It was Christmas time and... well, you all read it, I was mainly a representation of the sad Bridget Jones singing "All by myself" combined with the busiest period at work: frantic, hectic and crips nerves, lots of fun!
So... come January things weren't getting better. I didn't feel like writing. I was feeling very lonely and frustrated with India. I didn't want to sound as negative again as I might have at the beggining. I have given up too many times about the things that I don't understand from this country, but I have taken the determination that I don't want this blog to be an pile of moans and complains. Instead, I'd like you to really SEE this place, with its good and its bad, through my experiences. So I cannot go picking only on the bad times. I needed some time to gather back my strength and get some positive smile even on the down days.
This is why, once again a month has passed in full silence. Plus, I'm afraid I have a bit of "fun" (aka. moaning) to share with you again.
Cause, yes, indeed: I travel alone! And that is certainly no easy task in here.
To beat the so-called January blues, and following the advise of one of my craziest and dearest friends, who is always very inventing and quick to spend my money on cheering me up, I have put myself in a deranged trip schedule of 3 weekends in a row of flights, travels and new discoveries of amazing places and wonderful people. I am now absolutely wrecked, with a swollen foot and a mild headache. I would not change a thing, though.
Let me clarify... I would not change a thing, except for, surely, the taxi and airport experiences. Nothing but another example of the fun one has here. Let me entertain you with my recent misfortunes:
1 - The taxi ride
Funnily enough, the ride starts with one of the most modern, simple, well working and most performing booking systems I have ever experienced.
There are several companies and you mainly download their application in your phone, once you have done so, you just need to select a type of car, a pick up location and a pick up time. You let them know where you are going too, as an FYI. You hit the "Confirm" button. Voila! You even get a text message instantly to confirm the booking, give you a booking reference number and remind you that your driver will be assigned to you 30min previous your pick up time. The driver details will be shared then.
It works so well... one wonders how can it be so nice an easy an experience and why couldn't they maintain the excellence of service for the rest of "The Ride".
The fun starts about 1 hour before the pick up.
Despite the fantastic GPS application system that allows you to select the location of your pick up with excellent precision, your driver will call you 1 hour before your pick up to ask you where to pick you up from. Yes, yes, even when your pick up is at 4am and you are supposed to be sleeping. They will call. Indeed, to ask for an information that they are supposed to already have! And don't even go on thinking to go cheeky on them and ask them to read the GPS. I'm sure they are thinking: "Madam, lady. You might think you are clever, but that's not how things work in here, and its not going to change just cause you are being clever. You better learn that soon. So, tell me now!"
Seriously, here it's where I breath twice (first but not last) and give my full address again. (Hahahahaha. Are you new, Veronica!!!??? You should really know better) Next obvious thing to happen is that the driver will tell you he/she doesn't know how to find the address, they obviously won't think on using their GPS to figure it (there is an intrinsic believe that GPS are worthless in this part of the world, except that Google maps always finds my exact location when my full address is given. Funny, nah?) Anyhow, so, seeing that the address is not going to help, next question comes: "What is the landmark?"
Do you remember how much fun was to find a house? And how happy I was when it finally did materialise? I never thought that this place will be a hell to find for taxi drivers just cause there is not a temple or a famous shop just besides to ease the location.
"No landmark, sir" its my answer. And we have just started a 15-25min game of misunderstandings and confusion until I manage to make them understand which one is the closest main road close to my house. They hung up with the promise of another 20min torture to figure how to reach from the main road to my home. From the main road, literally, it's simple: "Turn left in the main crossroad and go to the end. Then, left again. You are there!" Nonetheless, I had once to explain 7 times (seriously, I counted, not exaggerating) and I ended up calling the customer hotline to explain the address again to an operator that would try to explain again to the driver, this time in local language. After another 5 attempts by the operator, my absolutely loosing it to the point of pitch high desperate crying/shouting and a pick up 20 after my pick up time.... Yes, he managed to get lost again and had me going to the main road to pick HIM up, so that we could collect my luggage and head to the Airport.
