A Moto-Taxi Ride
on The Road Less Travelled (Cameroon), 23/Nov/2009 07:42, 34 days ago
Moto-taxis are the main method of transport in and around Maroua.  On every street you see men with yellow vests on who are moto-taxi drivers.  You always want to make sure you get a moto-taxi driver with a yellow vest and that the number on the vest matches the number on the moto.  This means they are part of the official fleet here and it is better for safety reasons as you can report the number if anything goes wrong.  When I take the moto taxi from the city to the far away catholic mission (where I am staying temporarily) Greg and Caroline note the moto's number for me.  I call them when I get back safely, if something bad was to happen and I didn't call they would be able to report the moto number and hopefully find me.For 100 CFAs you an go almost anywhere in Maroua.  Some of the father places cost a little but more, the catholic mission is 150 or 200 depending on the time of day.  Once I was taking a moto who got a flat tire half way to the destination and he still wanted me to pay the 100 francs, I said no and only gave him 50, since he only got me 50% of the way there.To catch a moto-taxi you stand by the side of the road and make a sound which sounds like "Pssssttt", and you do a one handed clap with your palm facing down to summon them over to you.  It is really hard to get one at night sometimes because there are no street lights, so first of all seeing who is wearing a vest is tricky and then seeing if they already have a passenger is difficult.Almost none of the locals who use motos or who drive them wear helmets, it is one of the signs that you can tell someone is a VSO or Peace Corps Volunteer.  Greg, Caroline and I all have white full faced helmets so we have named ourselves the Stormtroopers Moto Gang. This weekend I mastered getting on and off a moto taxi while wearing a skirt or dress. It is a valuable skill because they are much cooler to wear but when you areon a moto you aren't supposed to show too much of your legs.  Some of the women here sit 'side-saddle' on the back of the motos. I haven't been brave enough to try that, it is not easy to balance that way.I have uploaded a short clip of a ride I took down one of the main roads in Maroua called Kakatare street. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0IsC94JDvo