Kolkata Airport is Hi-Tech

Once back in Good old Kolkata, the temperature announced on landing was 31 degrees. Delhi was already below 20 degrees and plunging daily it seemed. Man what was I going to do with two suitcases full of Jackets and sweaters in Kolkata. Hey Kolkata has aerobridges and we alighted from the aircraft straight into the terminal. Sometimes I think it takes away the excitement of being on a bus steering through all those aircrat parked on the tarmac following all those dotted lines but then this saves so much time.

Once out, I realized that the option of a prepaid taxi was eliminated. I had spent the last of my monies on excess baggage. So I went out of the terminal and tried hailing a cab, which for some reason seemed quite impossible. Then one guy caught me and asked me to follow him to his cab. I did, only to soon realize he was a tout and asked me to she out Rs. 375 for a ride to Park Circus. Are you crazy? I asked him. Then I swore at him in Bengali and unleashed my fiery tongue. Was this guy shattering my beliefs about Kolkata’s public transport? And he was trying to convince me it was according to some bogus chart. Then another guy approached me, and tried to negotiate at Rs. 200 and said he’d take on another passenger. Man I was getting annoyed and I overheard the first guy tell the second not to pursue any further as I could speak Bengali. Hells speak, I corrected his fallacy and gave both of them a piece of my mind.

Then I walked a bit further and though the cabbie was being taunted and harrased and chased by the cops and touts around, he pulled up 50 meters down and I got in. Not to be let off one of the touts came and insisted that he pay Rs. 20 for taking me on board. He settled it at Rs. 10. Wow! What was all this about and then on the ride back home the cabbie unraveled the entire racket that the cops, touts and certain cab guys were running at the airport on unsuspecting passengers. It’s a shame an I am seriously going to take this up with the authorities. Kolkata otherwise is such a great place for transportation. If people get this impression right at the airport I don’t think it’s going to do a world of good for getting business into this state.

I got to Park Circus and paid off the cab and headed up the five floors with bag and baggage all of 32 kgs. Good exercise I guess. The last time it was 57 kgs.

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