About a week ago in Nepal, I realised that I couldn't view Lauren's blog, except via an RSS reader. The reason was that Blogger had been blocked by the Nepalese government, or at least some sites with 'blogspot' in their URLs had come up on their new list of banned 'p0rn' sites, leading to a blanket ban on all our blogs with that domain name.
Weird and Funny World, a Nepal-based blog I've been following provided some coverage of this. Earlier there was also a suggestion that cybercafes in Nepal check their clients' ID in a bid to control 'cyber crime'.
India already does this sort of the control, though probably not on the same scale as China. At the cybercafes I've been to here, I'd had to present my passport (which some places photocopy) just so I can get online for 30 minutes. I am reminded of this level of control, because just to access the free wi-fi here at Delhi's new Indira Gandhi Airport domestic terminal, I had to log in with my new Airtel mobile number and then make a request to have another separate username and password via SMS (I remember a similar process at Bangalore airport last year) before finally being able to connect. Airtel also has a copy of my passport, visa and my photo, which you need to submit just to get a sim card.
Given that phones have been used in terrorist attacks to detonate bombs I suppose it's not an uncommon occurrence in most countries these days. You need some sort of ID to buy a prepaid mobile sim card in Singapore and Australia. I'm also sure there's some kind of registration to use Changi Airport's free wifi, though I suspect not quite as convoluted as the Indian system. I think I'm just too used to being able to connect to close to a dozen wi-fi networks in Kathmandu's Thamel district with just a network key.
Hmmm, my flight to Guwahati's been delayed by 40 minutes. More time on the internet for me.
Showing posts with label delhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label delhi. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Welcome to Delhi
My arrival at the new Delhi International Airport started out well enough. The new terminal is much better than the current Kolkata Airport which I flew in and out of last year. The only thing that bugged me was that it took forever to get from the gate to the immigration counter, and yet we still had to wait about 20 minutes for our baggage - I calculated about 45 minutes from the time of the plane's arrival.
I had arranged an airport pick-up with my hotel (Rak International Hotel) - an exorbitant 600 Rs, considering it only takes about 250-300 Rs to get from the airport to the Paharganj, but I didn't really want the hassle of haggling with a taxi driver and having to pay additional tips and what not. Thankfully, my pick-up was there when I arrived, given that the plane was about an hour late in leaving Kathmandu. The driver seemed friendly enough and we chatted a little in my broken Hindi / Nepali (he understood ali ali) and English.
The first sign something was wrong was when I first saw the car. It looked ordinarily enough, apart from all the dents in the doors, the back and the front (basically everywhere). It was particularly obvious, given that all the surrounding SUVs looked brand new and spotless. But I still put my stuff in the back and got in.
The driver then pokes his head in the window and tells me I need to get out. To help him push he car. It seemed the car battery had been giving him some grief today and the car needed a push start. Eventually, he managed to get the security guard to help us as well, and we got the car all the way to the downward ramp, which gave the car the boost it needed.
As if that wasn't bad enough, I asked the driver if the battery would be a problem later. He unhesitatingly said, 'Yes'.
We were in the far right lane of a busy road in heavy traffic when the battery died again. Out we got to push the car to the side of the road. Never mind the big buses and trucks trying to run us down. A police officer directed us to a small turn-off and there we stopped the car. My driver did what he could to restart the battery but eventually decided to call for a taxi from the airport to pick me up.
We waited by the side of the road for another 20 minutes. In that time, my driver's mobile phone battery died too (I was sensing a pattern) and I told him my Nepali sim card didn't work in India. But the taxi came, and I got in, after being assured that the hotel would pay for the taxi.
As I got in, the driver reassuringly said that his taxi would run out of petrol in about 10 or 15 minutes. Great, I thought. But at least we stopped for petrol at a petrol kiosk, not on the side of the road. And at least he didn't ask for more money.
But when we got to Paharganj, he stopped the taxi about 10 minutes from the hotel (I had a pretty good idea where I was thanks to my GPS), and insisted that we couldn't drive any further and he'd have to take me on foot. It was a little suspicious. He then asked me for 'driver tips' and I pretended not to understand. I was little annoyed because I couldn't get any further without giving the guy some cash. I said 50 rupees, but he insisted on 100, and since I didn't have change and wasn't sure where the hotel was exactly, I relented.
So off we went down the main Bazaar Road in Paharganj where he deposited me at then Rak International Hotel, where I proceeded to check in, after complaining about the drive in (especially the having to push the stupid car). I had previously mentioned in my email to them that I wanted a regular room for 450 Rs/night, but was willing to look at the deluxe (750 Rs/night). (I had sent a few emails, but only got a reply after mentioning that I was willing to look at the deluxe.) Surprise surprise, they had me down for a deluxe, and no regular rooms were available.
