Whenever friends ask how things are going here in Dhaka, the answer usually comes back in the positive. Even if there has been a few negative things going on that day, the positives usually outweigh these negatives... except for today, where I felt karma was against me.
Today... 1 week away from my 3 and 1/2 week adventure in India and Burma, I thought it time to finally sort out my ticket over to India (yes, I am as organised as ever!). I headed off to the Air India offices (had given up on the travel agents here... as you would say here - couldn't organise a farting comp in a downtown curry house!) I get there and find that I need to have my passport to finalise my ticket, quickly remember that my passport isn't at home, rather waiting for me to pick it up at the Burma Embassy! Ok, not probs... get in a CNG (tuk tuk), go to the embassy, pick it up and come back and pay for my ticket that is cancelling tomorrow.
No CNG's would go on the meter... so I paid double! A usual 1/2 hour, 10km trip up to the embassy, took well over an hour. Upon arriving at the embassy, I was informed that I had to come back at 4pm, during pick-up hour! Ok, back into the CNG - back home to complete more errons. Four kms into the journey we hit a massive traffic jam, another 20mins and 500m's further and my CNG runs out of gas. With no other CNG's around, it must be quicker to walk... hmmm that's what I thought - somehow the jam clears, but I am committed to walking!
Anyway, walk 5kms back home. Do a few errons... some positives for the day! Get a rickshaw home 2kms, this time make it one km and hit another jam! This time the wallah tells me in broken English "big jam". Ok back on foot. Reach home, but then have to leave to the embassy straight-away in order to beat the post 3:30pm work Ramadan rush home so all the crazed and rushed commuters can break their fasts on time.
Luckily, walk out the front door and hail a CNG straight away. Unluckily this CNG breaks down within 1km! Half hour wait and we get a push start from another CNG... fingers crossed. Again, "big jam" was ahead of us. Did the trip in 50 min after the push-start. Off to the embassy, they ask me for money for my passport. But I had paid! After a few heated words, the guy that i paid came out and sorted it for me. Ok, last trip back down to home. Surely it cant get worse!
It amazingly did! I fought with others for CNG's and got a extortionated price of 100 taka, a price that a local would never pay to head on my journey. All I cared is that I got a CNG home and the CNG not break down. Fortunately it didn't break down, well at least not for an extended period of time! But the roads were total gridlock... my driver took me through every nook and cranny that he knew! The journey went for ages, I even resorted to napping on the really uncomfortable hard seats, calling my parents... I did everything I thought possible to entertain myself for this time. My frustration levels had burst, I was starting to getting really agitated with the many beggars along the way, how could I explain to them that the multiple CNG drivers for the day had all of my money... I was out of any loose cash!
Anyway, I finished the day with a triumph. The CNG driver had started the trip with a fresh meter and amazingly in our 2 hour trip home (which inc over an hour of stationary waiting) the meter had made it over the 100 taka we had agreed on!
But unfortunately still no ticket to Delhi! I have achieved nothing but to sit in multiple CNGs for a day!
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