Monday, August 27, 2012

Matatus

Matatus are 14 seater passenger vans (which sometimes hold up to 25 people!) that provide the bulk of the public transportation here in Kenya.  I usually avoid these vans as safety is not really something that goes hand in hand with them but I do enjoy seeing the signage that adorns these rusting vehicles.

Along with TVs blaring the latest music video and strobe lights inside the vans, most have decals on their back and front windows.  These decals essentially act as a "name" for the rattling boxes of steel.  "Oh there goes X, again!"

Here are a few of my favorites:

Joe      I instantly thought, "Hey, Joe what do you know?"  Guess its not too unusual to name your car.

God's Answer    There's a lot of answers we can find in God's teachings but I'm pretty sure the fast speeds                              and crazy driving this van was doing is not one of them.

Its Holly  Who's Holly?  What does that even mean......

Sweet Melon I don't even know where to start here.  Since there's no melons in Kenya, there has to be some underlying message?

Virus! Yes there was an exclamation point and no I don't think I'd like to ride in this van.  What exactly would I come out with?  Influenza? Ebola?

Mama Fred  I really hope there isn't some poor soul out there that this van is named after but then again every other shop here tends to be named "Mama this" or "Mama that".

Live on the Road, Die on the Road  Although this is a reality for some matatu drivers it sad nevertheless.  It also kind of implies they have an idea of how bad they drive...kind of.

Swanky Rider Definitely would be my first choice.  Anyone else?

Holy Molly  Now I think they were going for holy moley but just had some issues with spelling.  This happens a lot.  Today I saw another matatu claiming it was "wonderul"

Gooner 4 Life  Who doesn't appreciate this reference?  The real question is do you think they really know what it means or just heard it and thought it sounded cool?

Strategic  This one just makes my head spin.  Strategic what?  Strategic swerving off of the road.  Strategic driving to not hit pedestrians.  Strategic ways of fitting a van in a space meant for a bicycle.



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