Road trip on Curaçao

With the flame in the pipe💨

Driving on Curaçao is fantastic. Just ask any teenager who just got their driver's license. Every ride here has something of a 'road trip'. But then again not. We don't have the endless roads here like in the US. Still, it feels like an adventure when you tour the island. This also has to do with the sometimes poor condition of the roads. This is especially the case after the rainy season. So it is sometimes necessary to navigate along holes and cracks.

Toot toot!🚗

The unique Curaçao culture also determines the driving experience. The horn here has more of a social function. This is used to greet someone you know or as a signal to give way. The direction is also often indicated with an arm out the window. And when this arm goes up and down it means that the driver is going to stop or at least slow down. We don't just drive here to get from A to B.

We also ride for fun. See what comes your way. That is why you sometimes have to be careful. People who suddenly turn (usually without indicating) because they see someone they know at the 'trukdipan'. Therefore, always keep enough distance. The main road also has priority at a T-intersection, unless otherwise indicated.

Curaçao has a number of four-lane roads. Officially, overtaking on the right is not allowed, but it is tolerated and happens regularly. It takes some getting used to, but it's doable. Fortunately, petrol is a lot cheaper here than in the Netherlands. You must pay in advance at the pump. This is also possible with a Dutch bank card. You estimate approximately how much will go into it and you can receive the excess payment back at the cash register.

The roads become slippery when it rains. This has to do with the composition of the asphalt. Especially when it rains for the first time after a long drought.

Driving license🚦

Just like in the Netherlands, you can get your driver's license here from the age of 18. We used to have to deal with driver's license tourism on the islands. These often involved candidates who had failed a number of times in the Netherlands. They restricted that at some point. Logical too. You will be trained for the place where you are taking the exam. On Saba, for example, you only had to drive up and down the mountain.

Nowadays you can only get your driver's license on the islands if you have lived there for at least six months. This can be very stressful for our teenagers on the island. Many go to study abroad at the age of 18. The theory exam can only be requested on the day you are 18. Once you have passed your theory, you can only take practical lessons. So if your birthday is in March or April, there isn't much time. However, prospective students are given priority. If you can prove that you are going to study abroad, the relevant authority will do everything it can to provide a departure date for departure. This means that after the central written lesson there is almost daily lessons. There is also often only 1 exit option. And that causes stress. But once they succeed, these teenagers will have the time of their lives.

Freedom happiness🌞

For the first time in their lives (at least if they were born and raised in Curaçao) they experience freedom. Being able to go where and when they want. Those last weeks on Curaçao will often go down as the best time on Curaçao. And therefore a good preparation for student life elsewhere.

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