Getting around Dakar

I keep trying to think of different things to share about what it is like here. Ashton asked me the other day what transportation is like here. In one word, it is crazy. Just walking around you have to be aware of the traffic because there aren't always sidewalks here, and if there are, it's possible that they are even with the road and that a driver won't really mind the road and drive on portions of the sidewalk. You always have to be concious of the cars in order to avoid being clipped, and there aren't designated cross-walks, so you have to take whatever opportunity you can to cross the road. Pedestrians do not have the right of way here (unlike in the states) so its a constant thing to have to watch out for yourself.
One major form of transportation here is the car rapide. They are blue and yellow mini-buses that are everywhere (and that certainly don't care about getting in the way of pedestrians). The way that a car rapide works is that you wait at a stop (I'm not very clear where these stops are, but the locals seem to know) and wait for a car to go by you that you can get onto. The cars aren't marked as to their destination, so you have to listen for them to call out their destination. Depending on if there is room on the car they stop the bus. There are two people who work on a car rapide- the driver and the guy who hangs out the back. The driver does his best to focus on the road and the guy off the back keeps his eye out for people who need to get one. He literally hangs off the back of the bus (one of the back doors is open) and bangs on the side of the bus when it needs to stop. Once you have hopped in (through the back- unless the front seat is open in which case you can get in the front) he bangs on the bus again for it to get moving. You don't pay when you first get on, you wait for the guy to get your attention and ask your destination, at which point you pass him your money (usually 150cfa's). This system requires trust because you can give him 500cfa's to pay, in which case you pass the money back and wait for the person behind you to pass the change back up. The guy keeps track of who has paid (in his head) and asks at different intervals for people to pay. In order to get off you stand up and bang on the roof of the bus to get the guy's attention, and then you work your way out. This can be particularly difficult, however, because there are five rows of seats with two seats on each side. When the bus fills up people don't stand- instead they fold down seats which block the aisles. So in order to get out you need to weave your way through people. Everyone is pretty good about moving out of the way, and no one seems disgruntled, which is a good thing to say the least. I haven't taken many car rapides here, but I see them all the time. In addition there are 'regular' buses to take, with destinations marked, as well as another form of a car rapide. They differ in price and destination, so it will be something that I have to learn a little more about.
I think that's enough entertainment for now- I'm going to try to post some pictures to share!