Of course, it doesn't end there. Lucky that the airport is such a landmark that I don't have to explain how to get there. Indeed, for most drops, the taxi driver will ask you to tell them how to get to the place. You better don't try to go to a new place you've never been before and think the driver will find it for you. Nop. He will ask you to look on your mobile GPS and tell him how to get there too.
And yes, on top of it all, you actually better listen and DO look at your GPS, because every time (no miss) the driver will try to "loose" his/her way and bring you south when you are going north, since they are paid by km driven.
My first trip of this year, as described above, got me to the airport 30min late and on the verge of tears of frustration. Running around the place to make sure I didn't miss the flight. Worst idea ever, as you will see.
2 - The airport ride
Now, if when you take a taxi you have that much fun by dealing just with one person... Do you want to guess how many people (on this line of helpfulness) you have to navigate before you get to your sit on the plane? :) Welcome to Bengaluru International Airport, please sit comfortably and tie your seat belts before we start our ride!
1 - Policeman (or woman) at the door of the airport. They will only let you inside the airport if you have a flight ticket. Family and friends farewells need to be done in the outside road.
2 - Airport flying company assistant number 1, making sure you are in the right lane for the right flight/company.
3 - Airport flying company assistant number 2, telling you when a counter is free so that you can free the line quickly. Even if there are only 2 open counters.
4 - Airport flying company desk assistant manager, checking that the desk assistant is correctly checking you in.
5 - Airport flying company desk assistant (this is normally person number 1 in any other part of the world I've taken a flight from) The usual: gives you your ticket and checks in your luggage. He/she will also give you a bag tag and request you to put it in your hand luggage. ALWAYS (you will soon see why)
6 - Airport flying company luggage assistant, Yes, this is the one that takes your luggage for you and puts it in the scale for you. That's it!
7 - Airport immigration queue assistant 1 (for international flights), making sure you are informed if any papers are required for you to be filled before you enter the immigration queue. Everybody, even Indian nationals, have to pass through immigration for international flights. Queue could be long.
8 - Airport immigration queue assistant 2, telling you when a counter is free so that you can free the line quickly.
9 - Airport immigration officer, to make sure you have all required papers to leave the country. For all foreign residents, they will make sure you have your passport and your residency permit, as you will not be allowed back in without that permit. I've heard that some people were denied to fly because they forgot the damned paper home. Not fun.
10 - Airport immigration queue assistant 3, to check that you have correctly pass through the immigration officer counter and have all the required stamps.
11 - Airport immigration queue assistant 4, standing besides Airport immigration queue assistant 3 and looking around. I have absolutely no idea what this person does. Seriously, none!
12 - Police woman standing besides the "women only" queue and making sure that, even if there is only one "women only" queue, no woman goes to the "men only" queues (they have 4 for their own) This is where I bite my tongue not to argue about sexual discrimination. I'm tired and I just want to sit and wait for my plane.
13 - Luggage queue Police woman , typically, the one asking you if you have a laptop and that you leave your jacket in the tray.
14 - Manual scanner Police woman. Ah yeah, this one. So, even if they have the typical metal scanners, and even if the scanner doesn't flag you as metal-wearing danger, you will still get scanned head to toes by a police woman (btw, this is special treatment only for women. Men are trustworthy with the usual metal scanner only) And she won't let you out unless you have your ticket in your hand. She needs to stamp it 3 times, you see?
15 - Luggage stamping Police woman. Basically, after your hand luggage has gone through the scan check, you will need to wait for a person to stamp the luggage tag you were given at check in and put in your luggage. You will not be allowed to collect your luggage until the stamp its appropriately marking your belongings tag. And yes, my top performing experience was a policeman that could not stamp the tag, since the tag was made out of plastic and it wouldn't stick. It took him checking with 3 police colleagues and a moment of utter confusion to figure how to find a new tag that he could stamp and tag to my luggage. 10 min! And this man has a gun!!!!
