RICKSHAW MAFIA

The rickshaw brotherhood are at it again.

We arrived at the central bus station and were accosted straight off the bus by some smooth operator. We shrugged him off of course. Our hotel had advised us to get a prepaid rickshaw. So the ladies parked themselves in the shade with the bags while I went looking for a desk with 'pre-paid auto' over it.  I never found it but apparently it is there. You have to pay the desk person a fee of 1 rupee, tell them where you are going, pre pay and get your voucher.
So we didn't do any of that.

At least I had found the rickshaw area. And in in the end I negotiated 120 rupees for what should have been an 80 ride.  Well, it looked like a fair old distance on the map and there three of us plus big bags. That seemed alright.  However, in the event I had us down on the wrong street and it was closer. And the bags don't count. Rickshaw people are used to that.

Of course the the rickshaw driver had to try the other usual scam as well. Our home stay is just behind a well known office. Our directions were to go there and then call them. He took us there as requested. Then while I was trying to phone the homestay people, he 'helpfully' looked over my shoulder, made a show of calling our home stay number on his phone  (before me) and said he would take us there.  My phone had been switched off so it hadn't found the local network yet.
I dubiously said ok so of course he took us around the corner to a different hotel so he could get the commission.
Well, that didn't work. We all shouted at him to go back to the meeting place we had just left.
By now my own phone had found the network and was working fine. I called the homestead and within one minute the owner was with us.
Good job I had got my Indian Sim card working.

Later I suggested to the owner that it would be helpful if she put the amount to pay on her website somewhere. She said that they used to do that but the rickshaw people got to know about it and came round in a gang and threatened her off she didn't take it off.

How did they find out? Well, in Pushkar they were doing a similar thing and the rickshaw drivers would ask you who told you it was 80 rupees. Of course, if you said 'the hotel told me', then they had their information and they would go round and put the pressure on them.  The best way to answer would be: 'It is in the guide book' which lays no blame on the hotel owner. 

Rule of thumb. Don't pay more than 80 rupees for most trips of up to about 3km.
At least that's what I'm thinking today!

They say India changes you!

Today we are off to the Mysore Palace then possibly for lunch to another palace where you can eat like a Rajah!

John