Thursday 19 April 2007

Getting around in Georgetown

Getting around is easy, if a little scary! The fastest way is by minibus if you can’t afford a taxi. There are hundreds of them on about 15 different routes. They travel at breakneck speed, ignore all other road users, skid around pigs, goats and horses without slowing down and play the loudest reggae / rap music you can imagine, But having said all that they are very efficient. They stop wherever you want and drop you off in front of your house. If they miss it, passengers tell them to back up and they do. A boy (the conductor) touts for business and shouts at you as you pass and holds a wad of thousands of dollars of notes in his hand. It’s safer to sit in the middle. You never have to wait more than 30 seconds for a bus as they are everywhere. Taxis have a fixed price (about 70p) and are equally efficient and safer but the quality of car leaves much to be desired. If you get one without a cracked windscreen you are doing really well. These are to be used only occasionally on a poor VSO’s salary.