Public transport is quick, available and cheap here. You just have to ignore comfort and safety!
To go to work in Santa, I walk to the end of the street and stand there. When a yellow taxi slows down, I lean in and say "Santa park?" and if the driver is willing to take me I get in and off we go. I say "good morning" to the other passengers and we all squeeze up. On the 3 miles into town the driver stops to let people in and out, collecting the fare as they leave. There are fixed rates for most normal journeys so I always keep my cash in hand, and a close grip on my bag.
Santa Park is not what it sounds like. It's a petrol station on Commercial Avenue, and most taxis to Santa set off from a traffic island there. So I arrive and look for a cab which has a few people in and around it, and say "Santa?" and the driver nods. When he has enough people we all squeeze in and off we go.
On my first day travelling up to Santa on my own, there were 8 of us in the taxi including the driver. Three on the back seat is OK, but 4 is a real pinch. It's 20 km uphill most of the way, spectacular views if you have leisure to look.
Mind, I prefer that to sitting in the front. When Gweneira and I had to sit on the front passenger seat, my left leg pushed up against the gear stick and Gwenno half on top of my right one, well I could hardly stand up when we got out, 40 minutes later. I just staggered to the next taxi and flopped into it!
Oh, I forgot to explain how 8 fit in the car. It's straightforward really - the driver gets out to let someone else in on his side, usually a slim man, and then the driver sort of half sits on top of him. The passenger sticks his arms in the air, or behind the driver and poking out the window, it's quite amazing really how they do it. And drives like that.
One day the 2 middle guys got out just before a junction, we drove past it and round a bend and waited so they could walk along and get in again. I've heard the council is trying to stop overcrowding so they must have been avoiding a checkpoint. Presumably it's OK to have 4 in the back, 5 if you include the baby on its mother's lap.
Of course there are no seatbelts, and I don't like being in front because I can see the road. Going down a steep road at 90km sharing the front seat with a mother and toddler was just a bit much for me. Though I do choose older drivers if possible - advised to do so as they have families so tend to be more careful. They slow down for the speed bumps and zigzag around potholes.
I think I'm getting a lifetime's worth of roller coasters here, if I can live through it. And I haven't even tried the moto taxis yet (yes it's motorbikes with no helmet and no more than 2 passengers plus a small child on at the same time!)
To go to work in Santa, I walk to the end of the street and stand there. When a yellow taxi slows down, I lean in and say "Santa park?" and if the driver is willing to take me I get in and off we go. I say "good morning" to the other passengers and we all squeeze up. On the 3 miles into town the driver stops to let people in and out, collecting the fare as they leave. There are fixed rates for most normal journeys so I always keep my cash in hand, and a close grip on my bag.
Santa Park is not what it sounds like. It's a petrol station on Commercial Avenue, and most taxis to Santa set off from a traffic island there. So I arrive and look for a cab which has a few people in and around it, and say "Santa?" and the driver nods. When he has enough people we all squeeze in and off we go.
On my first day travelling up to Santa on my own, there were 8 of us in the taxi including the driver. Three on the back seat is OK, but 4 is a real pinch. It's 20 km uphill most of the way, spectacular views if you have leisure to look.
Mind, I prefer that to sitting in the front. When Gweneira and I had to sit on the front passenger seat, my left leg pushed up against the gear stick and Gwenno half on top of my right one, well I could hardly stand up when we got out, 40 minutes later. I just staggered to the next taxi and flopped into it!
Oh, I forgot to explain how 8 fit in the car. It's straightforward really - the driver gets out to let someone else in on his side, usually a slim man, and then the driver sort of half sits on top of him. The passenger sticks his arms in the air, or behind the driver and poking out the window, it's quite amazing really how they do it. And drives like that.
One day the 2 middle guys got out just before a junction, we drove past it and round a bend and waited so they could walk along and get in again. I've heard the council is trying to stop overcrowding so they must have been avoiding a checkpoint. Presumably it's OK to have 4 in the back, 5 if you include the baby on its mother's lap.
Of course there are no seatbelts, and I don't like being in front because I can see the road. Going down a steep road at 90km sharing the front seat with a mother and toddler was just a bit much for me. Though I do choose older drivers if possible - advised to do so as they have families so tend to be more careful. They slow down for the speed bumps and zigzag around potholes.
I think I'm getting a lifetime's worth of roller coasters here, if I can live through it. And I haven't even tried the moto taxis yet (yes it's motorbikes with no helmet and no more than 2 passengers plus a small child on at the same time!)
2 comments:
The Beach Boys
Have you struck a goat lying along the shelf above the back seat of a sedan yet? One peace Corp volunteer related being in a taxi and suspecting the man next to her of pulling on her pony tail but she could never catch him. Then she realised that it was the goat lying above all the back seat passengers along the shelf at the back. Traveling is definitely nerve-wracking.
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