Taxi brousse versus 4x4

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Sunday 23rd December
La Refuge, Tulear
15:32 (UK), 18:32 (Madagascar)


Taxi brousse versus 4x4?!

Taxi brousse!! Some people may not relish the idea of a 16 - 24 hour ride in an oversized school bus, and to be honest I wasn’t particularly liking the thought, but after going through 4 x 4 ride to Andavadoaka from Tulear (7.5hrs) and then back (via a pirogue ride to Morombe (6 hours) and a 12 hour wait in Morombe) by taxi brousse (16 hours) I conclude that taxi brousses are the best. These long journeys are what travelling should be about. Yes, it took over 3 hours in travel time - but I got to see Madagascar in two alternative travel forms and visited another town on route. I am battered and bruised today from the ride, but the good times and good vibes way out weigh them.

Reasons why I believe taxi brousses to be better than 4x4s:
1. You expect them to break down. If your 4x4 breaks down you are more annoyed than if the brousse does.

2. They cost a fraction of the price - a single to on the Morombe - Tulear line costs the equivalent of £8.50. Even with a full 4x4 our volunteers are looking at paying at least £60.

3. You get to meet new people…and animals…chickens…ducks…turkeys…other duck like creatures that type of thing - I even met to English speaking travellers whom said they had not yet met any other English speakers on their travels - the result of which meant I had a very enjoyable dinner last night with new company.

4. You get to see the countryside change from grassland and arable in the North to the drier spiny forest of the south - I know you also do in the 4x4, but it is slightly slower in the brousse and therefore your appreciation is greater.

5. You get to feel like you are really funny - all the Malagasy people on the taxi brousse found me practically hysterical - good for the confidence - perhaps I should take up stand up.

6. Near death experiences are good for you - feeling that the brousse may topple over on some parts of the ‘road’ left me gasping for air. The relief after made it worth it (and the hysterical laughing from the Malagasy was also fun)

7. You get to listen to a lot of Malagasy music - this will leave you with no
problem at the epi-bar later on in the week and you can impress everyone by knowing all the words -they have played the same songs so much that you can’t help but sing along.

8. Having very little sleep is good for you too - well for one night - it makes the next week very easy to sleep

9. After feeling so disgusting at the end of the ride you will feel so amazing after the shower it will be like you have been reborn! (well I did)

10. Mud is good for the skin - when the brousse breaks down and you have to walk for 2 kilometres through the mud you can be happy that your skin has been cleansed.

11. Getting these walks during the voyage is also good for you and prevents any risk of deep vein thrombosis.

12. You get to experience new smells - you’ve really got to go with them - don’t even try to fight them - you are probably contributing too.

13. You have time to think and watch the world and communities change. Going on the coastal road by 4x4 goes through fewer villages than the Morombe - Tulear road, therefore more to watch.

14. The injuries sustained from the journey were just different, not worse. By 4x4 I was left with a stiff neck for a couple of days; by taxi brousse I have a large bruise to my upper left arm and a sore bum. One vertebrate hurts a bit too, but at least I don’t feel like my head is going to fall off.

15. You get to meet the wildlife of the spiny forest during pit stops whilst they pull the brousse out of the mud
16. You get to witness first hand the resourcefulness of the people that run these taxi brousse operations. They are truly amazing. Getting such a large vehicle out of so much mud is not one small achievement.

17. You appreciate you are not a turkey - here they seem to have no animal rights movement and turkeys are transported alive in the 40 degree heat and midday sun on the top of the taxi brousse, with only one observed watering.

18. Most importantly- your carbon footprint is smaller - travelling with 40 people (well - as many really as could possibly be squished in really) is far more efficient that a partially filled 4 x4.

This really is what travelling should be about - not about getting somewhere quickly and most time-efficiently- it is about the experience of the travelling process. In my 36 hour journey from Andava to Tulear via Morombe I have not only made a business contact for work, (Pere George I mentioned in previous blog), but I have a memory of people and place that will stay with me for life. I have also met two great guys from South Africa and Denmark whom I am likely to now keep in touch with as we shared the experience. This travel ethic is starting to be more and more promoted (have a look at www.loco2.co.uk / www.seat61.co.uk - they’re good ones) but I hope that it catches on and I hope that soon there will be a low carbon travel route option accessible to the traveller to Madagascar soon.

On the road again and off to Morondava tomorrow; unfortunately by plane so my carbon footprint is again increased by a further 40kg. Christmas day dinner cooked by solar stove - if I cook a lot then perhaps that will offset the equivalent cooked by kerosene…hmm - where’s my calculator?

Happy Christmas all, xxx

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