My Taxi-Boat Experience

After a long day of Saturday shopping, I took my cart out of the mall and said “Oh no!” Not only was it Christmas rush shopping, (which I’m sure you can relate to), it was also raining! That means there is a huge line of people, or more like a crowd, waiting to get the first taxi. No, waiting can’t be the right word. How about pushing and competing?

With a huge cart of stuff I was no where near getting a taxi. The minute people pull up in a cab there are more people pushing at the door and knocking on the window to jump in. Being a white person, it is handy that people usually try to help me in order to get a tip. Well today is the day to give out tips to the first guy to find me a taxi!

Sure enough someone pushed to the front for me, claimed a taxi for me, and unloaded my stuff for me. He got his tip and I got my seat.

Once inside the taxi I realized we would be jammed in traffic for quite a while. Bare-chested boys knocked on my window begging for money or just being silly. Vans and taxis cut us off as we tried to weave through bumper-to-bumper chaos.

My boat experience began when we tried to plow through a street that had flooded with rain-water. You know it is deep when you can feel the water flowing under you. Out my window was a sight almost like this photo I found on the internet of an Indian monsoon, only it was dark outside, the taxis and jeepneys look a little different, and there was not as much space between cars.

We finally got home, and Nate was there to help me unload the bags. I was thankful we made it through the river in our taxi-boat, because if we had stalled I don’t know what I would have done with all those bags!