it’s not unusual for someone to be gesticulating to the left while saying ‘turn right’. This is partly because the culture is not to disappoint you, so rather than saying they don’t know, they'll tell you something to make you happy, i.e. a direction – even if it is somewhat spurious.
I notice that the sight of a map can send some local people into blind panic. I'm no longer surprised when I suddenly become invisible when I wield a map at passer by.
Not everybody knows that a local driving licence has to be bought, the car hire company will arrange this. The licence costs EC$50 in Antigua and EC$54 in St. Lucia. The driver of the vehicle has to be over 25 years old and even the experienced drivers should know that there are very few signs on both islands. So, it's a good idea to have a good map handy but also to be prepared to get lost. Frequently.Caribbean directions can be ‘creative’ - it’s not unusual for someone to be gesticulating to the left while saying ‘turn right’. This is partly because the culture is not to disappoint you, so rather than saying they don’t know, they'll tell you something to make you happy, i.e. a direction – even if it is somewhat spurious.
I notice that the sight of a map can send some local people into blind panic. I'm no longer surprised when I suddenly become invisible when I wield a map at passer by.
# posted by hotelreviewer @ 5:33 pm 
