Happy New Year!
It's hard to believe that it is already New Years. Just doesn't feel like 5 months have passed since I left the States. I've been hoping to add some more culture into my posts; after 3 weeks away from my site moving around the country, I feel like now is a great time to give what we like to call the "Transportation Rundown."
If you've spoken with me on the phone or Skype, I'm sure I've mentioned how crazy traveling is here. I remember arriving in the country after more than a day of airline travel only to see a very small airport with little in terms of immigration or security. We then got in Peace Corps cars (not taxis, not buses, but Peace Corps cars with Peace Corps drivers) and all started worrying about our safety because the roads were narrow, without lanes or traffic signals, and with a mix of people, cars, and animals running across traffic. After 5 months in country and having travelled from the very North of Madagascar to the Capital in the center of the country to the Southeast and back, a private driver on a questionable road sounds pretty good.
Traveling here from place to place involves a mix of options:
(1) The chief method is the taxi-brousse. These are either 15 seat minivans or old-school pickup trucks where passengers sit in the back depending on where you are and how far you're going. For example, whenever I want to go to Ambanja (Josh's site 50km south) or Diego (where I bank and use internet 200km away), I take a taxi-brousse. I take my luggage to the side of the road and wait for one of these brousses to pass by in the direction I want to go. Then, I hail it down and hope there is "space." I say "space" because there are 15 seats: 3 in the front and 4 rows of 3 people. However, I've been on few regional rides with less than 20 people in the car, in fact, it is not rare to have 27-30 people total. The drivers just keep "manombotra place"/making seats. Children sit on laps, we sit 5 in a row that should have 3, and in the first row, people sit across from you so you interlock legs like a puzzle. Needless to say, those rides aren't too comfortable, but that's the only way to get around. The national brousses are a lot better though. On my ride from the Capital to Farafangana via Fianar, we sat 4 across on one ride and 3 across on another. It felt like we were sitting in first class.
(2) Airplanes. To get from Tana to Diego, I need to take a plane. Nothing too exciting here. The planes are normal regional jets you'd take in the States. Just don't expect the long lines. At least there's no need to arrive an hour and a half before the flight.
(3) Train. There used to be a bunch of commuter rails from what I hear, but the one most talked about is the stretch from Fianar to Manakara, which I took last week. It takes a little bit longer than a taxi-brousse, but the comfort makes up for the time. Not to mention, the train goes right through the rainforest and stops in a bunch of cool small towns.
All in all, travel here is slow and lacks the comfort and convenience of the US. Luckily, I have two years to move around at the pace this country demands: "Mora Mora."
I've posted some new photos from the rainforest at Ranomafana, the train to Fianar, and work in Farafangana.
Hope everyone's year is starting off on the right foot,
Jason
0 comments:
Post a Comment