For a moment I didn't realize that I was outside. It was 12:30 am, dark and so HOT. I shouldered my way through the crush to the curbside and as I raised my hand to wave down a taxi my ticket stub was yanked from my hand. I turned to see a young Indian man: "Terminal three." He said, "You must go to terminal three for your connecting flight. This is terminal one."
"Gosh" I thought "I had no idea. Why didn't I do my homework."
"Don't worry" the man said, "I take you there sir. Only 2,500 rupees. Good deal!"
"Two thou..." I was pulling out my phone to do currency conversions. (That's another thing you can do with 16 hours of flight time. Practice currency conversions so you don't get taken in. Or worse, look like an idiot). "Thats fifty dollars!" I said in horror. (Terminal three must be on the other side of Delhi).
"Night rate sir, you find no better deal."
"Thanks," I said, grabbing my ticket from him, "but I'll try my luck." Not knowing what to do I approached a bored looking policeman who was casually leaning against a post and fiddling with his AK47. "Excuse me sir, but how much should a taxi cost?"
"About 300 rupees."
I turned to my taxi friend: "how about I give you 400 rupees to take me there?" He shook his head and gestured wordlessly to a distant desk. I arrived at the desk and handed the guard my ticket.
"You have a transfer flight," he said, "here is your shuttle pass."
I rode the free shuttle to terminal three, which is about three miles away.
If you ever arrive in Delhi and are transferring to a domestic airline like IndiGo, Air India or Spice Jets, turn right as you exit the airport at arrivals. I'm sure countless people have thrown away 50 bucks on this ruse.
The next time I flew into Delhi an identical taxi driver grabbed my ticket from my hand. I grabbed it back, laughed in his face, and turned right.
"Gosh" I thought "I had no idea. Why didn't I do my homework."
"Don't worry" the man said, "I take you there sir. Only 2,500 rupees. Good deal!"
"Two thou..." I was pulling out my phone to do currency conversions. (That's another thing you can do with 16 hours of flight time. Practice currency conversions so you don't get taken in. Or worse, look like an idiot). "Thats fifty dollars!" I said in horror. (Terminal three must be on the other side of Delhi).
"Night rate sir, you find no better deal."
"Thanks," I said, grabbing my ticket from him, "but I'll try my luck." Not knowing what to do I approached a bored looking policeman who was casually leaning against a post and fiddling with his AK47. "Excuse me sir, but how much should a taxi cost?"
"About 300 rupees."
I turned to my taxi friend: "how about I give you 400 rupees to take me there?" He shook his head and gestured wordlessly to a distant desk. I arrived at the desk and handed the guard my ticket.
"You have a transfer flight," he said, "here is your shuttle pass."
I rode the free shuttle to terminal three, which is about three miles away.
If you ever arrive in Delhi and are transferring to a domestic airline like IndiGo, Air India or Spice Jets, turn right as you exit the airport at arrivals. I'm sure countless people have thrown away 50 bucks on this ruse.
The next time I flew into Delhi an identical taxi driver grabbed my ticket from my hand. I grabbed it back, laughed in his face, and turned right.
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