round, round, get around...

driving in the dominican republic is a little like... sticking a revolver, loaded with just one bullet, to your head and pulling the trigger.

of course, you hope for the best. that today it's you get the empty cartridge, and not the live-round.

but, it's tricky. you just never know.

back when the kids were quite small - amely was a few months - i had a terrible car accident. luckily nobody was hurt, and even more luckily, i got off scots-free because the car i hit (yes, it was my fault) had no insurance, was not registered and the driver was unliscenced. 

it was bad, though, and i decided not to drive anymore. amalio made me get in the car and drive home.

it was terrible.

not nearly as terrible, though, as the accident just a few weeks later that totaled our jeep and landed amalio in emergency with some serious burns on his face. luckily, it was just burns on his face, because the accident had fatal written all over it. 

(and that's why i love jesus, y'all).

last summer i started driving again. i had to get over the fear and...

well, that's not easy here.

there are some crazies on the road. and traffic is complicated more by the abundance of two-wheeled vehicles -- bicycles, scooters, motorbikes.

the drivers are insane. and can carry anything while driving. the most i've ever seen is 7 on a bike - 4 kids and three adults, but i've heard the urban-legends about even more. 

this guy is on a scooter, called a pasola, with a sack of rice between his legs and a whole "racimo" of yellow bananas in his lap. 

 unfortunately, this is not a rare sight. an entire family will load onto one bike to save transportation money. no helmets, no security. this number is often multiplied by kids being held to the side of the adults. 

 if you want your recently killed fowl to be fresh for dinner, you've got to zip home and get it in the pot!

 125 pounds of rice!

and, of course, you need to get your propane tank filled in order to cook! and it's necessary to bring your kid along for the ride. notice, the motorcycle driver in the back is wearing a helmet.