One thing that really terrifies me in this city is driving. I had
never really driven overseas - only once actually in Wadi Rum, Jordan in
98 - so didn't really figure I would have too many opportunities this
time around. But our contacts here set us up with a loaner after our
first couple months in Niamey. Its only cheaper than taxis if all four
of us are going somewhere... but a whole lot more convenient.
I generally take a taxi if I am going somewhere alone... usually
just the agency office. But I actually don't go out that often. Taxis
in and of themselves can often be an "Only in Africa" experience. All
the taxis are much older than any car you'd see in the states... its
amazing they still run, and they often have little quirks. One time, as
we were driving along one of the paved roads, the taxi driver stuck a
wet tshirt out the window and held it there as we drove... I can only
assume as a cost-effective dry cleaning.
Yes... the dearth of paved roads is one of the big reasons driving
is so terrifying. To get to a paved road from our house you take a left
out of the driveway, then a left, then a right then a right, then drive
half a km to the paved road... there are only a few in the city. So it
just makes it a challenge because you can be driving on a poorly lit
paved or unpaved road at night... sometimes lost (yes, I have gotten
lost several times in this city... which is kind of embarrassing because
it really is not that complicated of a layout), trying to make sure you
don't hit anyone. Of course, traffic standards are just different than
we're used to... cars in a roundabout must yield to cars entering the
circle, and the paved roads are actually scarier than the unpaved...
because their margins are swarming with motorcycles, bikes, pedestrians
coming from different angles. Intersection traffic lights usually don't
work, and so sometimes its just a 'pushing match' to get through,
especialy right before the afternoon siesta time.
Throw into this mix a 20 year old Toyota Corrolla that is only
semi-reliable, and a stick shift car. Don't get me wrong I am very
thankful for the car... it is a gift of grace... and I am also grateful
for E Wald's manual transmission driving lessons ten years ago. But I
have still had a few tense stall-out episodes. It just adds another
layer of complexity!
never really driven overseas - only once actually in Wadi Rum, Jordan in
98 - so didn't really figure I would have too many opportunities this
time around. But our contacts here set us up with a loaner after our
first couple months in Niamey. Its only cheaper than taxis if all four
of us are going somewhere... but a whole lot more convenient.
I generally take a taxi if I am going somewhere alone... usually
just the agency office. But I actually don't go out that often. Taxis
in and of themselves can often be an "Only in Africa" experience. All
the taxis are much older than any car you'd see in the states... its
amazing they still run, and they often have little quirks. One time, as
we were driving along one of the paved roads, the taxi driver stuck a
wet tshirt out the window and held it there as we drove... I can only
assume as a cost-effective dry cleaning.
Yes... the dearth of paved roads is one of the big reasons driving
is so terrifying. To get to a paved road from our house you take a left
out of the driveway, then a left, then a right then a right, then drive
half a km to the paved road... there are only a few in the city. So it
just makes it a challenge because you can be driving on a poorly lit
paved or unpaved road at night... sometimes lost (yes, I have gotten
lost several times in this city... which is kind of embarrassing because
it really is not that complicated of a layout), trying to make sure you
don't hit anyone. Of course, traffic standards are just different than
we're used to... cars in a roundabout must yield to cars entering the
circle, and the paved roads are actually scarier than the unpaved...
because their margins are swarming with motorcycles, bikes, pedestrians
coming from different angles. Intersection traffic lights usually don't
work, and so sometimes its just a 'pushing match' to get through,
especialy right before the afternoon siesta time.
Throw into this mix a 20 year old Toyota Corrolla that is only
semi-reliable, and a stick shift car. Don't get me wrong I am very
thankful for the car... it is a gift of grace... and I am also grateful
for E Wald's manual transmission driving lessons ten years ago. But I
have still had a few tense stall-out episodes. It just adds another
layer of complexity!
Comments
And, I bet Tara's grateful for the "uphill on a gravel road" stick-shift driving lessons from our mom!
You never know when manual transmission know-how will come in handy...did I ever tell you about how I got my job in the pecan orchard in college? My professor asked me if I could drive a stick-shift. When I said yes, he was so impressed and offered me a job driving tractors and an old truck (among other duties) in the orchard.
Yea, a lot of older models are used. When we bought our Toyotas last year, our salesman (with his extended family still over in India) was telling us how older models from Toyota and Nissan (mostly used American cars) are converted and sold oversees to cities in both India and Africa.