16 - Luggage stamp checking policeman. Once you have your luggage in hand, somebody will confirm that the stamp is indeed in your luggage before you get to the duty free. Well, there are often 2 of them, but that's to divide the workload, so you only have to deal with either one of them.
17 - Queue flight assistant 1, you are almost there, you are about to enter the flight, you think you are almost done! :) This one checks that the name in the ticket and the name in the passport is the same.
18 - Queue policeman 1, to check if the hand luggage is stamped (again!)
19 - Queue flight assistant 2, to check the seat number and mark in a document the sit row that has just entered the queue.
20 - Queue flight assistant 3, to scan your ticket through the computer scan.
21 - Queue flight assistant 4, to pull the small part of your ticket and keep it, giving you the large part.
22 - Queue policeman 2, FINALLY!!! to confirm that you have the larger part of your ticket and that it is stamped and, if you misplaced the tag in your hand luggage, to check again and put you a new stamped tag.
And I'm sure I might have forgotten a few people here and there but... I think this represents it quite well.
If you are not in tears after having to deal with miscommunications and misunderstandings with each one of these people, you are definitively my hero. Personally, this made me feel so alone. I spend all my "rides" thinking that this will be so much easier if I had someone with me to share the pain (male or female. Basically, a friend!) And I will then not forget to get cash from the ATM. Or forget to pick my view glasses when I'm about to embark on a 14hrs long trip to Bali, so my eyes are not itchy red on arrival. And I would be able to let them deal with 11 of the people, so I only need to deal with the other 11.
But... I travel alone. I have done so for a very long time now, since I haven't always found people crazy enough to join all my adventures and I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of them just for that. And I find it very rewarding, to look back and see all the cultures and places I have discovered and all the local people I encountered, because they trusted a woman travelling alone. All the things I've learned.
Nonetheless, it is not so safe to travel alone around India so, until I find a gang of friends to go and check things around as often and as crazily as I like it, I am going to go out of the country as much as I can! It does also help to break with the madness for a while. Passed the taxi and airport fun, of course.
Next destination... Currently looking for trips. Ideas are more than welcome!
So... come January things weren't getting better. I didn't feel like writing. I was feeling very lonely and frustrated with India. I didn't want to sound as negative again as I might have at the beggining. I have given up too many times about the things that I don't understand from this country, but I have taken the determination that I don't want this blog to be an pile of moans and complains. Instead, I'd like you to really SEE this place, with its good and its bad, through my experiences. So I cannot go picking only on the bad times. I needed some time to gather back my strength and get some positive smile even on the down days.
This is why, once again a month has passed in full silence. Plus, I'm afraid I have a bit of "fun" (aka. moaning) to share with you again.
Cause, yes, indeed: I travel alone! And that is certainly no easy task in here.
To beat the so-called January blues, and following the advise of one of my craziest and dearest friends, who is always very inventing and quick to spend my money on cheering me up, I have put myself in a deranged trip schedule of 3 weekends in a row of flights, travels and new discoveries of amazing places and wonderful people. I am now absolutely wrecked, with a swollen foot and a mild headache. I would not change a thing, though.
Let me clarify... I would not change a thing, except for, surely, the taxi and airport experiences. Nothing but another example of the fun one has here. Let me entertain you with my recent misfortunes:
1 - The taxi ride
Funnily enough, the ride starts with one of the most modern, simple, well working and most performing booking systems I have ever experienced.
There are several companies and you mainly download their application in your phone, once you have done so, you just need to select a type of car, a pick up location and a pick up time. You let them know where you are going too, as an FYI. You hit the "Confirm" button. Voila! You even get a text message instantly to confirm the booking, give you a booking reference number and remind you that your driver will be assigned to you 30min previous your pick up time. The driver details will be shared then.
It works so well... one wonders how can it be so nice an easy an experience and why couldn't they maintain the excellence of service for the rest of "The Ride".
The fun starts about 1 hour before the pick up.
