I am a master in India

Chapter 12 Dangdang is different

After leaving Victoria Station, the heat wave and scorching sun made Henry and his wife subconsciously raise their hands to shield their eyes.

“God, Mumbai is hotter than I thought.”

"We have to hurry to the hotel we booked."

The humid and stuffy heat made Anna very uncomfortable. She urgently needed to take a hot bath and give her sticky skin a SPA.

"According to the map, the hotel is about 5 kilometers from here."

"Then let's go quickly. I can't wait any longer."

The two of them were carrying their luggage and preparing to take a taxi, but just as they walked out of the train station gate, a large group of people surrounded them.

They didn't care whether Henry and Anna were willing or not, and started pulling their luggage in a hurry.

The two kept refusing, while trying their best to get rid of their entanglement.

But there were too many people, and a slowly moving human wall formed around them.

Some were taxi drivers soliciting passengers, while others were holding a handful of rupees and wanting to exchange foreign currency with them.

Without exception, they all spoke broken English, which was like a foreign language to Henry and his wife from France.

Finally, I found someone who spoke English coherently, but unfortunately he was the hotel agent.

"NO, NO, we don't need it, thank you!"

Henry pulled Anna out of the crowd with great difficulty. He knew that places like train stations were always a mixed crowd, with the most scammers and thieves.

Before coming, they had read the guide from "Lonely Planet", so when encountering such a situation, they just had to pretend to be zombies and keep going.

However, the two underestimated the determination of the three brothers to take advantage of the situation. Even though they walked hundreds of meters away, there were always a few people following behind them.

"Mundy! Daole, Ruby, 1:19!"

They understood that the vendor was exchanging foreign currency.

"That seems to be a bit higher than the official exchange rate."

"I heard from other backpackers that this kind of private exchange is more cost-effective than the official one."

"Shall we change?"

Lured by the high exchange rate, Henry and his friends exchanged 2000 rupees in change from a dark-skinned third brother.

After counting the bills, they determined based on past experience that the transaction saved them about $6.

"The extra money, I think, will be just enough for us to take a taxi to the hotel."

"good idea!"

They did it right away. They hailed a taxi with a yellow roof and black sides and started bargaining with the driver.

“How much does it cost to get to Khajuhora?”

“200 rupees!”

"40!"

"OK!" The driver waved his hand and motioned them to get in the car.

After putting away their luggage, Henry and Anna had just sat down in the back seat when suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere and swaggered into the passenger seat.

"Who is he?" Henry asked worriedly.

"My brother is going back to the city."

Henry didn't know whether the story was true or not, and the driver didn't give them time to think. He stepped on the accelerator and sped away.

On the crowded streets of Mumbai, drivers spend most of their time honking their horns. If a pedestrian or a cow suddenly appears in front of them, not only do they not brake, but they honk even more fiercely.

As they said, "If we brake and wait for them to pass, we won't get to the hotel before dark."

The driver "brother" sitting in the front seat was very active in finding conversation.

"Which hotel are you going to?"

"Khajuhora."

"Oh! That hotel has burned down!"

"When did it happen?!" Henry was shocked.

"It's been a long time, like last year. I know a hotel that's better than that one. Do you want me to take you there?"

Henry and Anna looked at each other and shook their heads cautiously, "No, we plan to go to the original hotel first."

The car was quiet for a while, but when they were almost at the destination, the driver confirmed with an ambiguous expression.

"We just agreed on 200 rupees, right?"

"No, 40 rupees!" Henry took out a note with the price written on it and handed it over.

He was well prepared, as countless scammed veterans had told him that after negotiating a price with an Indian driver, he had to write it down on paper so that they wouldn't default on the payment.

Sure enough, the driver stopped talking, and his "brother" didn't get involved either.

When the taxi stopped at the place, Henry looked up and saw that the hotel was still there.
Humph! Cunning Indians.

At this time, the driver in front had turned his head and stretched out his hand.

