Stung in Bombay

 Our overnight train from Goa put us in to Bombay at 6.30am. Strolling along the platform we were unaware of the ugly surprise that was awaiting us. We were looking for the pre-paid taxi counter when we met a taxi driver who asked us where we were going. We said we were looking for the pre-paid taxi and he said there wasn't one, it was all metered taxis. We asked what it would cost to get to our hotel and he was a bit vague but said about 45 units. We were undecided but as he said that it was all on a meter we decided to go with him. We got in, he sat in the passenger seat and another guy started to drive. We asked who he was and he said that he had finished the night shift and was on his way home. Our man was very nice, talking to us and telling us about his family, studies, etc. As we approached our area he said that after the terrorist attacks here in 2008 the police were very vigilant and didn't like taxis stopping in the Colaba area so could we pay him before we stopped. I can't believe that we swallowed that line. He showed us the meter as we arrived and it had gone up to 73 units. We yelled 'what!' and he said that it was more than he had imagined and that we could settle on 50 units, call it a round 1000Rs. I was a dismal ally to Helene here. It had been a long taxi ride and we had been reading about how much more expensive Mumbai is. It seemed to me that, although high, it was not impossible. As whites here its almost impossible to pay the Indian fare and we always end up paying 20-30% more. Maybe the real price was 750Rs and this was the 250 Rs extra white tourist payment. So instead of joining in with Helene and telling this guy to go to blazes I said maybe its really that price. I sowed enough doubts in her and, begrudgingly she handed over two 500Rs notes. Unfortunately I didn't see what she handed over and she didn't  double check. A minute later, he says 'excuse me madam, there has been a mistake you have given me two 100Rs notes'. It was possible, we were tired as we hadn't slept that well on the train and we still felt a bit at a disadvantage over the fare. We added up how much cash we had left and couldn't see how his story was true, but we could not be sure. So we gave him his 1000Rs again. Like a couple of teenage travellers on their first trip we had walked into this trap and then let it happen. Once we were out of the taxi we could see all the glaring clues, like the hidden meter, the extra driver whose job it was to switch the notes, the 'not allowed to stop' lie. Mostly my fault, gullible is my middle name. If I had thought and not been intimidated by the situation I would have backed Helene up and told this guy to go back to the outer darkness. The actual amount we lost wasn't that much, about $30, but being stung that easily really hurt. We asked at the hotel and he said that the price should have been around 350Rs. Thats an Indian price, so the tourist price should have been 500Rs. Still, we got a good lesson for our thirty bucks. Each time we hand over a big note we confirm with each other what we are handing over. The next guy that tries a switch on us will get a frank and impolite response and the next taxi driver that fixes his meter will find us united and ready for the fight.

Needless to say the taxi incident coloured our initial feelings about Mumbai and in our room while Helene was reading a newspaper I knew she was dissatisfied, and I had the impression that what she really wanted to read was my name on a tomb-stone. As the day wore on our seething emotions eased, calmer ideas prevailed and the Leader of the opposition started to talk to me again. It turned out, when finally reason was restored to her throne, that Mumbai is an attractive and well ordered city (in the city centre at least, less so out in the slums) not as smoke choked and riotous as other cities. The main event of Mumbai was that we were staying with our first Indian servas hosts. We didn't know what to expect at all. They were an older couple, both doctors, who live in a central area with easy connections to all the main places. They were so nice to us, and the food was excellent. It was a real treat to be there with them and to talk to them about their work and their families. yet another victory for servas.

We did a few touristy things in Mumbai, we went to a Kathakali dance, the museum and went out to Elephanta Island. This latter was a combination of misinformation from the Lonely Planet Book of Lies and a typically Indian con. The LP BoL describes Elephanta as a 'labyrinth of halls and courtyards'. It also recommends paying for the deluxe boat ticket as for only 20Rs more it includes a guided tour in English. Once on the boat you see how deluxe it is and they charge you an extra 10Rs to sit on the top deck (curtly refused). When you get to the island you find, too late, that the guided tour in English is included in the entry ticket to the island, not the boat fare and you might as well have taken the basic ticket and saved the 20Rs. As I said, a very Indian lie. Then, shortly after you see that the 'labyrinth of halls and courtyards' is in fact a central square cave with two small side caves. Not exactly a labyrinth. Still, it was nice and the guided tour was great. Its just a shame that some Indians feel compelled to use dishonesty and that Lonely Planet feels obliged to describe every single place in the world as if its the only place worth seeing.

Thats the end of our India trip for now (we are back in May for a week) and we head north next to Kathmandu for some mountain scenery and 500km of walking. I need it, my waistline looks like I have spent a month kicking back and eating great food. Which is exactly what I have been doing.