Getting Around in Antananarivo

To get around in Tana people use Taxis which typically are (really) ancient tan-colored Citroens 2CV or Renault "quatrelles". I have learned a thing or two about cars riding along in these venerable vehicles. For instance, there is a simple procedure to follow when you run out of gas trying to get up a hill: you take out the emergency plastic bottle filled with gasoline (the one you always keep safely tucked between the two front seats), pour some of it into the tank, open the hood, take a sip out of the bottle (yes, the one with the gasoline), detach some tubing from your engine, spit the gas into it and see the engine come alive again. It works every time, and its clinically proven to fight germs causing bad breath and the gum disease gingivitis.
Maybe I need to explain why running out of gas is such a frequent occurence. Gas is very expensive in Madagascar ($4/gallon). To put matters into perspective $4 is a full meal at a very fancy restaurant, or 40 loaves of bread. Imagine an $80/gallon world to give you a sense of what it would be like (if you have trouble using your imagination, just move to California and wait for a couple more years). This means that cabs only carry the absolute minimum amount of fuel (or less) and use a peculiar driving style, shutting off the engine any time the car has sufficient momentum or when gravity supports forward progress. For our geeky readers: image some type of pulse-width-modulated engine control scheme. This allowed us to see many innovative ignition switch variations, from the traditional (but sooo conventional) key to self-wired push button devices, to bare bone hotwiring. The latter is kind of tricky given the extensive sparking, especially if you just rinsed your mouth with 87 octane stuff.
PS: No meters in these things (are you kidding?). Note to future travellers, at the time of my writing rides within Tana are 3000ARY and 6000ARY to the outskirts. As a white boy, you will be quoted twice that amount, but we now consistently haggle it down to these numbers.