Ridding the boda boda

Riding the Boda Boda

Though they are somehow omnipresent in East African countries, I had resisted riding the Boda Boda as much as I could.

If you don’t know what they are, Boda Bodas are motorbike taxis commonly used for relatively short distance commutes carrying anywhere from 1 to 4 passengers (depending on how brave you are). When you see them drive around they are erratic, loud, often not amazingly maintained and the drivers are far from licensed operators so in my mind getting on one of these to spare a few cents never made much sense. I mean, why risk it?

A on the other hand, being the impulsive one, seemed to love them from the first second. Already in Tanzania she was riding the bike with the bag on her back and taking selfies like she had done it all her life. Sure, it made her a star in my eyes but I hated that she loved it so much.

Then, Entebbe came around.

We stayed a couple of kms from the town (soon to be city) centre and walking there and back everyday seemed like an excessive task (especially considering the hill to be climbed). Then again, special hires (what you and I know as taxis) were going to cost a bit more than we wanted to spend. It was a bind for me and my fears…

So I manned up and jumped on a Boda Boda on our way to the mall. Having learned a couple of tricks on how to balance and hang on, suddenly it didn’t seem so bad.

Sure, you are at the mercy of a total stranger down a bumpy and often slippery road in a country with little more than average health care but then again, for 50 cents of a dollar, you feel excited!

So on the way back I did it again! Up the bumpy hill!

And not only was it fine again but I kinda learned to let go of being so uptight about it all the time.

The trick is to relax, sit straight and let the driver do his thing. He will get you wherever you need to go through whatever crazy and congested road you need to cross, just trust it.

Once I learned to let go, we started taking boda boda on a daily basis, often the two of us on the same bike, and I learned to appreciate it in the same way I would appreciate a ride in a topless car. Just letting the wind blow through me while I looked at the nature buzz by. Liberated!

Boda Boda are East Africa’s solution to congested roads and in the major cities they are literally everywhere and are quite possibly the best and only way to escape the mega traffic congestion of places like Nairobi, Dar Es Salam or Kampala. If you are in a hurry in such a place, you may find yourself with no other option to hop on a bike and let yourself go.

Trust me, you will love the experience!