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Published: October 4th 2006
Delhi 1
The two blokes from the "travel information centre" in Karol Bagh, New DelhiArrived safely at Delhi airport after the mandatory zero hours sleep were acheived in-flight.
After zooming through baggage reclaim I headed out expectantly to the arrivals area to find my hotel airport pick-up conspicuous by it's absence. I looked up and down the section three or four times, but rather predictably my driver was nowhere to be found. No bother I thought, I can easily wander over to the pre-paid taxi booth and get a cab to the hotel.
I paid my fare and headed outside to my waiting taxi and all was going well until the driver started to study the receipt with the address on and started to mumble that he didn't know where the destination was. The driver then pulled up to a "tourist information centre" on the guise of asking directions and it's at this point that my jet-lag ridden brain should have started to become suspicous. Too tired to think properly, I was ushered into the office and the scam began in earnest.
The Lonely Planet devotes a page to this particular scam and I had read it, but in my bleary state I forgot all about it and as a result I
Delhi 2
Still wandering aimlessly down Chandri Chowk in Old Delhi, behind the crooks from the info centre sat by whilst the "tourist info" man pretended to phone my hotel and ask for directions and at the same time check my booking. Of course, all he'd done was phone a mate who pretended to be the hotel and when the guy passed the phone to me I was told there were no rooms.
Conveniently, the office guy found an alternative room for me in ten seconds flat and as it tells you in the guide book I was on my way to a hovel in Karol Bagh.
After an attempt at a shower with no hot water or working shower head, I headed back down to reception, where my request for a map was met by the guy from the tourist office wandering in and becoming my personal taxi driver....except he only took me as far as back to the office in an attempt to sell me a tour. I refused and instead I was given a driver and driver's mate to taxi me around the sights of Delhi.
That was actually quite a bargain at 250 rps with a free snack meal at an ethnic haunt in Old Delhi thrown into the bargain. I
Delhi 3
Yes Bradders, Delhi does have a KFC got to see several of the sights cheaply and in relative comfort in the back of what appeared to be a Fiat Uno. Of course, my friendly taxi men insisted on dropping me off back at the office in Karol Bagh afterwards, at which point the hard sell of a tour to the mountains of Srinagar began.
My jetlag had temporarily abated by then and I'd realised their game, so I got up and left and headed over to Main Bazaar to look for a hotel for the next couple of days in Delhi.
Once achieved, I headed into a bar for a much needed beer or two and a chat with a fellow traveller about the day's events.
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Hamstersley
non-member comment
Seano abroad...
I was expecting the hilarity to start on about day 3 but this is cracking... you didn't even manage to leave the airport!! How's the mouse getting on in India?