How do you get where you’re going? Chances are, if it’s farther than your next door neighbor’s house, you use something other than your two feet. Some of you may choose a bike if your destination is just a few miles away, but I would venture to say that most of you travel by car most of the time. Most Rwandans will never enter a motor vehicle, and the ones who do will be riding in a shared taxi or possibly a bus (which can be a rather terrifying or at least uncomfortable experience, speaking from experience). Here in Rwanda, our organization has (eek!) 3 cars, and we utilize them a great deal, but I personally prefer the 3 most common modes of transportation of the locals: walking, biking, and moto-taxiing.
Walking is clearly the most common method for getting from place to place around here. There is a very special village about a 40 minute drive from our house. Some of the most precious children in the world live there, and they have been known to walk from their village to our house just to visit. They literally walk for hours just to spend an hour or two with the Muzungus at their house. Many people walk from their fields to the market every day to sell their goods. Others have to walk miles just to get water to use for cooking, drinking, and washing. I typically walk to school early on Monday mornings and soak in this amazing African experience.
Bicycles outnumber cars in Rwanda, for sure. There are a few different kinds of bikes. Some bikes, like the sweet gold cruiser of our day guard, are used merely for transportation of one person to get where he is going (yes, he. I have never seen a Rwandan woman pedaling on a bike.). Other bikes, like the sweet cargo bikes designed and distributed by our friends at Project Rwanda are used to transport goods rather than people. The loads people can carry on their bikes are far more impressive than the loads they can carry on their heads. Sometimes the bikes are so loaded down they cannot be ridden but are pushed by multiple people up and down the many hills to their intended destinations. The third kind of bike is a bicycle-taxi. This is like a cargo bike but with a nice padded seat over the back wheel. Many women sit side-saddle on the back of a bicycle taxi, but I don’t trust myself unless I straddle the seat and hold on tightly!
The most exciting means of transportation is via moto-taxi. When I am running late on Monday mornings, sometimes I hop on the back of a motorcycle, pay 300RWF (60 cents) and arrive at Sonrise in 5 minutes (instead of the 35 it takes to walk). Rwanda is a very well-regulated land, and this is evident in their moto-taxi laws. All moto-taxis must be registered and wear a designated vest. It is also law for both the driver and the passenger to wear helmets. Who knows what diseases I may be contracting from those helmets, but at least I know I won’t crack my head open if I were to fall off the back of a moto!
Please note the huge smile on the moto-taxi driver's face.
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