Juliet Bennett's Blog

Trusting one’s instincts

28 May ’10 Leave a Comment Written by Juliet Bennett

More than any other country I have visited, in India you have to trust your instincts. Look into someone’s eyes and you know. Even if people who should know assure you it is ok – that you can trust this taxi driver and that the driver knows the location of the domestic airport located some ten kilometers away – if you look into the driver’s eyes and see nothing, or have ‘that” feeling. Trust it. And try the next cab that drives past.

When the driver starts taking narrow winding streets, trust your instincts. Do SOMETHING!!! And it was only at that final crux when everything inside me shouted DANGER that I finally listened to my intuition.

“Airport sir? Domestic airport?” I asked firmly with the tone of a scolding parent. He stopped the car and turned around almost scowling. The look in his eyes said it all. He knew I knew and he wasn’t sure what to do. “You take me to the airport right now. NOW!!!” I screamed in the most aggressive bellowing mean voice I didn’t realize I had inside me.

“Domestic airport? Ahh… Yes ma’am.” He squirmed, looking around for help. “Airport domestic?” he asked a plump man with a moustache who was walking passed. The man pointed back to the direction we had come. The blank faced hollow eyed driver turned the car and took me to the airport. I then had to direct him into the terminal and point out the departures sign when he started to drive into the arrivals. He took my bags from his trunk and said, “250 rupees,” without looking at his price book or the meter, which I then realized he had not turned on. Seeing as a 40 minute journey in the same type of cab had cost 70 rupees the day before, I looked at him in disgust and handed him the 80 rupees I had in my hand, a sum I new was far too generous considering this man (who I still did feel sorry for) had either tried to kidnap me or pretend to get lost simply to rip me off, and then had again tried to rip me off by asking for five times what the price should have been. He accepted the money. I walked away seething inside. Did I mention how much I love India? I definitely have a love-hate relationship with this place. And at this moment it is far more hate then love.

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