Despite the fantastic GPS application system that allows you to select the location of your pick up with excellent precision, your driver will call you 1 hour before your pick up to ask you where to pick you up from. Yes, yes, even when your pick up is at 4am and you are supposed to be sleeping. They will call. Indeed, to ask for an information that they are supposed to already have! And don't even go on thinking to go cheeky on them and ask them to read the GPS. I'm sure they are thinking: "Madam, lady. You might think you are clever, but that's not how things work in here, and its not going to change just cause you are being clever. You better learn that soon. So, tell me now!"
Seriously, here it's where I breath twice (first but not last) and give my full address again. (Hahahahaha. Are you new, Veronica!!!??? You should really know better) Next obvious thing to happen is that the driver will tell you he/she doesn't know how to find the address, they obviously won't think on using their GPS to figure it (there is an intrinsic believe that GPS are worthless in this part of the world, except that Google maps always finds my exact location when my full address is given. Funny, nah?) Anyhow, so, seeing that the address is not going to help, next question comes: "What is the landmark?"
Do you remember how much fun was to find a house? And how happy I was when it finally did materialise? I never thought that this place will be a hell to find for taxi drivers just cause there is not a temple or a famous shop just besides to ease the location.
"No landmark, sir" its my answer. And we have just started a 15-25min game of misunderstandings and confusion until I manage to make them understand which one is the closest main road close to my house. They hung up with the promise of another 20min torture to figure how to reach from the main road to my home. From the main road, literally, it's simple: "Turn left in the main crossroad and go to the end. Then, left again. You are there!" Nonetheless, I had once to explain 7 times (seriously, I counted, not exaggerating) and I ended up calling the customer hotline to explain the address again to an operator that would try to explain again to the driver, this time in local language. After another 5 attempts by the operator, my absolutely loosing it to the point of pitch high desperate crying/shouting and a pick up 20 after my pick up time.... Yes, he managed to get lost again and had me going to the main road to pick HIM up, so that we could collect my luggage and head to the Airport.
Of course, it doesn't end there. Lucky that the airport is such a landmark that I don't have to explain how to get there. Indeed, for most drops, the taxi driver will ask you to tell them how to get to the place. You better don't try to go to a new place you've never been before and think the driver will find it for you. Nop. He will ask you to look on your mobile GPS and tell him how to get there too.
And yes, on top of it all, you actually better listen and DO look at your GPS, because every time (no miss) the driver will try to "loose" his/her way and bring you south when you are going north, since they are paid by km driven.
My first trip of this year, as described above, got me to the airport 30min late and on the verge of tears of frustration. Running around the place to make sure I didn't miss the flight. Worst idea ever, as you will see.
2 - The airport ride
Now, if when you take a taxi you have that much fun by dealing just with one person... Do you want to guess how many people (on this line of helpfulness) you have to navigate before you get to your sit on the plane? :) Welcome to Bengaluru International Airport, please sit comfortably and tie your seat belts before we start our ride!
1 - Policeman (or woman) at the door of the airport. They will only let you inside the airport if you have a flight ticket. Family and friends farewells need to be done in the outside road.
2 - Airport flying company assistant number 1, making sure you are in the right lane for the right flight/company.
3 - Airport flying company assistant number 2, telling you when a counter is free so that you can free the line quickly. Even if there are only 2 open counters.
4 - Airport flying company desk assistant manager, checking that the desk assistant is correctly checking you in.
5 - Airport flying company desk assistant (this is normally person number 1 in any other part of the world I've taken a flight from) The usual: gives you your ticket and checks in your luggage. He/she will also give you a bag tag and request you to put it in your hand luggage. ALWAYS (you will soon see why)
6 - Airport flying company luggage assistant, Yes, this is the one that takes your luggage for you and puts it in the scale for you. That's it!
7 - Airport immigration queue assistant 1 (for international flights), making sure you are informed if any papers are required for you to be filled before you enter the immigration queue. Everybody, even Indian nationals, have to pass through immigration for international flights. Queue could be long.
