I spent a summer in Central America back in 1965; in Managua, Nicaragua, at the time, the US had a very tight relationship with the ruling dictator Somoza, and his family; there was a lot of US and European business interests in and about the capital, mainly headquartered in a single area in Managua; in that area there were traffic lights, stop signs, etc., I guess to make the 'ajenos' feel ore at home in a strange land. The kicker was the office buildings let out at the same time each evening and, about an hour later, all the traffic signals were turned off, making for a real free-for-all for anyone driving through that area after-hours. Not that it really was any different than the rest of the city: in the non-foreigner parts of Managua, street signs were treated as mere suggestions, if they were regarded at all; I was once in a taxi that blew around a corner and and the cabbie proceeded the wrong way (at least the signs said so) down a one way street with blissful glee...
Talking about taxis in Managua reminds me of a quirk of the cabs; they were almost entirely Hillman sedans and had been fitted with automatic doors: if you flagged a cab down, it would zoom up to the curb and the passenger side rear door would fly open and you had to be quick to board; tarry a bit too long and the cabbie would trigger the automatic door closed and roar off in search of a more prompt fare; the automatic door was also a means of telling a local or a seasoned foreigner from a neophyte: those with experience with the cabs knew well enough to stand back a bit as the cab pulled up to the curb since the automatic door flying open would just flatten you if you stood too close; those who didn't were a never ending source of merriment for the locals...
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