For the next month or so, True Stories Well Told is featuring writers I have met through First Monday, First Person, my “salon” for memoir writers held at the Pinney Branch Library in Madison.

By Richard Senn

The most vivid memory I have of my trip to the Dominican Republic a few years ago was the constant whir of Los Muchachas (motorbikes) weaving in and out of traffic like swarms of angry wasps.

The Dominican Republic is a large island (the combined size of Vermont and New Hampshire), so we decided to rent a car so we could see as much of the island as possible. Driving in the Dominican Republic turned out to be quite the adventure as the roads are quire problematic and because of the ubiquitous presence of Los Muchachas (motorbikes). In fact, while we were careening along the island’s roads, I composed in the back seat of the car this little rhyme that depicted the experience.

Muchachas to the right
Muchachas to the left
Muchachas straight ahead
Like harbingers of death
Muchachas everywhere we looked
If we don’t keep our eyes glued to the road
Soon our gooses will be cooked

 There were 4 to 5 motorbikes for every car. Our daughter, Danelle, did all the driving. I figured that her naturally aggressive driving style would be a good fit for the driving challenges. She said that driving in the Dominican Republic reminded her of driving in New Jersey. I thought of it differently. Driving in the Dominican Republic reminded me of one of those video games where you have to steer a car through a series of obstacles without crashing.

But let’s back up a bit. Danelle was already starting to express reservations about driving on the island a month before we left. She called me about the trip and, in a very concerned voice, she said, “My husband doesn’t want me to drive in the mountains in the Dominican Republic.”

“Oh, why is that?” I queried.

Danelle said, “Ryan knows a couple of guys who live in the Dominican Republic and they told him that bandits throw flaming tires on the mountain roads so they can stop you and rob you.”

“Oh,” I said again, taking her comments with a grain of salt because I knew her husband was a bit paranoid. “Then we’ll be careful not to go through the mountains,” I reassured her.

In actuality, we traveled through the mountains several times and never had a problem. But that was about the only thing that went right driving on the island. I’m glad we didn’t see an article on the “10 Countries with the Most Dangerous Roads” before we left on our trip. I saw this article on the internet about six months after we returned home. I was shocked. The Dominican Republic was listed as the most dangerous country in the world to drive in, based on the number of highway deaths per 100,000 population. After our experiences driving on the island, I wouldn’t question the veracity of this article.

The primary reason for this high death rate is the ubiquitous muchachas. There are a number of reasons for the prevalence of motorbikes on the island. First, the cost of gasoline was about $8 a gallon, so muchachas are a lot more economical. Secondly, the annual income is very low for most Dominicans and they cannot afford a car. Thirdly, the narrow, ill-maintained roads with no shoulders make muchachas a much more practical form of transportation.

Finally, as the trip progressed, we began to understand perhaps the most important reason for the prevalence of Los Muchachas. The motorbikes were only modest in size, larger than a motor scooter but smaller than a true motorcycle like a Harley. Yet most of them had multiple passengers. I even saw one motorbike with five people on it. Our second or third day on the island, we were walking on the streets of Cabrete when two muchachas stopped and asked if we needed a lift. It was then that we realized that muchachas were the primary taxi service, transporting people inexpensively all over the island.

Besides Los Muchachas whizzing past you in every direction, there were other hazards that interfered with safe driving. There were almost no road signs on the island. You almost never knew what the speed limit was or what hazards lay ahead. There were no center lines in the roads. In many areas, there were no shoulders on the roads. This made it difficult to swerve to avoid Los Muchachas and other obstacles because there could be a drop-off of several inches at the edge of the road.

The island also had road dips and speed bumps all over the place. But there were no warning signs. One day we were speeding along on their best highway, the only one equivalent to roads in the U.S. We came upon a bridge and Danelle did not see the speed bump. We hit the speed bump at 65 mile per hour. The vehicle was airborne like the General roadster in the Dukes of Hazard. Our heads hit the roof of the car. We were not injured, but we sure were surprised.

The travel literature was right. Driving in the Dominican Republic is a challenge. The question is, would we do it again?  We would because we are now aware of the driving challenges. The Dominican Republic is a beautiful island with warm, friendly people. Many of the wonderful experiences we had would not have been possible without a rental car. But driving in the Dominican Republic is not for everyone. You need to have a spirit of adventure. But definitely visit the Dominican Republic, as it is the most popular destination in the Caribbean. Oh, by the way, if you go watch out for Los Muchachas!

©2023 Richard Senn

Rich is retired from working for over 25 years in the biotechnology industry. He started spending more time on his writing this year with a particular emphasis on creative nonfiction.