Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Last night, heading to the gym from a meeting at the ad agency, the boda I was on and the car that was crossing in front of us both decided that they were going to continue on their chosen and incompatible paths at their stubborn and unchanging speeds, and into the car we slammed, and whiz went my shoes in the air, and down on the pavement we fell.
Immediately aware that we were in the middle of a busy intersection causing a traffic jam, I got up, collected my shoes, bag and body, and trembled my way to the side of the road. Shaken/shaking, tearing, attracting a crowd of onlookers and consolers, debating whether or not I should still go to the gym, and wondering how I was going to get wherever it was I decided to go, a female traffic officer put me in the back seat of the car involved, hopped in front, and the three of us drove a bit down the road - to settle the bribe, of course.
Still shaken/shaking and tearing (though now realizing that I shouldn't actually go to the gym), I listened to them whisper in Luganda about the cost of hitting a muzungu, and watched him count out 90,000 shillings (US$45 - a large sum of money for this sort of thing), which he handed to her, and which she handed to me ("For treatment"), and which I politely declined. I did, however, let him pay for my cab home, while the two of them went to "file the report". Time for her to get her cut.
It was, as far as boda accidents go, pretty minor (luckily, thankfully). I still feel like there's a marching band bonging around inside my head, my neck is anti-movement, and I have all the colors of the rainbow on my right butt (your request for pictures is also politely declined), but I'm otherwise unscathed (truly - Doc Ian says so...though I'm still not allowed to go to the gym).
So, that's going to cut back (cease...) my level of boda-boda riding, and, as such, related boda-boda blog entries. Which, in all honesty, probably should have stopped long ago, as riding boda-bodas is one of the stupider things you can do here.
I briefly considered changing the name of my blog, but "Cab-Cab Land" just doesn't have the same ring.
Posts
First day at the new school
11 years ago
4 comments:
yikes! Glad you're OK, rainbow-bum aside... =) Hope all
else is well!
oh no!! wear a helmet you crazy lady! You'll look cool in Kla
oh jen....it was bound to happen sometime...but i'm really really glad that it wasn't worse. start riding your bike around instead. :)
Bambi, sorry! Were you at least wearing your helmet??? Sometimes it takes this kind of bad experience to get people to stop. Please do give up those bodas!
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