8 - Airport immigration queue assistant 2, telling you when a counter is free so that you can free the line quickly.
9 - Airport immigration officer, to make sure you have all required papers to leave the country. For all foreign residents, they will make sure you have your passport and your residency permit, as you will not be allowed back in without that permit. I've heard that some people were denied to fly because they forgot the damned paper home. Not fun.
10 - Airport immigration queue assistant 3, to check that you have correctly pass through the immigration officer counter and have all the required stamps.
11 - Airport immigration queue assistant 4, standing besides Airport immigration queue assistant 3 and looking around. I have absolutely no idea what this person does. Seriously, none!
12 - Police woman standing besides the "women only" queue and making sure that, even if there is only one "women only" queue, no woman goes to the "men only" queues (they have 4 for their own) This is where I bite my tongue not to argue about sexual discrimination. I'm tired and I just want to sit and wait for my plane.
13 - Luggage queue Police woman , typically, the one asking you if you have a laptop and that you leave your jacket in the tray.
14 - Manual scanner Police woman. Ah yeah, this one. So, even if they have the typical metal scanners, and even if the scanner doesn't flag you as metal-wearing danger, you will still get scanned head to toes by a police woman (btw, this is special treatment only for women. Men are trustworthy with the usual metal scanner only) And she won't let you out unless you have your ticket in your hand. She needs to stamp it 3 times, you see?
15 - Luggage stamping Police woman. Basically, after your hand luggage has gone through the scan check, you will need to wait for a person to stamp the luggage tag you were given at check in and put in your luggage. You will not be allowed to collect your luggage until the stamp its appropriately marking your belongings tag. And yes, my top performing experience was a policeman that could not stamp the tag, since the tag was made out of plastic and it wouldn't stick. It took him checking with 3 police colleagues and a moment of utter confusion to figure how to find a new tag that he could stamp and tag to my luggage. 10 min! And this man has a gun!!!!
16 - Luggage stamp checking policeman. Once you have your luggage in hand, somebody will confirm that the stamp is indeed in your luggage before you get to the duty free. Well, there are often 2 of them, but that's to divide the workload, so you only have to deal with either one of them.
17 - Queue flight assistant 1, you are almost there, you are about to enter the flight, you think you are almost done! :) This one checks that the name in the ticket and the name in the passport is the same.
18 - Queue policeman 1, to check if the hand luggage is stamped (again!)
19 - Queue flight assistant 2, to check the seat number and mark in a document the sit row that has just entered the queue.
20 - Queue flight assistant 3, to scan your ticket through the computer scan.
21 - Queue flight assistant 4, to pull the small part of your ticket and keep it, giving you the large part.
22 - Queue policeman 2, FINALLY!!! to confirm that you have the larger part of your ticket and that it is stamped and, if you misplaced the tag in your hand luggage, to check again and put you a new stamped tag.
And I'm sure I might have forgotten a few people here and there but... I think this represents it quite well.
If you are not in tears after having to deal with miscommunications and misunderstandings with each one of these people, you are definitively my hero. Personally, this made me feel so alone. I spend all my "rides" thinking that this will be so much easier if I had someone with me to share the pain (male or female. Basically, a friend!) And I will then not forget to get cash from the ATM. Or forget to pick my view glasses when I'm about to embark on a 14hrs long trip to Bali, so my eyes are not itchy red on arrival. And I would be able to let them deal with 11 of the people, so I only need to deal with the other 11.
But... I travel alone. I have done so for a very long time now, since I haven't always found people crazy enough to join all my adventures and I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of them just for that. And I find it very rewarding, to look back and see all the cultures and places I have discovered and all the local people I encountered, because they trusted a woman travelling alone. All the things I've learned.
Nonetheless, it is not so safe to travel alone around India so, until I find a gang of friends to go and check things around as often and as crazily as I like it, I am going to go out of the country as much as I can! It does also help to break with the madness for a while. Passed the taxi and airport fun, of course.
Next destination... Currently looking for trips. Ideas are more than welcome!
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