Going places

Hi there,
So I thought it was about time that I shared a little about "normal life" here in Colombia. Nothing is more normal to the majority of Colombians and ex pats here than public transport. One good thing about it is that there is a plethora of ways of getting around Cartagena so that you really don't need a car, and it is often more convenient not to have one. I of course do not so to get around I need to brave the various forms of transport, each one has its positives, negatives and idiosyncrasies! so here I am going to go through each one in turn, starting with the most comfortable and expensive - Taxis.

Taxis here are very common and for groups of 4 (or 5) quite an economical form of transport. The average cost of a short journey is 5,000 pesos (£1.70) and longer journeys, 7,000 (£2.50). Most taxis are driven by older men, in their 40's and upwards, however, there are some younger lads, one driver I had looked about 15!! we weren't entirely sure he hadn't stolen the taxi and was driving it to make money! Many drivers are wanting to learn English and take every opportunity to practice leading to some repetitive conversations (what is your name, where are you from, how old are you - basic English!)

Buses

My preferred form of transport, buses are privately owned and mostly driven by boy racers, therefore a quick form of transport, if not comfortable!! A journey of any distance within the city is 1,500 pesos (53p) so it is very reasonable and we are fortunate that most of the places we go are on direct bus routes. Because the buses are privately owned, most routes have buses that come past every couple of minutes, but it also means that they try and pack in as many people as possible often ending with people hanging out of the doors! Each bus is staffed by the driver and another who I call the Drivers mate, as this often seems to be the case, I guess he is like the old conductor, he hangs out of the door calling out the route to people waiting at the side of the road (there are no bus stops) and periodically passing through the bus to collect the money. Being boy racers the buses are often fitted with decorations (popular is material with tassels, religious posters, stickers etc) as well as lights and sound systems that make some buses look like nightclubs after dark!

Moto Taxi

These are the quickest but not safest form of transport, motorbike taxis are numerous and can be spotted by the driver having a spare helmet on his arm, the bike are generally not well kept and you are lucky of you can find one with wing mirrors let alone one with a spare helmet that actually fits or fastens up. A 5000 peso taxi ride will generally cost about 2000 pesos (73p) and takes about half the time. I do sometimes take moto taxis, but generally only when I either dont have the time for a bus or money for a taxi but always wait for one with a semi decent helmet and wing mirrors! and only ever short distances, for example at the moment on Wednesdays I have 10 min to get to the YWAM base to teach the English school so I get a moto taxi.

Collectivo

These are communal taxis, sometimes cars like normal taxis others Jeeps, coming home from the gym I take a Jeep collectivo. These are the cheapest form of transport with a Jeep collectivo being 1000 pesos, (35p) basically the Jeep has it's back door strapped open and you just hop in and sit in the back with 5 other people. The Jeeps are normally full of lower class Colombians so I often look completely out of place and sometimes get strange looks from other passengers! being cramped into the back of a Jeep with 5 big black men could be intimidating but I really love travelling in the collectivos, it makes me feel more Colombian.

So that is Colombian public transport system, it is chaotic but it works. Thanks to Larissa for the photos, not that I asked if I could use them!! hope you don't mind, she was more keen on taking pics of the transport than I have been!

God Bless
Petra