My wife and I traveled to the Bahamas recently, enjoying a long weekend and a well needed getaway. This was our second time in New Providence, having been there before on a cruise. While getting there via a well-appointed Royal Caribbean ship and docking within walking distance of downtown Nassau certainly had its upside, it is somewhat equivalent to visiting central Florida and never leaving Disney World. Nothing wrong with that, but the sights and attractions are essentially geared towards separating sweaty, sun poisoned visitors from their money and dignity. Don’t believe me? Just count how many lobster colored tourists are willing to pay $12 for the distinction of wearing a Donald Duck hooded trash bag during the daily Orlando summer thunderstorms that last only long enough to drench the great unwashed and transform the park into an overpriced sauna with whiny children.
We stayed recently in a house on the easternmost part of the island (right on the ocean, BTW). Leaving from central Florida, we flew to Nassau and rented a car. In one of my rarer moments of mental lucidity, I remembered to ask the Bahamian customs agent on which side of the road they drove. He responded, not the left or right, but the “opposite side”. Opposite of what, some may wonder? Opposite of everything that is good, right, and decent, that’s what! Okay, I’m sort of kidding, but it was, as I referred to and was met with feigned umbrage by the aforementioned government official, the wrong side. In the picture above, you may notice a sticker on the inside of the windshield that reminds (admonishes, warns) motorists to KEEP LEFT. This is not only a helpful reminder, but may potentially protect life and limb, not to mention tens of dollars worth of damage to your “luxurious” transportation. I’m guessing the majority of those that rent cars in the Bahamas are conditioned to drive on the RIGHT side of the road (i.e. proper, acceptable, holy, etc.), and these stickers serve as helpful and often necessary reminders. It wouldn’t have hurt, rental car place, to also notify drivers that the turn signal and windshield wiper switches are also reversed, or in the case of the aforementioned turn signal switch, to simply remove it from the vehicle, because NO ONE IN THE BAHAMAS USES THEM!
Although somewhat distracting, the KEEP LEFT sticker proved to be quite valuable, especially in parking lots. I was okay when in traffic, seeing signs on the proper side of the road, but became somewhat disoriented when by myself. Reminders are beneficial, bringing to our awareness things we need to do or avoid. They are especially critical if we are ignorant of potential hazards or simply forget about them. On the flip side, we want to know when an opportunity or promise of benefits or rewards is approaching so we don’t miss out on those. Reminders, then, certainly serve necessary purposes in our lives.
(Click “Stand on Firmer Ground” for deeper look into KEEP LEFT)