India is amazing! And I will tell you why. I get off the flight and there is a tap on my shoulder – what do you know, its Craig! What a wonderful trip this will turn out to be! I should have known what it would be like when 5 minutes out of the flight I was ready to smack the lady ahead of us in line with the carton of cigarettes I was holding. After making it outside the terminal it took us forever to figure out where the taxi was located that we booked in advance. Lo and behold we did not find it even after two phone calls to the hostel. So, we opted to take on of the cabs that were lined up outside. We bought a prepaid ticket and got in, with a very nice driver – both thinking this would be excellent, we would get to the hostel and sleep for neither of us have slept in the past two days due to the 20 hours we each had to travel.
So off we go in this cab, but wait! A block away the cab stops and the driver turns around to say that he just saw his older brother – who strangely looked a lot younger than he did. They switched seats and his “brother” started to drive. Down the road we reach a stoplight where people were selling toy airplanes. It must have been a good deal because as my eyes were fixed on the kids in the street drinking from water bins on the adjacent car in the middle of the road, the former cab driver bought one of those over sized toy airplanes. OK, so a bit odd but we were so tired and focused on getting to the hostel we pretty much passed up most of what the former cab driver, now in the front passenger seat was saying about sightseeing.
On we go and the honking of the cars became overwhelming. We still cannot figure out just why people honked cars so much, was it to warn other cars that we were in the road or going to hit them or just what exactly – it is unclear. Off on a winding path, we showed the former driver the address to the hostel and he claimed that it was such a big area he did not know where it was so he was taking us to a tourist building that would help us find out where we were to be. After about 30 minutes of driving through streets with kids at every stop light doing flips or some trick for money, we arrived at a tourist destination. I told Craig to stay in the cab with the bags and do not get out for any reason while I ventured inside with my laptops and camera under my arm. I wasn’t about to let go of my equipment for anything in the world. Inside I was seated and two people came over to help me. They wanted Craig to come in but all I kept demanding was that they look up the location of our hostel and tell the driver. We did not have to pay for this service as the country funded it – so they kept trying to give me information about where to go. I did not care where to go because all I wanted to do was find the hostel and sleep since I haven’t slept in so long. They insisted that they find me a closer hostel but I did not want to be scammed into their game I knew they were trying to play. I got even more stern and finally I got up to leave when they came out and said to the driver, “You know where this is, right?” – He nodded that he did and we were off again. I didn’t say a word at this point because they knew I was serious.
Off we went on a 45 minute drive which should have made me terrified with all the honking and near collisions but from all the travel and experiences I have had on my trip so far, I was completely relaxed and in control. Even as our taxi took the bus lane because it was faster, with the buses blowing their horns, we could only assume they didn’t quite care that they were about to run us over. I do not know if it was from exhaustion but I knew that eventually I would get to the hostel and be safe. We continued on and passed by many lovely hotels. I secretly wished (and found out later that Craig did too) that we were staying in them instead. But heck, the hostel was so beautiful online and had such great reviews that I was determined to get there.
Into the sketchiest part of town anyone could imagine. Dogs and people running wild in the street, cracked out houses and side venues that surely looked as though they would guarantee Hepatitis or Typhoid upon even touching the items. But on we went for I was sure we were almost there. Then, we rounded a corner out of this craziness into a lovely alleyway. At the very end was a nice looking building that I instantly recognized from the website – it was the hostel – or so we thought. After ringing the bell several times a woman came out to inform us that this was not the hostel, that the hostel in fact was on the other side of the building, on a different street. So we got back in the cab as I fended off the drivers once again who were continuing to try to scam us into getting a hostel closer to the center of town. At this point Craig had given them a tip for driving us so we thought that ok, just around the corner would be fine. And so they did, drive us around the corner – only to demand that we give them extra money for it – which was more than the original cost and tip combined. I said no that we already paid and tipped and I made Craig walk away – through a fence I dared not touch because I knew it was certain tetanus – even though I did have that immunization.
Down a dirt path we walked which seemed like we landed in a construction site. I walked up to a few people who were working in the pathway and asked where the hostel was – only to be pointed to an unmarked door with bamboo paneling. OK, so here we are and as I walked in I had a sigh of relief. We are here and it is pretty decent on the inside. We were then accosted by the man behind the desk who was upset that we did not take the cab that we could not find. I told him I’m sorry and we would just like to check in without a hassle. Here he said that he would take payment at the end of our stay only to change his mind within 5 minutes and demand we pay in cash because his credit card machine was broken. We gave him nearly all the extra cash we had on hand and were shown the room.
At this point we didn’t think our journey would get any better but of course we were in luck. A large bed that felt as if you were laying on cardboard with no sheets, outlets that don’t work, a private bathroom that you had to rig up into a shower – a hole in the floor next to the toilet to let the water drain out. Now, I didn’t want to feel as though I was an arrogant American but I think my experience led me to believe that I really should not stay here. It would have been fine if not for the padlock that was the lock for our door and the fact that if I wanted to leave my valuables in the hostel I would have to lug them downstairs and leave them in the care of the front desk.
Immediately upon having the desk clerk leave the room I loaded up my computer and Craig whipped out his credit card as if by some silent command. We then booked the first 5 star luxury hotel we could find and called down to cancel our reservation. Tonight, we sleep in this hostel that we hope to escape tomorrow morning. Hope, that is the right term, for the entire time so far, we can only laugh and have hope that we will make it out alive. Now, I venture outside this room to post this blog.
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