During the past 3 days, I’ve gotten a decent idea for how
transportation works around here.
I was worried about it at first, but now everything seems much more
manageable! There are basically 4
ways to get around – walk, take the train, call a cab, or take a mini bus. The first is easy. As long as you’re not walking alone at
night, it’s pretty safe near campus.
If it’s an unfamiliar area it’s always better to have others as
well. Don’t worry Papa, I use the
buddy system a lot and usually there are guys there too so it’s not
particularly unsafe.
The second means of transportation is the train. There are 2 train stops within a 5
minute walk from where I live so that’s super convenient. You go up to the station, pay for a
ticket, and get on. There’s a
first class car, which costs 2 rand more and that is what we’ve been doing as
it is safer. Obviously, the train
is only safe during the day and that’s another place where big groups are
needed and you really have to watch your purse. Don’t worry, there’s no Tsotsi action going on! As long as you make smart choices it’s
safe and a good/easy way to get around.
It costs about 8 rand (less than $1) to get from campus to the central
city of Cape Town and it probably takes about 12 minutes to get there. The first time we rode the train, we
went with our South African RA, but yesterday a group of 5 girls and I went on
our own and felt really accomplished that we’re figuring out how to get around
out here!
Calling a cab is another way to get around. It’s easy and very safe. It’s basically the equivalent of
calling a cab company here and arranging a pick up spot. It’s a well-organized business and is
very professional. This is the
best way to get around at night for sure and still isn’t too expensive. A ten-minute drive to a club in a nice
area of town the other night cost me and three other friends about $2 each.
The last way to get around in Cape Town is via mini
bus. Today was a big day. Why may you ask? Because Hannah and I first used the
mini bus to get around. We felt
pretty accomplished. I’ve included
a picture below for your viewing pleasure. It was our lucky day because we got the party van. Usually the buses are plain white, so
this one is an anomaly. We
listened to Girl on Fire and Gangnam Style on our ride on FULL BLAST. The car was actually shaking. Also, did I mention that there were 16
people crammed into this thing? Well,
there were. It was pretty
cool. It only cost us about 75
cents for what was a 30 minute walk!
The mini bus is great during the day and with a group. Would never ride it alone or at night, but it’s a great way to get around
at an inexpensive price! The guys
in the buses are the ones that yell at you when you’re walking on the street,
but I’ve noticed they yell at everyone.
It’s pretty normal for them to drive by and yell all the way down the
street. They have specific pick up
and drop off points, but if you’re driving and you wave them down, they’re
happy to pull over so you can jump in.
It’s pretty cool being able to explore and get to know the
city/country. It feels like
something I would’ve thought was impossible when I was young, but would’ve
really wanted to do. I feel really
independent in being able to figure these things out on my own and I love the
experience of getting thrown in to something completely foreign and making it
my own. The next use of public
transportation will be learning to take the Jammie (the school shuttle) to get
around campus and into Cape Town.
Looking forward to the next adventure!
No comments:
Post a Comment