How many people can you fit in a taxi? In Tanzania, they cram as many people in a vehicle as possible! Taxis here are very different than in the states. They operate more like shuttles, picking up and dropping people off all along the way. You can get a private cab, but for a fraction of the cost you can share the ride, as well as your personal space. Today we took a taxi to town, and got to experience firsthand how tightly people are packed into these cars. We were in a minivan, a Toyota Road Tourer, that is supposed to seat 8 people, but there ended up being 14 adults, and 2 babies squished together. 3 people up front plus the drive, 5 passengers in the middle seat, 4 more in the back seat and the 2 kids, with one more person behind seat on top of the luggage! Let’s just say it was a tight squeeze, and each time the van stopped for someone on the side of the street, I didn’t think it was possible to fit another person in the loaded down vehicle, but each time, the driver instructed the riders to move here, or sit like that, and somehow all the doors managed to shut with all of us inside.
My shoulder was pressed against the window and my half my butt was sitting on the armrest and cup holder on the side as we jostled down the exceptionally bumpy and pitted dirt road. I was just thinking to myself that perhaps all of the bodies crammed together actually served as a shock absorber, as the ride seemed much less tumultuous than when we ride with Bibi Kay in her 4x4 truck. I’m sure the driver’s vast experience on the roads allows him to careen through the maze of holes and humps with precision. I was a firm believer in the driver’s supreme driving skills until we plummeted down into a giant rut, and then the van shuddered to a stop. After multiple attempts to restart the van, we all piled out and watched the driver assess the damage. There was a major oil leak, and someone found a piece of metal in the road, apparently something vital. So the driver called a couple of his other taxi friends and they picked us up. This time we squeezed 8 adults and 2 babies in a tiny 5 seat sedan for the rest of the trip. The most amazing thing is that the entire, I never heard one peep from either children. Tanzanian kids truly are the most well-behaved!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteWell, yes, tight rides, no awareness, least resect, of what is private space. This Is Africa (TIA). We had few evenings rides as well and I thought packing 7 people in a normal car, with some of us being quite tall/big, was not possible. We were literally crammed into the car and emerged out of it 10mins afterwards with little to no complaints ;)
You should check out taxis in Egypt. They won't, admittedly, let more than 3-4 people in but once they do, get ready for a Need For Speed-type ride with all its exhilarations and rough turns without any of the comfort derived from merely playing the game as opposed to being inside the car!!
Cheerio,
H.