Transportation

One of the easiest ways to get around Kigali is via moto(rcycle) taxis (or boda-bodas), which are basically Rwandans on dirt bikes. They have green vests and green helmets, and are easily found as there are approximately 15 taxis for every resident of Kigali, and since I’m a white person, there is never a problem finding one. Noob foreigners such as myself are used to prices in the Western world, and will gladly pay 1500 RWF (less then $3 US) for a five mile trip into the city, thinking we’re getting a great deal. (I did this twice.) I was told as I headed off for my third ride that 500 RWF- less than a dollar- is still fairly generous. So I called my next driver with a head nod and offered him 500 RWF to take me to the Union Trade Center (UTC), the downtown shopping area with a Forex and Internet café. His excitement at picking up an Umuzungu faded, but he agreed as a man across the street yelled, “That’s a good price!”

So I put on the helmet he offered me (and didn’t think about when it had been washed last) and jumped on behind him. We weaved in and out of traffic up the hills to the city centre, and I paid him in coins.