Bombay (Mumbai) - Scam on Arrival

Foreword. This is a different kind of post. I arrived in Bombay last night and ran into problems. I was never in any kind of real danger but I was put in uncomfortable situations. This all came after a train trip that was 3 ½ hours late and I hardly had a chance to eat much all day. Obviously that didn’t make things any easier. It was 11:30 pm before I got settled into a hotel and things hadn’t gone as planned. Needless to say, travel doesn’t always go as planned. I wrote the following, somewhat rambling story, after midnight, because I couldn’t sleep. India has been a roller coaster ride more than any other place I’ve ever traveled. Sometimes it really has a way of messing with your head. Here’s a view from the bottom of a quick and fast drop. I’ve decided not to edit so take into consideration I was frustrated and a bit out of it when I was writing.....

It's 12 midnight and I’m wired on an empty stomach. Sometimes traveling has its unpleasant moments and today’s arrival in Bombay was not good. The first mistake was arriving at the Lokmanyatilak Railroad Station. I should have been more mindful when booking the ticket. The station I arrived at is on the outskirts of Bombay which meant I needed to catch a rather lengthy taxi ride for a decent place to stay. Also, arriving 3 ½ hours late and at night didn’t help. However, I had a hotel booked and a plan of action for arrival.

When I got off the train I was immediately hounded by a taxi driver. I kept trying to shake him but he was persistent. I ignored him and went to the official taxi line to ask questions about approximate charges, if there was a prepaid stand etc. The one driver was still following me. I talked with other drivers about a flat rate, meters, etc. 4 separate drivers to be exact. I talked with one guy, who was officially dressed, and claimed to be part of the Taxi Union. He even showed me an official looking card. After randomly talking to other drivers who were not interested in taking me because they said the driver I was with was ok I went ahead and went with him. He knew exactly where I wanted to go and actually seemed fine once I let my guard down. So, with reservations, I got into the official looking metered taxi car. He assured me he set the meter etc. and we drove off following road signs to where I wanted to go. The drive seemed to be going ok until he brought up the subject of price and how much traffic there was. I knew what the price should be and told him I would not pay over 400 rupees before we even left. He pulled over and said are you sure you want to go on because we are already up to 350 rupees. Thus began the scam. He pulled around a corner and stopped next to a local train station and said it would be a good place to get out if I didn’t want to pay more. In reality where he stopped was a good place to get out but I wasn’t sure if there was someone else in on the scam or not. Feeling quite uncomfortable I got out of the car and checked the meter. The meter was totally non functional but he claimed I owed him 350 rupees. He was very clever at explaining things and remained seemingly nice. He acted like he was helping me out by dropping me off at a good spot so I wouldn’t have to pay more. But we still had an issue. He wanted 350 rupees. I calculated that where he had driven me was worth no more than 100 to 150 rupees. I think his scam angle was to convince people to pay him more by doing less and to eventually put his clients into an uncomfortable situation if need be. So, I refused to pay 350 and offered him a 100. This is where con men really mess with your head. He wouldn’t take it and told me to just go. No problem. But let me tell you. There is a problem. You just know there is and it’s not going to be solved until you give ‘em money. He wouldn’t take 100 so I offered 160. At that point he’s no longer the “no problem you can just go and don’t have to pay me anything guy”. He wants’ more. He definitely wants the 350. I wouldn’t give him anything else. A person standing nearby witnessing the exchanges shook his head at me like don’t give him any more. I flagged another taxi, handed him the money and walked away. He had reluctantly accepted the 160 and started bantering me with Anti American comments. The only I’ve received in India. It was a very uncomfortable situation and he showed his true colors in the end. What really threw me in this scam was how 4 other randomly picked official cab drivers told me the driver I was with was ok. Even after a month in India I still say it’s really hard to know who to trust in this country. Fortunately, I handled the situation as about as good as I could but really shouldn’t have had anything to do with him in the first place. Beware of the overly persistent friendly helpful stranger. Especially in India. I don’t care if it’s a taxi driver, cop, or anyone for that matter. Maybe I’m a little jaded but I’ve always been a good judge of character and I’ve surprised more than a few times while traveling India.

Anyway, while this was going on I had already flagged another cab. If nothing else I wanted someone to witness what was happening. Luckily the other taxi driver proved to be a good honest man. Once I got rid of the bad driver the good driver warned me about certain taxi drivers. He knew right off that the man I was with was a dishonest. Anyway, my new driver got me to where I wanted to go without a problem. But there were other problems soon to come.

After the conflict with the bad driver I had reservations about staying at the hotel I was booked into. He knew where I was staying and I began thinking, “What if he comes looking for me or something?” Ok, I know that’s being paranoid but Bombay is hitting me all wrong. Well, as it turns out that didn’t matter because the hotel I was booked into didn’t have a room for me anyway. Thus began my tour of dumpy dive guest houses and overpriced hotels. I finally settled for an overpriced hotel that wasn't too much to my liking but perfectly safe and ok for a night. Of course the entire time I’m looking for a hotel people are trying to hook me by showing me a different hotels or giving me a taxi ride. Hassles, hassles and more hassles. By time I finally settled on a place for the night there was nowhere to eat. All the restaurants were closed. I also began to wonder if my pack would be ok in the hotel room. Being hungry just intensified the situation. I was being irrationally paranoid.

Yesterday I could have easily extended my time in India but today….. I’m sick of India’s Bullshit. Pardon the profanity but it’s the most fitting adjective for right now. It’s 1 am. I’m wired, tired, and hungry. I can’t wait to check out of the overpriced hotel. I don’t like it.

Closing statement. It’s the following morning (Tuesday, October 20) and I’ve had a chance to calm down. After the unpleasant taxi driver confrontation I was thrown into a state of doubt about my own decision making process and angry at myself for allowing the guy to take me for a ride. When you have an experience like I just had it really messes with your head. It was hard deciding on a place to stay after that because everyone and everything became suspect in my mind. Irrationally so I may add but a good con man can really make a person question their ability to judge character. The fact is I knew better all along and that’s what really gets me. He was still able to hook me!.... The hotel I stayed at for the night definitely proved to be an overpriced mistake. When I laid down I noticed the bed had a strange odor and the sheets didn’t look fresh. I pulled the sheets back over and slept on top in my lightweight sleeping bag. In my flustered state I couldn’t even pick the right hotel. India is throwing me for loop just as I’m about to leave. I’m very comfortable traveling alone but when problems arise they’re always intensified when you’re by yourself.

Well, it’s the beginning of my final day in India. I’ll fly out tomorrow at 1 pm so I’ll go directly to the airport in the morning. Last night I slept poorly so I’m not sure if I’ll see too much of Bombay before I leave. Nonetheless, I’ll make the most of it and I have all day to sort myself out. With yesterday behind me I look forward to better times as I rise from the dip and reach the end of a roller coaster ride called, “Wild India”. I think when I step off the plane in Bangkok tomorrow I’ll breathe a big sigh of relief. Everyone says S.E. is a breeze after India and I've never met anyone who doesn't like Thailand. My flight leaves in 29 hours…..