Kathmandu Traffic Jam Taxicab Driving

Nepalese learn how to drive on small country roads that have no defined lanes, shoulders, or rules. And when they get to Kathmandu’s mix of narrow side roads and few four-lane boulevards, they continue their lawless driving with great flair.

Here’s a video of my taxi ride from Patan to Kathmandu, through one of the many epic Maoist-inspired traffic snarls:

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Ghana to Obama and America: Thank You!

Its hard to appreciate or underestimate the effect Barack Obama’s presidency has on Africans. That a black man, son of a Muslim Kenyan, is now President of the United States. Add in that he comes after the Bush years, which were seen as very arrogant, and his election was a watershed moment in American-African relations.

Now don’t even try to imagine the overwhelming pride of Ghana, a small West African, in being the first African country to host Obama after the election. Even walking among Ghanians after his visit, talking with everyone from taxi drivers to leading businessmen, I still can only glimpse at their happiness.

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Boda Boda Motorcycle Taxi Driver Interview

I love the boda boda motorcycle taxis of Kampala, Uganda. Fast, cheap, and fun to ride, they get you where you need to go with the speed and style unmatched by any other African transport.

While going between business meetings, I had the opportunity to interview a boda boda driver about his ride, his job, and making a living as a taxi on the streets of Kampala:

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A Whole Other Kind of Taxi Time

“Taxi! Come here Taxi!” This is what I shout on a daily basis now. I’m calling a Taxi in the morning, during the day, and even late into the night. But it’s not the taxi your thinking of.

This is not a New York Taxi story, nor a taxi experience in Macedonia, Russia, or even Bangkok, and its much better than the San Juan Taxi Mafia.

This is a story even better than Portland taxi driver perfection, this is a whole other kind of “taxi”.

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