How to swim across a flooded street

So a few weeks ago I'm in Santo Domingo. Coming out of a meeting after one heck of a thunderstorm, it is noticeably wet everywhere - very wet. Puddles resembling small lakes everywhere! One in particular had practically engulfed my car. Now just how the heck was I going to get to my car without getting knee deep in this muck?

First of all I had to walk a block in the opposite direction just to be able to get onto the street, which I believed was the safest, or rather driest, way to get into my car. So now I'm standing in the middle of the street with a lake in front of me crossing from one side of the sidewalk to the other. It was clear that I was going to get wet. The question was, how wet?

As I was standing in the middle of the street contemplating the best trajectory of approach, the depth of the standing water, the splash patterns and so many other little nuggets of information that I hoped could keep me as dry as possible, the oddest thing happened.

A car stopped right next to me. The lady driving rolled down her window and offered me a ride to the other side of the lake. I thanked her and explained that I was not trying to get across, but rather into the middle of it... where I was parked. The gesture was nevertheless genuinely appreciated.

To think of someone willing to help a total stranger cross the street by inviting them into their car. Only in the DR I thought to myself as I continued to stand in the street calculating, contemplating and wishing my car had a remote control to it.

Then it happened again. Another car stopped and offered to drive me across the lake. Wow! This was something I thought to myself. Twice in a row. This would surly not happen in the US.

It gets better. By the time I was able to get back into my car, through a careful calculation of wave patterns and a little jumping... I had been offered a ride no less than SIX times!!!!

ONLY IN THE DR will total strangers offer to help someone cross a street in the sanctuary of their cars without even being asked. THAT my friends is something special. Something you can only find.... well you know the rest.