Ahmedabad 2/14/2008While walking above the trains and people on the overhead sidewalk spanning the platforms alive with humanity, I was intercepted by what I call a runner. A runner is the person that wades into the sea of people and swims about in search of likely paying candidates for their particular service. I think a lot of the runners have been partners if not owners of the business for which they are running, cabbies, tour guides, etc. Mainly cabbies, though. I have previously been scooped up for a cab ride and escorted outside only to be handed off to one of a number of waiting vehicles ready to take me to wherever my heart desires. Most of the time. Sometimes they want me to check out an emporium where if I browse for 10 minutes they will be paid a commission. I usually resist this part of the journey insisting if they don't take me to the hotel directly I would not pay them.
The runner today was the actual cabbie himself. I told him what part of the city I wanted to stay in, he told me '10 rupees' (cheap) and off we went. Passing through the old city, over the bridge and into the new city, we checked three or four hotels within my desired price range (I had grown comfortable with 'cheap'), all of which were full - go figure. Sometimes I wonder if this wasn't just a part of another scam set up to charge me for a longer cab ride in what only seemed to be a desperate search for lodging. Although I suggested going to the south end, the driver assured me there would be no hotels there. Although my friend had assured me that there were indeed via text messages before my arrival, we scooted back across to the old city to the Hotel Serena and I secured a room. The driver then charged me 170 rupees. Sigh.
The room is okay - near but not right on the noisy street. Clear TV with Starz and HBO (anything other than Hallmark channel PLEASE!). I ordered room service for breakfast and hit the showers after a long day/night on the train. I found a nearby cyber cafe where they insisted on taking notes from my ID which I neglected to bring. I also had to take my shoes off in order to enter. I need those sandals bad. I hiked back to the hotel, got my ID, hiked back, took off my shoes and blogged. No one back home was up yet so I couldn't chat with anyone. I got caught up on the few emails I needed to answer and trekked back to my room in what was quickly becoming the afternoon sunshine.
I shaved my face, trimmed my eyebrow forest and fell asleep about 2:30 pm. I guess the train didn't let me rest all that well after all. My cell rang at 5, my friend calling to see about my well being. We planned to meet the following day for lunch. I wasn't feeling very energetic, probably a sign that I still needed to catch up on sleep and that I was a bit under the weather. So I spent the remainder of the evening watching what HBO termed their 'Top 10' romantic movies. "You've Got Mail", "Must Love Dogs", "Sleepless in Seattle", "When Harry Met Sally". "The Wedding Crashers" on Indian HBO is heavily edited which I appreciated in this particular case. I also finished watching 'Perfect Stranger' on my iPod. I had started it on the train but fell asleep during. My iPod was running out of juice and I need to get an adapter plug since the one I thought I had brought from Mumbai isn't in my luggage. I already had the adapter that would allow the iPod to charge from a wall plug.
The next afternoon my friend scooped me up and we got some coffee at Lucky's, the Muslim graveyard with a Hindu cafe built on top. Then we took lunch at an outdoor covered courtyard restaurant called Green House. This was just attached to an upscale hotel called House of MG or Agashiye. It was an amazing cocoon where you could sip cold lime and cilantro drinks in what felt like an entire world removed from the hustling city a few steps away. We them hopped a cab to the National Institute of Design where I was treated to an insiders tour (I was with a graduate). I had a really terrific time, met some friendly people and even had chai in ceramic cups beneath the shade of NID's gigantic trees. It was an all around wonderful day in Ahmedabad.
Tomorrow I am off once again to Mumbai for the very last leg of my trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment