Public Transportation

So, like I've mentioned before, Lomé's infrastructure is shockingly nonexistent. Which makes for a very interesting way to commute around the city.  Luckily I am within walking distance to work so I don't have to deal with the public transport thaat often. But anyway:

• Taxis: I'm not really sure what the deal with taxis here is. I think they drive set routes and if they're going where you're going, they'll agree to take you. Which seems antithetical to like, the whole point of taxis. Anyway you also share taxis with other people going in a similar direction. Which is also an interesting concept. And also because there's no meter-thing, you negotiate your prices beforehand. Of course as a non-Togolese person, they always demand absurd (well, absurd for Togo standards) prices of me, but I can usually negotiate them down to regular levels. But in any case the taxis are super super super cheap here. For example, yesterday I payed the most I've ever paid in a taxi because I was coming from this conference that was like 40 km outside of Lomé...and I paid a grand total of USD 1.50. Usually it's a matter of 30-40 cents. It's kind of inconvenient though because they don't really drop you off in the exact place since they've stuffed in like 6 people in one taxi.
• Moto: These are people driving motorbikes that take you right to your destination. They're slightly more expensive than the taxi and the prices are more subject to the whims of the driver.  I'm also slightly more sketched out by these because you're kind of hopping on the back this rando's motorbike and paying him an arbitrary amount. I mean, it's still super cheap in US standards and it's a very very common way to get around so it's super safe during the day. I've tried to avoid them late at night.
• "Bus": If you want to go traveling around Togo or anywhere in West Africa you have to take these really crowded, really old "buses"...which are really more like those big Astro vans in the States.  They stuff 20 people in this van for several hours along bumpy roads (so I've heard). I took one on the way to Tsévié on Tuesday to go to that conference I had mentioned and it was so crowded. I can't really complain because I was only it in for an hour but it was still crowded nevertheless and I've heard that people stay in those things for like 20 hours if they want to go to the north of Togo. Awful. But it was also very cheap...if super uncomfortable. 

 And I'm pretty sure that's it by way of public transportation here. It's quite different coming from Paris where the Métro took you anywhere you wanted.  But, I suppose, when in Togo, do as the Togolese do.