Monday, October 21, 2013

Living in Bequia -- getting around

Bequia is only 7 total square miles, has 5 primary roads, all of which are curvy. Cars are set up with RHD, the british idea of driving on the wrong side of the road. So, I was a bit concerned about switching over. At first I took it rather slowly, then with time got more comfortable. The good news is you can't drive much faster than 25MPH, since the roads are just too curvy, and there are speed bumps everywhere. There may be 2 or 3  places that one can pass, but those are also a bit crazy. With 5000 people on the island, there are plenty of cars. License plates tell the store P- private R- rental, H - taxi or  bus, T - truck. It is a bit nervy when a cement mixer is coming at you. You do not get anyplace fast.

The driveways into homes are WAY steep, far more than the 13% grades found in PA hills. Your achilles tendons kill after you walk up.

Most native islanders don't have cars, they get around on the "dollar bus". Most are painted with signs: Peace and Love, Faith, Charity or contemporary stuff like the transformers, or tap out.



Faith


Tapout - the newest most colorful bus on Bequia


Taxis are mostly used buy the tourists, although some islanders get rides. It costs about 16-20US to get to the airport (gasoline is 15EC/imperial gal) about 5$/gal. All the taxis are the same - pickup trucks outfitted with a canvas roof and seats in the back.




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