TAXI PACIFIC: 0788521271
Question:
What do you do if you are in Kigali, it’s Monday night around 12.30am and you are alone and want to go home while you’re at the entrance of an hospital?
Answer:
Hm, it’s difficult.
The only people around were some nurses. I told them i had to go home, Kiyovu and asked them for help. They searched their phones for a number to call, without any result. Then i saw this man, the cashier of the hospital actually, and kindly i asked him if i could use his computer just for a little bit. I was going to type in “Taxi Kigali’ on the Google search and all would be OK. Not knowing then that this was the beginning of an one-and-a-half hour during trip searching that Internet for anything like a Taxi. In Kigali, a capital city,there is no taxi service that you can easily reach by getting the number on-line. No, in Kigali you need to know people… In Kigali you need to walk down the road wait until an ugly looking car is stopping and say he’s a taxi. Oke, here i was. I knew people, but didn’t want to call them up in the middle of the night, they worked all day and will drive again for WE-ACT the next day. Walking down the road in a neighborhood i don’t know, in the middle of the night, by myself i didn’t found that a wonderful idea. Also, most likely i would find a Moto (=motor cycle taxi) and i think it would have been a little too far for that, just needed a car. Like a yellow one or one with this box on top of the car with a light in it and the word ‘taxi’ on it. After i searched the Internet, checked traveler forums and still couldn’t find anything i was getting a bit desperate. Should i call up this WE-ACT driver anyway? Almost thought of that as the best solution until i had this good idea. I asked the nurse what is the best Hotel in town? He gave it a second and then gave me a name. Good! They must have a web-page? Yes they did. They will have a phone number? Yes they have! They will know drivers…? I made the nurse call the hotel and ask. Happy i was when he hung up and did have a number of a guy who seemed to be a taxi. Again the nurse helped me by calling this number and it worked! He promised to be there in 5 minutes. And he was right…
Delighted i was to see this driver stopping in front of the door. Friendly i thanked the nurse and jumped into that car. Pacific was the drivers’ name. A very friendly man, the kind of man who sings all day. He was smiling and made up a good price for the ride. He was not trying to fool me, but seemed honest. His French was better than his English but still i was able to chat a little with him. I advised him to build this ‘Night Taxi Agency’ but he replied that he didn’t have money to build a company. I told him, he doesn’t need to have money, at least get your name and number on the Internet, that’s free! I promised him to start by putting his number on my blog, so here it is! Anyone who reads this and is going to Kigali; take this number with you, you might need it sometime!
TAXI PACIFIC: 0788521271
Ciao! Anneke
The house of love 