The Life of a Jamaican Taxi- Part 2

Remember me? Yeah, Jerry

I've had a few more experiences on the Jamaican roads. The more experiences i have, the more i wonder if this was such a good move. I mean, I've picked up on some things i realize are standard. I wondered about this when I first got here but then, so many other taxis were doing it so i figured it wouldn't hurt if i did it. For example, i notice that some of my taxi friends have red plates, and others have white plates like mine. So, I asked a friend of mine the other day what the difference was. You can imagine the utter shock when they told me that the red plates were the legal taxis, and the white plates aren't. Red plates are licensed to carry public passenger, i apparently am not. I almost packed up and went back to Japan, but then they consoled me and told me that every one was doing it. So I learned that when transport authority is on the road, i will have to keep my very dark tinted windows wound all the way up, and my route might change a bit to avoid running into the authorities, I also know that this is the only time we carry the proper load, no overloading on those days. These days i like for the relief on my transmission, my owner even takes his foot off the gas sometimes on these days, good relief, yes good relief.

I've also learnt that Jamaicans love their cell phones. It's bad enough i have to deal with all the sounds of my engine but i also have to deal with the constant chatter of Jamaican women on their cell phones. It seems they have no better time to have a conversation with their friend, than when they have boarded my car. I mean, all the things i hear, about i think its 'baby fathers" and all sorts of things. I would have imagined that this was the type of thing you would rather not discuss in public, but. no, that is not the case. Well those are just a few things I've learned since I've been here. I hope my friends in Japan are having fun, I am missing them so much. Till Later, Jerry.