the taxi be

I feel it is necessary to make a comment about the taxi-bes (taxi bays) here, simply because it is the most ridiculous means of transportation I have ever experienced (and also the most fun).  In Tana, there are a few ways to get around: private taxis, private cars, vespas, bikes, and the taxi-be.  The private taxis are a little bit more expensive than the taxi-be but they seem pretty damn questionable to me.  In my opinion, and in the opinion of a lot of Malagasy, you have to be insane to drive here because it is complete mayhem in every sense of the word.  That’s why they have a “bus system” called the taxi-be.  These are vans marked by a color-coded number on the front that corresponds to neighborhoods… often holding around 34 people (I counted today).  There is a money collector who literally holds onto the van at the back when the door is unable to close due to over capacity.  But don’t worry, sometimes he has a strap in case he needs to pull himself up from the ground while the van is in transit.  Also, there really is no conception of roads here – or road names – one simply has to get his bearings from landmarks like the cathedral or the driving school called ‘speed’ or the shell gas station. So if you’re on the taxi be and you see your designated landmark and therefore need to get off you have to yell “misy mihali” (don’t know spelling), and then proceed to climb over 33 other Malagasy.  The people are so small here that this can actually happen… in the united states, I can’t imagine trying to fit even 20 people in a van. To say the least, it is quite an experience.