Transportation

I wanted to take a minute to discuss the modes of transportation here. Primarily I travel to and from work in taxis. The taxis are any type of car designated by having yellow fronts and backs with usually black paint on the rest. The cars are in various states of disrepair. One taxi I rode in seemed like it was probably only held together by duct tape. It is rare that the inside cover to the door is there, I've actually found it interesting to see how the door handle mechanism works...although often it is not functional. The driver usually knows the exact way to jiggle and pull so that it swings out precariously on fragile hinges. The windshield is usually cracked and dinged up but it serves its purpose. The handle above the door is often missing, making me wonder how that piece would have broken, did it just come off in someones hand one day? One taxi driver stepped out and opened the back hood, which, since it was a wagon style car allowed the whole car to be open. I wasn't sure if this was to create air flow because of the heat, to let out the strong smell of gas which filled the car, or was to help improve his vision out of the back. I didn't ask as we drove around with the door sticking out behind us.
The taxis run in a very practical method, which is by stopping anywhere along the road to fill up with passengers. Being a foreigner, if I hail a taxi alone (it seems to be universal to just stick out your arm) the driver may ask if I want to go "dropping'. This means that I would be the only person in the vehicle and would be brought directly to my destination. Otherwise, the taxis run simliar to subways in that they have particular destinations and people get out at certain junctions along the way. This method would save me so much money living in New York, I would have been happy to share the cost of going up, downtown or crosstown with other people going the same way! And for people who can't stand the thought of not getting directly to their door and having to actually sit in close quarters with another human being...they could just say "dropping" or something similar and have it private.
I haven't figured out the pricing system. It seems like each person just inherently knows how many cents or dollars a certain distance is worth. Its not specific though, its more like, from my flat to downtown is 1 GHC and anywhere within that is 50 Pesewas. When we go to work, we take one taxi to the main town, and then pick up another taxi on another main road to get to work. They only drop you on the side of the road however, because if they drive you up the dirt road to the office, it costs the same amount as the entire journey from town... I also am not sure if you pay according to how full the taxi is exactly, or if you still just pay one fee per person...I seem to be the only one to actually vocally ask how much it is.

In the middle of town is a dirt lot called Taxi Rank. This area acts like a dispensary for taxis. Taxis line up in front of one another and a man stands at the front with a sign for a location. I look for the one that says SNITT Flats, and get in the one at the front. We wait there until the car fills up with other people going that way. When it is full we set off and the next car pulls up. Its an efficient system. Yesterday however I had the misfortune of trying to catch a taxi several minutes walk towards my area, from the taxi rank. Every single car was totally full and there wasn't a chance they would stop. I had to get a taxi going back the other way, and offer to pay him "dropping" for him to turn around. When I put up a bargain for how much to pay, he took the chance to pick up other passengers along the way and I got a good deal :-)

Besides the taxis on the roads, there are also numerous motorcycles and bicycles. These two wheelers seem to be allowed to drive both on the main roadway and the sidewalk areas on either side. These areas are dangerous because there are no cars and in this 10 ft late is where many of the stands and kiosks are. I was about an inch away from being completely assaulted by a speeding bicycle when I turned to look to my right, and my coworker yanked me back as I looked left to save me from the angry careless man flying by on his bike. So, one must always be aware. To cross the street it is necessary to go to a "zebra" crossing, with the black and white lines, that name confused me for a minute and I was excited about seeing some zebras. Then my method is to stand behind some local people, and when they run, sprint! The cars are a nearly ceaseless force constantly pulling in front of one another and cutting corners while bikes and motorcycles weave in between them. Goats roam freely around the city, acting as the natural garbagemen by eating up the many items which lay on the ground such as paper, plastic, bits of cloth and rotten food. They also wander in the sidewalk areas so one has to be always aware to avoid them and their excrement, duck if a woman walks by with a large tray on her head, and be careful not to get hit by a two or four wheeled vehicle. I have slowly been getting more comfortable walking around the streets but it is a chaotic stressful experience.