After being in Martinique for a couple of weeks now I certainly think the transport here deserves a mention. The choices, being an island, are somewhat limited. As a non-driver, you can either pay over the odds for a taxi (and trust me, being white and foreign, we do) or risk life and limb taking the local bus. And what an experience that is.
We soon learnt that the bus timetables are purely for decoration and have absolutely no relation to what time the bus will come (and if it does whether it will actually stop or not). We’ve also finally come to the understanding that when a bus driver stops and waves his hand to the right he’s going to Fort-de-France (the capital city) and when he waves to the left, well he could be going anywhere. Because surely the bus number shouldn’t correspond with where the bus is actually going right?! Of course there are then those bus drivers who like to confuse (and scare the living jeepers out of non-local passengers) by driving along and pulling up at bus stops with both hands in the air singing about how beautiful Martinique is, the island of his heart. Unfortunately this has not been a one off experience but I think I am starting to become accustomed to it and have stopped gripping the seats quite so tightly and standing out like the epic tourist that I am. This is of course, if I can get a seat and am not shoe-horned in with a load of school kids, gossiping grannies or the inevitable weirdoes that just love talking to me on public transport “I can speaks ze English, what is your telephone for call you?” “Oh sorry I don’t have a number over here” (only a little lie)!
Hopefully some of the other ERASMUS students will be getting a car soon so we can all chip in for petrol and have an explore of this beautiful island without having to say a prayer to Saint Christopher every time we get on the bus. Although they do drive their cars like bumper cars over here so maybe that’ll be another story entirely...
Until next time, EmJx
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