"Here's the money. 80 rupees."

"But we just agreed on 40 rupees!" Henry took out the paper angrily again.

"Yes, 40 rupees. 40 rupees for one person, 80 rupees for two people."

“What The Fa*k?!”

Henry was not ready to compromise. He wanted to reason with this untrustworthy driver. But Anna stopped him and said, "Honey, let's get out of the car quickly."

Henry glanced over and saw that Anna's face looked strange. Looking closer, he saw the driver's "brother" in the front seat staring at them fiercely.

For a moment Henry suspected that if they did not agree to the price, the two men in front would suddenly attack.

The result was naturally that he had to pay the money obediently. Henry didn't dare to act recklessly in a foreign country.

After getting off the car, both of them, who were pulling their luggage, looked a little dejected.

It is obvious that they have already made travel guides, traveled to many other countries, and are even well-known travel journalists.

But on the first day of arriving in Mumbai, I was scammed twice in the short 5 kilometers from the train station to the hotel.

This is outrageous. Where are the supposedly peaceful Indians?

"At least we made it to the hotel safely."

Henry shrugged optimistically, then took Anna to the front desk to register.

However, their trip was not destined to be smooth sailing, as the hotel receptionist told them some unfortunate news.

"The room you reserved has been moved."

"What! We didn't receive any notification?"

"I don't know, but it says so on the registration form."

"I'm looking for your manager."

"He didn't go to work today."

"God, tell me you have another plan!"

With a click, the receptionist placed the information that had been prepared long ago in front of them.

"We can now transfer you to another superior suite, but you will need to pay the difference of 1000 rupees."

The veins on Henry's forehead were bulging. The room they originally booked cost 1000 rupees, but now it has doubled.

He was very angry, but when he saw Anna, who was exhausted beside him, he finally gritted his teeth and took out the money.

"I'm sorry sir, we don't accept this rupee."

"why?"

“Because it’s not real.”

Henry's face turned pale, he had a bad feeling.

He hurriedly took out all the money he had just changed, and then tentatively handed over another 500-rupee note.

The receptionist still shook her head expressionlessly.

Henry was desperate.

Shit! They got scammed!

Of the 2000 rupees I just exchanged, 1000 were counterfeit!

"I knew it..." Henry was still brooding over this matter until he entered the room.

The only consolation was that they could finally take a hot bath.

However, this room is still a bit imperfect. It is missing a pair of slippers, the types of towels in the bathroom are not complete, and there is a missing set of cups, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Forget it, let it be what it is. The two people who are exhausted physically and mentally are too lazy to care about these things.

After taking a shower, they went out to eat something in the afternoon and then prepared to take a nap.

But there were too many mosquitoes in the middle of the night, and after being bitten countless times, Henry finally decided to go to the front desk for help.

There are many ways to repel mosquitoes. Hotels have incense and insecticides, but they cost extra.

Finally, after paying 100 rupees in various fees, Henry finally got a plate of moldy incense.

"Damn it, we're moving out tomorrow. Everyone in this hotel is a liar!"

Anna agreed deeply, and early the next morning, they packed their things and prepared to check out.

However, before leaving, the front desk said they needed to check the items in the room first.

So all the missing slippers, towels, cups, etc. were blamed on them.

"You're blackmailing us! These things weren't there when we checked in!"

"Then why didn't you tell me? The hotel assumes that every room is fully furnished before use.

Oh, and there's a TV. We just checked and found that the TV in your room is broken, so we need to pay an additional 2 rupees for repairs."

Henry: OOO
Anna: T_T
...

Henry and his friends finally checked out, but the 23000 rupees they had were all gone.

As they dragged their luggage away, there was no light in their eyes anymore.

Damn, India is a toxic country!

"Dear, we have to change our plans. We need a reliable guide."

"But I think the people in this country are unreliable. This is a country made up of scammers."

"No, there's one more!"

Anna and Henry looked at each other and thought of someone.

(End of this chapter)