No drivers licence required

Driving; we have received a map of red, yellow and green zones from the Canadian government. But the streets are so complicated that one easily gets lost and then D who is driving starts to panic that we are near or in a red zone. Argghh!!! I am still not quite sure what could happen dare we enter this red zone… It’s the fear that is the worst part.

Not knowing. I am undecided if I prefer to remain uninformed or want to be told the truth and all the grisly gory details of the potential dangers that lurk outside the green zone. What if finding out makes me more afraid than I am already? Then I will feel confined to these four walls of the gated community; and I might just go crazy.

I practiced driving in our little rental car on a holiday weekend which meant that the streets were deserted. I gained lots more confidence and a better mental image of the city. In other words, a city comprised of windy roads, steep hills, hidden intersections and surprise roundabouts and one-way streets. There are very few street signs. Even google maps has trouble keeping track of which way to turn. I made many notes to self: turn left at the Chinese looking building, u-turn after the abandoned bus shelter but don’t drive on the left lane because it turns into a dead end. Even the Hondurans admit that there is no courtesy amongst drivers. Since everyone has tinted windows (to protect the people and contents inside the car) I can never rely on visual non-verbal cues before undertaking an aggressive manœuvre. At least no one is driving very fast. When I drive here I feel like I am in a video game with obstacles and surprises popping up around every corner: watch out for the pedestrian crossing the 4-lane highway! Stay clear of the pothole as large as your front wheel! Avoid the bricks in the middle of the street! Don’t injure the construction workers who are working outside the orange cones!!

As opposed to back home, there is not much – scratch that – no warning about these impending dangers, so my modus-operandi is to be on full alert and drive slowly. It’s exhausting: a short 2km trip to the grocery store takes 20 mins and I feel like taking a shower and nap afterwards. Compared to back home in Canada, back in the day, we did not have as many security measures on our roads or even in our cars: just 30 years ago there were no car seats for children and only lap belts in the back seat. I now appreciate how much planning and thought is put into building our roads and infrastructure (and we still complain about construction and traffic.) There is apparent long-term planning probably since we have the ability – no the luxury- to think ahead.

So, we should give Tegu a chance. On the other hand, Rome was not built in a day and I found their road map less confusing… Maybe it’s because the present mayor of Tegucigalpa owns a construction company? My guess is he outsourced (or fired) the road planning department.