Taking taxis around the city, the easiest form of transportation, is starting to add up. Since Joe and I moved to the peninsula (the “mzungu” part of town a little north east of the city), we’re a little out of the way from the city center where we work, and other neighborhoods. Cabs tend to cost around 8,000 shillings to get to other parts of the town (around $6), which adds up if you’re taking those 4 times a day or more.
So, we try to take a dala dala (a mini bus) to and from work. These cost 250 shillings, and are a decently direct way to downtown. The key is to catch them at the right time, or else they’ll be packed, or you’ll end up waiting a long time (I waited for 45 minutes to get a dala dala going to Posta on Tuesday).
I’m still not entirely sure how it works – there’s no formal schedule and half the busses don’t have their final distination written on the bus. Conductors yell out to the side of the street where the bus is going, and if that destination seems reasonable, it’s all yours to hop on. Additionally, you never know when the dala dala is going to pull off the side of the road and decide it’s time for a break. One dala dala I went on started steaming in the front, and the conductor just chuckled, poured some water into an unknown hole, while passengers watched inquisitively, and then the bus kept going.
Somehow though, locals just know where to catch them and which one to get on, and they expect the unexpected. And so the system functions.
No comments:
Post a Comment