…We know, straight, this is not ordinary taxi. He has some loud music on the stereo, like, gangster rap, and he wear very special clothes, some american cap, gold chains, some things like this…
‘Where will you like to go?’ he asks us.
We tell him the place.
‘OK’ he say. Get in…

I met Makaya here in Chiang Mai. Before he started traveling, he was a Parisian.
When we were sitting around in the guesthouse common room the other night, Makaya told me a story that reminded me why I prefer hitchhiking to public transport. Hitchhiking is so nice and safe.

(Photo: Makaya.)

 
Makaya:
Is late. We have very big night in part of Paris where are many good clubs. Me and my friend, we are both tired and maybe fucked up. Have some mushroom. Some LSD maybe. Don’t know for sure.
We want to be in bed. We try to get a taxi. Sometimes is difficult to get a taxi in Paris. If there are many people, the drivers they just want to take some rich people.
We wave at many taxis. And then, this driver he stop.

We know, straight, this is not ordinary taxi. He has some loud music on the stereo, like, gangster rap, and he wear very special clothes, some american cap, gold chains, some things like this.
‘Bonsoir’ he say.
We say ‘Bonsoir’.
‘Where will you like to go?’ he asks us.
We tell him the place.
‘OK’ he say. Get in.

He is slide down very low in his driving chair. Most time, taxi driver they sit quite straight, but he has seat pushed far back, and he lie down almost. Music is very good. Some rap, some reggae.
But this guy. He is driving very fast. He go back and forward across the road, he go between other cars very fast. Sometimes I think he will hit against other car. He stop very suddenly, then push the… what is the one on the floor make more gas..?
Oui! Accelerator. He like to push that accelerator very hard, and the car is sometimes a little bit going sideways when we around corner.
My friend and me, we like the music, but his driving make us very worried. We hold onto the back of the chair, and we are going sideways across the chair when around corner. We are still maybe tripping a bit. It feel like the car is on some park. The place where you go up and to the top of a high ramp? And you slide very quickly down the other side of the ramp?
Roller coaster. Is like we are on rollercoaster, but in middle of Paris in the many other cars.

Finally he come out to the suburbs. Now is not many car, and he pushing the gas thing. Pushing, and the car going maybe one hundred twenty kilometre? Is dark streets. Now we in the back chair, we just cannot move. Only trying to breathe.

Usually take forty minute to go to my friend house. This night we arrive in fifteen minute.
We get out of taxi.
My friend ask him ‘thank you. Is very quick journey. How much money?’
The driver he just push the gas button.
‘OK. No problem. Tonight is free for you.’
And he go. Some smoke come from the tyres.

 
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