After collecting my luggage at Mumbai International Airport, I headed to the prepaid taxi counter and showed them the hotel information for Amma’s Hotel. The staff checked the details, charged me 472 rupees (which I paid by credit card), and directed me to my assigned taxi.
Upon reaching the taxi, I realized that the driver did not speak any English—only Hindi. Since I don’t speak Hindi, communication was difficult from the start. Even early on, I didn’t like his attitude; he was arrogant and dismissive. Still, I intended to tip him and thank him once I arrived at the hotel.
As we drove, he kept asking me something, and I gave him the hotel details I had. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a local phone to use Google Maps. After some time, he suddenly stopped at an unknown location and insisted that I provide the hotel’s phone number. That’s when I realized that Expedia had not included the phone number or even the door number in the booking details.
Instead of trying to check Google Maps on his phone, he just sat there, unwilling to proceed. Perhaps it was because he didn’t understand English, but he made no effort to find a solution. He had stopped near a Tata showroom, and at that moment, it was around 1:00 AM. The streets were deserted, and there was no one to ask for directions.
Luckily, I spotted a man and his daughter nearby and asked if they knew the hotel. They were incredibly helpful and spoke to the driver in Hindi, trying to guide him. However, he refused to listen to them. The daughter even found a phone number for the hotel and gave it to him, but no one answered the call.
At that point, I had lost all patience. I told him I would find the hotel myself, took my bags out of the cab, and walked away without saying a word of thanks or goodbye.
I then flagged down an auto-rickshaw and showed the driver the hotel information. He acted as if he knew exactly where it was and said the fare would be 200 rupees. I agreed.
To my disappointment, he actually had no clue where the hotel was. He drove around aimlessly, stopping to ask for directions multiple times. In the end, he brought me back to the same spot where I had first rented the auto!
Fortunately, he didn’t stop there. He continued driving just a little further, and within a few meters of where I had originally left the taxi, I saw a large sign that read Hotel Amma’s Palace. It was the right place all along!
He dropped me off at the entrance and, despite his mistake, charged me 300 rupees—100 more than he had initially asked for.
In the end, if the arrogant taxi driver had simply driven a few meters straight, I would have reached my hotel on time without all the hassle. Instead, I ended up wasting time, dealing with unnecessary frustration, and spending an extra 300 rupees on an auto ride that should never have been needed.
Lesson learned:
- Always carry the hotel’s exact address, including the door number, in both English and the local language.
- If possible, have access to Google Maps on a local phone to avoid unnecessary detours.
- Sometimes, you’re just a few meters away from your destination—but without the right guidance, you might end up going in circles. Just like in Think and Grow Rich, where someone missed gold by a few feet, I missed my hotel by just a few meters and paid the price in time, money, and frustration.
- Trust your instincts—if a driver seems unhelpful from the start, it’s best to find another option.