I want you to close your eyes and imagine
(or just look at the pictures…. your call) a vehicle roughly the size of a
12-passenger van. However, unlike a typical 12-passenger van that usually
holds, you guessed it, 12 passengers, this van holds 20+ passengers. I have had
the pleasure to ride on a brousse that crammed on more than 35 passengers.
Since the interior of a taxi brousse is typically filled with people, most of
the bags and other large items are impressively roped to the top.
A taxi brousse is the primary (and
typically only) way to travel mid to long distances in this country. Due to the
close quarters and long travel times, human interaction is frequent and often
laughably bizarre. Here is a small selection of some of my more memorable
conversations I have had on (or around) a taxi brousse. I hope that you can
laugh and learn from my experiences on these vehicles that seem to breed
absurdity.
*All
conversations were originally in Malagasy. Assuming most of you do not speak
Malagasy, the following are the best translations I can muster. Enjoy.
The Wait (Part 1 of 3)
Me: “When does the brousse leave?”
Lady: “It leaves at 7am.”
I
walk up to the brousse at 8:30am.
Me: “Sorry that I’m late!”
Lady: “No problem! You’re the first person here!”
Taxi brousses never leave on time so don’t
worry about getting to the station early.
The Handoff
A man
struggles to enter an already crowded taxi brousse.
Man: “Hold my bag for a second.”
Me: “Yes, sir.”
A
similar situation on a different taxi brousse.
Lady: “Hold this stack of hats for a
second.”
Me: “Okay.”
Same
thing. Different taxi brousse.
Man: “Hold this chicken for a second.”
Me: “Um… Sure.”
You
get the idea.
Lady: “Hold my baby for a second.”
Me: “Wait… What?”
When taxi brousses get very crowded it is
common to help the entering passenger by holding her/his belongings while the
person sits down. I have quickly learned that luggage can be anything from live
chickens to children.
The Fruit Transaction
Man sitting next to me: “Do you want some
lychees?”
Me: “Yeah!”
 |
| A small bunch of lychees. |
I eat
3 of his lychees.
Man: “Do you want some lychees?”
Me: “Yes! Thanks!”
I eat
5 of his lychees.
Man: “Do you want some lychees?”
Me: “Sure!”
The
man sets a bundle of approximately 50 lychees in my lap.
Me: “Thank you!”
I turn
to the man on the other side of me.
Me: “Do you want some lychees?”
For a few weeks in November/December a
delicious, little red fruit called lychee is in season. In my region of
Madagascar lychees are plentiful and an essential part of everyone’s diet for
the short time they are around, which makes them the perfect fruit for sharing.
The Wait (Part 2 of 3)
It is
now 10am.
Me: “How many more people do we need?”
Lady: “We still need 5 people.”
A taxi brousse never leaves until it is
100% full. Your wait time is determined by how fast the taxi brousse fills up.
The Team Effort
The
taxi brousse is stuck in a large mud pit.
Driver: “Everyone get out!”
We
stand outside of the brousse as the tires continue to spin.
Driver: “I need all of the men to push.”
All
of the men successfully push the brousse out of the pit and get sprayed with
mud. Taxi brousse promptly starts smoking.
Driver: “It’s broken.”
Man standing next to me: “Do you want some
lychees?”
Me: “Yup.”
It is very common for a taxi brousse to get
stuck and/or break down. The best way to handle it is with a good sense of
humor and a basket of lychees.
The Shower
I am
on a very crowded taxi brousse driving through a rainforest. I can only fit
half of my torso in the vehicle while the other half hangs out a window.
Lady sitting next to me: “I think that it
is going to rain.”
I
turn to reveal my drenched right half of my body.
Me: “It already is.”
Sometimes it rains in the rainforest.
The Wait (Part 3 of 3)
It is
now noon.
Me: “How many more people do we need?”
Lady: “We don’t need any more people.”
Me: “Then why are we waiting?”
Lady: “The driver left to eat lunch.”
You can’t go anywhere without your driver!
In case you are curious, this taxi brousse ended up leaving at 2pm.
The Boxer
Man sitting on my lap: “Where are you
from?”
Me: “I’m from the United States.”
From
this point on the conversation is in English.
Man: “I know English a little.”
Me: “Really?! Very good!”
Man: “I like the American boxer.”
Me: “Who is that?”
Man: “Muhammad Gandhi. He fights very
strong.”
Me: “Do you mean Muhammad Ali?”
Man: “No. Muhammad Ali is Chinese old man.
Muhammad Gandhi is a strong boxer.”
Me: “…”
Thanks to this kind gentleman I now know
that Mahatma Gandhi has a brother who is a great American boxer. You learn so
many things on the taxi brousse!
Riding on a taxi brousse is an adventure.
Even though it is typically hot, crowded, lengthy, and generally uncomfortable
to ride one of these vehicles, I am thankful for the experiences it creates. I
can confidently say that there are few other ways to get as close (mentally and
physically) to the people around you.
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