Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Taxi drivers, for me, are a reliable indicator of the type of place you are in … right from the offset.
It’s a little test of mine, which works particularly well when catching a taxi from whichever airport you have just landed in. After all, first impressions do count.
The tiresome bartering of taxi fares can often err on the side of ridiculous in some places. Yes, I know I’m a foreigner in a strange land but I’m not stupid! Then there’s the case of anxiously clocking the taxi meter that seems to have doubled as soon as I look out of the car window. And, I’m looking out the window wondering if I’m actually being driven to my destination or about to be kidnapped and held for ransom.
You may scoff but indeed, on one occasion, I have been pulled over, whilst in a taxi, by some idiots waving a gun and demanding my handbag … not one of my fondest memories. On a lighter note, the husband once had a karaoke-singing taxi driver that thought it was acceptable to stroke his thigh, as you can imagine that journey came to an abrupt end!
Last night, though, I was arriving back in Bahrain and I happily headed towards the taxi queue because here I can travel by taxi alone without any hesitation.
Also, nowadays there’s no haggling over the fare because the journey is placed on a meter that works correctly with friendly drivers guaranteed. Before I was barely through the exit doors of arrivals with my heavy luggage, a smiling Kareem was jumping out of his taxi to help me. It’s good to be back.
