 |
| Inside a tro tro |
Tro tros are amazing and horrible at the same time. It’s amazing that those vans are still running. The ceilings are missing, the seats can be falling in or missing a back, and some of the doors don’t open. Sometimes the rear hatch is tied shut with rope, either because the latch no longer works or because of way too much luggage. It’s horrible because there are way too many people in a hot, confined space and there’s no air conditioning. They pack people in, four across where we would only squeeze in three. The seat belts don’t work. For long trips from stations, they wait to leave until every nook and cranny is full. And there’s so much luggage or freight, that it is piled up super high on the roof, making the vehicle top heavy. We have even seen one with two cows on top! Then they have to drive on some pretty rough, potholed, muddy, and neglected roads.
Taxis
Almost anywhere in Ghana you will find a fair amount more taxis than personal cars, yet in Benin and Togo there are barely any. The taxis can very a lot. They range from some that are falling apart and smell horrible to some that are almost brand new and really comfortable (although that doesn't happen very often). Almost every time you take a taxi you have to argue with driver about the price before you get in.
Motorcycles
Motorcycles or motos are what they use instead of taxis in Benin and Togo. Motos are also called zemidjans or zems by the Africans. With motos the price is pretty much fixed depending on how far you are going. They're almost always cheaper than a taxi. You can get across a city for less than a dollar. We would take two motos for three of us plus two drivers but the locals would take one with a family our size and a lot of stuff. The most loaded moto that I saw had a live cow on the back!
- Brook
No comments:
Post a Comment