For my last Spring break in Korea I decide: I’m going to INDIA!! It’s one of the places I MUST see before I die and the likelihood of me going there after I move away from Asia is slim..
Now, lesson #1: Do your research WAY in advance!!
Example 1: Going by myself, naturally I went through a tour agency (Intrepid) so that I wouldn’t be a solo young Western female wandering around India by myself. J It was a HUGE hassle to get my travel visa—I didn’t do my research PRIOR to booking the trip and discovered shortly afterwards that I needed a travel visa!! (well, those take FOREVER! L ) I LUCKILY had SFS’s travel agent rush to get the visa for me, getting the visa the afternoon prior to my departure for India. J Whew. Thankfully.
So, I left Sat. morning, flew to Guangzhou, China (3.5 hours) for my layover. I forgot that I’ve gotten a bit sick of China & it’s food… and so for the 4 hours while in the airport I was utterly bored.. Finally got onto the flight to India, where I was the only Caucasian female on the whole plane! You’d think it wouldn’t be a long flight.. but it was close to 7 hours!! That’s a flight from America to Europe! Again, hadn’t researched it, so I was a bit antsy b.c. didn’t know it’d take THAT long.. (Example #2)
Ex. # 3: Now, I read the India travel book on the plane, that’s when I finally had time.. well it tells of single foreign women travelling in India- how we need to be super super careful.. well I’m like “Pshah, whatever, they are just being cautious”.. BUT then they go into detail about ESP with cabs from the airport- 1) you need to avoid them altogether and should get your hotel to pick you up.. well of course, didn’t do my research in enough time & thought it’d be alright to get a cab… 2) if you MUST get a cab, you need to get a prepaid one, with the specific location detailed, and don’t let another man in the cab with you and the cabbie.. reason being:
A few years ago, a solo foreign woman was killed on her way in from the airport by her cabbie! It’s not common or anything.. it’s just that they take advantage of you…
So, needless to say, I’ve done my research ON the plane and am now getting rather nervous about getting to my hotel hoping I won’t be killed or raped.
I get off the plane, which btw- first time I’ve seen people not wait til you’re parked at the gate to start trampling over you to get to the airplane door! We landed and everyone got up and started for the door, very strange. So anyways, get off the plane, find the prepaid station, pay my money, am escourted to the special prepaid cabs, get in with my “nice” non-rapist cabbie, & start for the center of the city: Connaught Place.
Example #4: Well… this is when things start to really make me nervous & uncomfortable…
They warn you, go straight to the hotel, don’t’ stop, don’t let the cabbie convince you your hotel is shut down/burnt, etc.. he wants to take you to a place HE knows and get commission from them… well, I thought prepaid cab would make that not happen. (they say it’s common with Metered cabs..) L nope.
We get close to my place, he’s looking at my information “Blue Hotel” and he’s like:
“I can’t find it! I can’t find it!” … he stops at an information center.
I’m like “oh, shit, I’m gonna die” He asks the information guy to find out where the Blue Hotel’s located and dude picks up the phone, has a 1 second convo, hangs up and says:
“the system is down, we can’t find address”.
I’m like: “uh, no… you need to get on the internet. I’ll find directions”;
“No, the internet is down. Won’t be up til morning”;
“uh… no, you don’t understand. I’ve already paid for a room. Take me there now.”; “we can’t, system is down”;
“UGH!!!” (I’m going to Die, I’m going to Die! Everything I feared is happening!)
I try again, and again. No luck.
Well, I’m so flustered at this point and want to just be in a room and away from these guys that I say:
“FinE!! Take me somewhere cheap. UGH!”
Cabbie drives me thru the slums to this one place. No rooms.
“Well, what about this hotel next door?!”, I ask.
“No, No good. Not good place”
(Hmmm… that’s b.c. you don’t know them and therefore won’t make a big fat commission from them. Jerk)
Takes me to another hotel. Voila! There’s a room. RIGHT next to the front desk. I’m thinking: “Is this a 1 room hotel?! I don’t even see an upstairs!!!” (Omg, I’m going to die!)
Meanwhile, I’m pissed b.c. cabbie has basically ignored my directions to the hotel I’d already paid for, there was nothing I could do, and he’s taken me to a hotel that he KNOWS so that when I pay an outrageous amount, he get’s a commission. He goes to leave, and asks for a tip. I want to get rid of him so bad I hand him 10Rupee.. he yells at me:
“TEN RUPEES?!? TEN RUPEES WOMAN!?!?”
(Whoa… take 20 jerk and get outta my face!)
He does. J
“May I please get on the internet?!”
“No, system is down. In the morning”
“You don’t understand… My tour group is picking me up at 6 AM tomorrow morning from Blue hotel, how do I get there?”
“Wake up, get on internet at 530. Then you go”
“Well, why can’t I get on internet now?”
“Internet is down”
“Fine, give me my room”
I walk into the room, shut the door, can’t find the lock, and sit down trying to figure out what’s gonna happen next.
I look through my papers (see, I actually HAD prepared for the trip, making a nice little book of ALL my docs with plastic page protectors and all… I just hadn’t done the #1 important thing: get my hotel to pick me up at the airport. ) I find the tour agency emergency #! (Thank God!)
I call.
THANKFULLY, the woman just changed my hotel pick-up info for the next morning and LUCKILY the 2 other members of my group were staying right around the corner from this new mystery hotel. Whew.
BUT, there was still the issue of trying to sleep. I was a bit freaked out by these people. They were all men, and I’m not gonna lie, skeezy and scary.
I find a lock at the top of the door & immediately lock it.
(Who knows if there’s some secret lock for them? [ I realize I’ve gotten a bit paranoid, but who could blame me?] At least I’m not dead. J )
I lay down, wallets & passport underneath my pillow.
5 am. Next morning, wake up- get on the internet! Wow, it’s WORKING!!
(Hmmm… I think it was working last night too…)
Send a quick email to let mom & Chris know I’m alive.
My driver arrives!!!!!!!!!
THANK GOD! I’m OUTTA here. J
HOLLA!
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