In a taxi cab, back to the airport again. The traffic, as always, horrendous. The cabby is hawking and spitting out the window on a regular basis . When i first got in the cab we barely made it around the corner when he asked me for 2 rupees . I figured there must be a toll to pay on a bridge or something so rooted around and found him 5 rupees . He stops the cab, jumps out and says "cigarettes " and uses my money to buy himself some smokes on the street. Wonderful. Not only am I inundated with the smog of the city but now I have his chain smoking fumes coming back at me.
I have continuously wondered at the fact that you do not see more accidents in these big cities in India. For the most part , I have to say that the drivers are very skilled at their weaving in and out and there seemingly known system of honking and blowing horns that appears to let other drivers know their thoughts and directions because there is no other rhyme or reason that I can see and this is my fifth time in the country. Mom, you think that you do some swift intakes of breath and palm slapping of the dash when Dad is driving . I think the only blessing you would have here is that you would likely faint in the first few moments and then be oblivious. This cabby is not the best driver i have been with. Be glad to be at the airport again and out of the haze of his hand rolled smoke .
Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way in India . Not in Nepal either although did not seem to be quite as bad there. While in Nepal our guide told us that if a driver hits a cow and kills it he will spend years in jail. If he kills a pedestrian, he receives 15 days . Seriously . I have seen poor women standing in the middle of the street with babies in their arms and these drivers are not stopping . Really didn't want to know what the penalty was here.
At the Calcutta airport now. The cabby charged me over double what it cost to get from airport to hotel yesterday and then, when checking in luggage they wouldn't let me carry on what i did yesterday , made me check it and then told me i was 20 kgs over my allowed amount and had to pay 115 dollars for extra baggage fee. This is not turning out to be a good day and it won't be over for another 36 hours.
I have continuously wondered at the fact that you do not see more accidents in these big cities in India. For the most part , I have to say that the drivers are very skilled at their weaving in and out and there seemingly known system of honking and blowing horns that appears to let other drivers know their thoughts and directions because there is no other rhyme or reason that I can see and this is my fifth time in the country. Mom, you think that you do some swift intakes of breath and palm slapping of the dash when Dad is driving . I think the only blessing you would have here is that you would likely faint in the first few moments and then be oblivious. This cabby is not the best driver i have been with. Be glad to be at the airport again and out of the haze of his hand rolled smoke .
Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way in India . Not in Nepal either although did not seem to be quite as bad there. While in Nepal our guide told us that if a driver hits a cow and kills it he will spend years in jail. If he kills a pedestrian, he receives 15 days . Seriously . I have seen poor women standing in the middle of the street with babies in their arms and these drivers are not stopping . Really didn't want to know what the penalty was here.
At the Calcutta airport now. The cabby charged me over double what it cost to get from airport to hotel yesterday and then, when checking in luggage they wouldn't let me carry on what i did yesterday , made me check it and then told me i was 20 kgs over my allowed amount and had to pay 115 dollars for extra baggage fee. This is not turning out to be a good day and it won't be over for another 36 hours.
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