Beginner's Luck ?

“When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you realize your dream”

- Paul Coelho (The Alchemist) and Shah Rukh Khan (Om Shanti Om)

Maybe it was beginner’s luck. Maybe it was the whole universe conspiring to help us out, as stated by the Great Khan. Or maybe it was a case of having extremely low opinions to begin with. Whatever the reason, there were a few pleasant surprises that came early on in our return to India. So let’s start on a happy note and talk about these:

(1) The Airport: When I landed at the Delhi airport 1.5 years back, the first thing I noticed was a strong smell of piss (No – I am not kidding). The second thing that left a mark was a barrage of cab-wallahs - all trying to get me in their particular auto/cab. The third thing that struck me was a complete lack of decent snacking facilities.

Not this time. The airport is pretty clean and slick these days. Also, there are some really practical facilities that put most US airports to shame. Case in point – laptop stations where you can station your laptop and work. Another one – free-for-use chargers for mobile phones, neatly arranged by manufacturer. Another – free wi-fi. To sum it up, while waiting in the terminal area, you can work on your laptop while charging your phone.

As soon as you step out, there’s something that is extremely conspicuous by its absence - it’s the complete lack of taxidrivers pushing and pulling you. Not a single person will solicit you! If you want a cab ride, there’s a pre-paid stall both inside the terminal and outside. All cabs are air-conditioned, and the driver will not talk over the cellphone all the time (remember the desi/paki cabbies in the US?)

Finally, there are some decent restaurants (“Street Foods of India” isn’t too bad), both inside and outside the terminal. So if you must have that chaat that you’ve been craving for all the time in the US, you can satisfy your taste buds before even leaving the airport. And much to my surprise, the McDonald's inside the domestic terminal was open at 4am, and was serving hot breakfast!

(2) Phone cab services: A few “phone-a-cab” services have sprung up in the major cities. I used Meru cab a few times, and was completely blown away by their service. You talk to them, book your cab, they give you a confirmation number. Then, 30 minutes before your pickup time, you get an SMS with the phone number of the driver and the cab’s license plate number. Your cab usually arrives 5-10 minutes before your pick up time. All cabs are air-conditioned, have an untampered digital odometer, and have a set Rs/km fare (15 Rs per km.). Everything works like it should, and the whole setup is pretty reliable (I tested it at 3:30 am for an early morning flight).

(3) Transportation: NH-8. MG Road. Ring Road. Metro. Looks like the NCR area has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Most cars drive at 80-100 km/h on NH-8 between Gurgaon and Delhi (except for high traffic times). Roads are well maintained, and potholes are rarely found (Yes, you still come across a few cows every now and then).

But why take the road, when you can hop on the Metro. It is quick, is probably safer, is pretty comfortable, and damn cheap (A 30 minute ride cost me Rs. 16 or about $0.35. No wonder it’s been such a big hit among Delhiites. I’ve taken the metro a few times, and look forward to doing it again - feels like such an upgrade from the rickety CTA trains of Chicago. Having said that, I must add that the metro gets extremely crowded during peak hours and the system capacity is probably way below the demand. But it's a phenomenal start. Overall, I have been fairly impressed by the transportation in the NCR area, though good quality public transportation is still not close to the standards in the western world. But the metro system is changing things very quickly.


So that’s it for now. All lists must have three points, and I’m done with the three for this list :) Hopefully some of this is new for people reading the blog. By the way, if things sound too sugar-coated / too-good-to-be-true, wait for the next entry. Beginner's luck doesn't last forever!