Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Public Transportation




In the time we have been here we have truly grown to appreciate and even enjoy public transportation.  For  a mere 20 cents we can get from our home into the main part of town.  The only complicated  part is that they do not run after dark which is generally 5:30pm.  For this reason we have also taken advantage of a horse drawn cart (a bit more expensive at $5) or a small cart driven by a man on a bike (about $1).  Because we do not know much of this land or the language we have not been allowed to drive ourselves around.  We have finally been here long enough that we can start driving!  However, for the next month we are still limited to a small (back roads) area and not into town.  Which I am definitely ok with!
Today the kids and I took the van into town to look for something.  We walked to the route where the number we needed would drive by.  There are not specific stops by rather wherever you are they will stop and wherever you need to get off they will stop :)  When we got on the van did NOT sound good.  Now I am no mechanic but I do not what a car should and should not sound like.  We road a short distance when an older man got on...holding his rooster.  Stroking the rooster he looked at us and said the word for rooster.  I just had to chuckle. H kept saying how bad it smelled. For that reason I am glad our kids do not know the language yet.  As we continued along people got on and off.  I long to be able to communicate with them. For now we smile and say hi!
The time in town was pretty uneventful thankfully...even though we did not find what we were looking for :(
Headed back home we boarded the van again.  This time it was close to 5pm so it was PACKED.  The kids were not happy because they were being poked and pinched and stroked (this is VERY common).  The people mean it with very good intentions and the kids tolerate it well...but sometimes enough is enough.
This van sounded a little better...but I soon realized that if the driver stopped to drop off or pick up someone he had a VERY hard time starting again as it would constantly stall out...he kept trying to stop on the upside of the hill..ha ha!  Just a simple little adventure from our daily life...

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