I then mentioned the ride again and told the guy in English, with a few smatterings of Hindi, that he needed to lower the price. I wasn't paying 600 Rs, especially after the car broke down and I had to push it twice. He said he'd talk to the driver and we'd settle it later. (I then heard him on the phone yelling at someone about a gaDii 'car' that was kharab 'bad'.
When I next came down, the guy at reception said there was no way he could lower the price. After all, my driver had got me to the hotel. Of course, from my point of view, I'd paid the exorbitant 600 Rs (instead of 250 or 300 Rs) for a comfortable and reliable service - not something that required me to get out of a car and push. I also mentioned the fact that I had to pay the driver a 100 Rs tip, which the reception guy said I shouldn't have paid. Well duh, but how else was I going to reach the hotel?
In the end, we bargained it down to 500 Rs. I've got a deluxe room which looks like a cheap honeymoon suite (the bed is circular! - will need to post a picture at some point). I've also got an airport drop-off tomorrow for a more reasonable 250 Rs, but goodness knows if that car won't break down too.
Yup, welcome back to India.
I had arranged an airport pick-up with my hotel (Rak International Hotel) - an exorbitant 600 Rs, considering it only takes about 250-300 Rs to get from the airport to the Paharganj, but I didn't really want the hassle of haggling with a taxi driver and having to pay additional tips and what not. Thankfully, my pick-up was there when I arrived, given that the plane was about an hour late in leaving Kathmandu. The driver seemed friendly enough and we chatted a little in my broken Hindi / Nepali (he understood ali ali) and English.
The first sign something was wrong was when I first saw the car. It looked ordinarily enough, apart from all the dents in the doors, the back and the front (basically everywhere). It was particularly obvious, given that all the surrounding SUVs looked brand new and spotless. But I still put my stuff in the back and got in.
The driver then pokes his head in the window and tells me I need to get out. To help him push he car. It seemed the car battery had been giving him some grief today and the car needed a push start. Eventually, he managed to get the security guard to help us as well, and we got the car all the way to the downward ramp, which gave the car the boost it needed.
As if that wasn't bad enough, I asked the driver if the battery would be a problem later. He unhesitatingly said, 'Yes'.
We were in the far right lane of a busy road in heavy traffic when the battery died again. Out we got to push the car to the side of the road. Never mind the big buses and trucks trying to run us down. A police officer directed us to a small turn-off and there we stopped the car. My driver did what he could to restart the battery but eventually decided to call for a taxi from the airport to pick me up.
We waited by the side of the road for another 20 minutes. In that time, my driver's mobile phone battery died too (I was sensing a pattern) and I told him my Nepali sim card didn't work in India. But the taxi came, and I got in, after being assured that the hotel would pay for the taxi.
As I got in, the driver reassuringly said that his taxi would run out of petrol in about 10 or 15 minutes. Great, I thought. But at least we stopped for petrol at a petrol kiosk, not on the side of the road. And at least he didn't ask for more money.
But when we got to Paharganj, he stopped the taxi about 10 minutes from the hotel (I had a pretty good idea where I was thanks to my GPS), and insisted that we couldn't drive any further and he'd have to take me on foot. It was a little suspicious. He then asked me for 'driver tips' and I pretended not to understand. I was little annoyed because I couldn't get any further without giving the guy some cash. I said 50 rupees, but he insisted on 100, and since I didn't have change and wasn't sure where the hotel was exactly, I relented.
So off we went down the main Bazaar Road in Paharganj where he deposited me at then Rak International Hotel, where I proceeded to check in, after complaining about the drive in (especially the having to push the stupid car). I had previously mentioned in my email to them that I wanted a regular room for 450 Rs/night, but was willing to look at the deluxe (750 Rs/night). (I had sent a few emails, but only got a reply after mentioning that I was willing to look at the deluxe.) Surprise surprise, they had me down for a deluxe, and no regular rooms were available.
I then mentioned the ride again and told the guy in English, with a few smatterings of Hindi, that he needed to lower the price. I wasn't paying 600 Rs, especially after the car broke down and I had to push it twice. He said he'd talk to the driver and we'd settle it later. (I then heard him on the phone yelling at someone about a gaDii 'car' that was kharab 'bad'.
When I next came down, the guy at reception said there was no way he could lower the price. After all, my driver had got me to the hotel. Of course, from my point of view, I'd paid the exorbitant 600 Rs (instead of 250 or 300 Rs) for a comfortable and reliable service - not something that required me to get out of a car and push. I also mentioned the fact that I had to pay the driver a 100 Rs tip, which the reception guy said I shouldn't have paid. Well duh, but how else was I going to reach the hotel?
In the end, we bargained it down to 500 Rs. I've got a deluxe room which looks like a cheap honeymoon suite (the bed is circular! - will need to post a picture at some point). I've also got an airport drop-off tomorrow for a more reasonable 250 Rs, but goodness knows if that car won't break down too.
Yup, welcome back to India.
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