Ripped in Delhi

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Upon arriving to Delhi at 11pm, I wanted to flee! No joke, I got into a taxi outside of the airport and directed the driver to go to a hostel which he had never heard of. As we are inching towards the exit, his "brother" jumps in the taxi. Red Flag! Red Flag! Two men in the taxi with one lonesome female- bad news!! Before I had time to figure out how to deal with the situation which my guidebook clearly warned against, I was on the highly congested Delhi highway literally packed with people, horses, rickshaws, trucks with body limbs hanging out of the window, bulls pulling carts... you name it, I saw it. Instead of sitting back and enjoying the 'view', I sat there contemplating my escape route should my escorts decide to try something funny like turn down a dark street (which it seemed like every street was!)

After quickly analyzing what was in my bag and what I had on me (i.e. purse), I decided that I could totally run away with my purse and be fine... That is when I realized I packed way too much stuff!! Nothing like figuring out that all you really need is the clothes on your back and your passport- wish I could have remembered that when I was packing!

"So what do you do in the U.S.?" says the unwelcome friend.

I answer, "I work as a lawyer" thinking first, they won't want to mess with the law and quickly dismissed that genius idea since now they probably think I have lots of money- Doh!

"Well, actually, I work in security in the court- like a guard" (AKA don't mess with this!)

So there I was, flat out, lying about my status in an attempt to prevent these two men from robbing me (which I already concluded would happen), ready to pounce out the door at a moment's notice (literally) and they start telling me that they do not know where my hotel is... Textbook case- Great, just great! I should have spoken up when we were at the airport!! WHY DIDN'T I JUST SAY - "No, I only want ONE driver "

Long story short, my drivers take me to a travel agent's office (which is miraculously still open at 11pm) where I hesitantly entered the office and negotiated getting a hotel room for an inflated price. So instead of robbing me blind, they just rip me off... At that point, I was happy to get ripped off! Ahh, India- Here’s to more moments of getting ripped off 😊

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Photos

Streets of Delhi
Colorful Congestion Galore

Comments

[Joey]

Thank g-d you made it!
Hey babe....wow..what a story! I'm glad that you arrived safely and now apparently have found some sort of lodging. From the sounds of it though, you've done your homework. You're instincts sound on point. Keep them on high i would suggest for atleast the first week. This way you can adjust to their normal interaction, and understand the "people" better and their intentions. I look forward to reading your next post! Keep on trucking on hermanita

[Ana]

Derecho de piso
Ya pagastes el "derecho de piso".... from now on .... it's a piece of cake!!! Have fun! Enjoy!!!

[heaven]

:)~
You are undoubtedly the coolest girl on the planet (in my eyes) and I just wondered if you happened to have a bottle of mace or a small pocket knife or something? Way to be wise with your cab driver(s)... and here's hoping that paying your dues to the robbery gods early on will let you off the hook for the duration of you stay. I miss you!

[Pati]

Oh, Lore: As soon as I saw the title to your Jan 17 journal, I panicked. Common sense told me that if you had added to your journal it meant that everything was fine but I read your entry with dread...and then relief that you are ok and handling your experience with quite a bit of flair. Be careful out there but do not lose your sense of enjoyment and curiosity. It is what makes you so special. Waiting to hear from you, again. Pati

[Leti]

WOW! Be safe and keep on truckin' I Luv U