Amchi Mumbai
Trip Start
Oct 09, 2007
1
35
42
Trip End
Nov 16, 2007
Mumbai (Bombay),
India
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
On our way to the airport - we were stuck in a massive traffic jam for 30 minutes. Fortunately we had left very early. When we finally cleared the intersection (yes, 30 minutes to clear ONE intersection) we discovered that the cause of this was a Communist Party Rally! (Don, Nate would have been so excited to see all the red flags with the hammer and sickle so prominently displayed!) Our driver told us that Kerala and East Bengal are the only 2 communist states in India. He spoke of the communist with such reverence and pride.
Our flight from Cochin was delayed by 2 hours because the plane had ingested a bird on its way into Cochin and so of course they had to fix that problem. Just as we thought everything was cleared for take-off, some other problem developed so balek (return) again to get the problem fixed. Okay, so it was now waaay past my dinner time, I had not eaten since about 1.30pm (Alan could not convince me to eat as soon as we got to the airport so alamak I was really regretting it! Alan theory of eating when you can is perhaps warranted!) and I started to feel faint. It was about 10.45pm. The flight attendants were wonderful (Kingfisher Air - really the best Indian Airline). They sprang into action making sure that I could have a sweet item to lift my blood sugar. They brought me such a yummy choc-chip cookie and choc mousse. The other passengers looked on enviously.
Then we were unable to land in Mumbai when we finally got there because of congestion! So circle, circle, circle ... waiting, waiting, waiting. For like half an hour. Can you imagine a flight that was going to take just an hour and 15 mins had dragged on for so long? By the time we were picking up our bags it was 12.30am.
So then we get into a Mumbai Taxi. The sullen driver chucks our bags onto his roof rack and the way he tied it, I was a little skeptical they would remain there. So I kept my eye on the rear-view mirror to make sure nothing tumbled off. Meanwhile Alan was looking thru the same rear-view mirror to check that the driver was not falling asleep because HE WAS! ahahahhahahahaha. (Nadia I know what you are going to say!!
From the airport we have to go over several fly-overs to get to the Fort Area where we are staying. On the 3rd fly-over ... there in the left lane was a taxi parked with the driver nicely fast asleep on the front bonnet! Yes, on the fly-over. I wish I could have taken a photo. At the next fly-over, where it forks to either go up or exit - our taxi was aimed right for the divider and we started to wonder (a) which way he was intending to go ... or (b) whether he had fallen asleep again. At the last minute he either made his decision or awoke! ahahahahah
To add insult to injury, about one km from our hotel - his taxi gets a flat tyre!! Alan is really pissed off by now. The driver gets out of the car - walks around and informs us very casually "Broken! Cannot go." This is like 1.30am, on a dark street which smelled of dried bombay duck (fish) Alan starts scolding the driver because his tyres were worse than non-road worthy. Plus I discovered he did not have headlights! And his licence plate in front was hanging by one screw!
The driver flags down another taxi and the two of them proceed to transfer our bags which miraculously had remained in the roof rack. The normal fare should have been about Rs350. Our driver's meter (dodgy?) showed Rs 455. Just to get rid of him, Alan gave him the money (Alan by this time was sweating profusely and livid) then the guy had the bloody cheek to ask for Rs50 for luggage handling. Alan loses it and starts giving him good and proper (wish I had a video camera). Our new driver looked panicked and we took off.
Of course he had no idea where our hotel was - most Mumbai taxi drivers tend to just head in the general direction and then ask for actual directions as they get closer. Fortunately, we know the area well so we gave him directions. When we finally ariive at our hotel - he had the cheek to ask for the Rs50 luggage handling fee on top of his fare! I need not tell you what Alan did and told him!
ahahahahahh funny right?
The next morning before we got into a taxi I suggested to Alan that perhaps we should check all the tyres of the taxi b4 getting in. Alan's dry response was "We will never get into a taxi then." Of course he was right. Somehow they all manage to drive around on bald tyres.
