Taxis

So, riding in taxis is a whole new adventure living here, especially as a woman in this part of the world. I didn't even take a cab by myself for the first few weeks we lived here. However, I'm a big girl and therefore had to take the plunge. Drivers frequently want to know where I'm from, if I'm married, why I live here, etc. For the most part, taking cabs if fairly non-eventful, but I just thought I'd share a few stories that I find quite amuzing (didn't so much at the time).

I was leaving the mall and expecting to have a hard time getting a cab that day. I saw one pull up as soon as I walked out the door. The driver was a young guy, which would usually mean I would just wait for another one (young guys tend to be more trouble). However, I didn't feel like standing in the cold, so I got in. I think I had been in the car about 5 mintues when he reached into the glove compartment, grabbed his cologne and sprayed it on himself! Haha! Well, the best part is that because it was Thursday (hard to find cabs). John was waiting for me outside our house when I got there so that he could take my cab to the office! Haha! When I got out, before John got in, I told him to make sure the driver knew that he was my husband. ;)

Just this past week, I was riding in a cab with a guy who didn't know how to get where I wanted to go (very unusual). I gave directions as I could, and he stopped several times to ask for directions (very unmanly of him). We drove through a part of town with a lot of policmen. One of them pulled him over and asked for his license and registration. When he explained that it wasn't his car, the policman asked him to get out of the car and come with him. Well, I was not interested in seeing what happened next. I through some money in his seat and got out of there!

Okay, so this one's my favorite: the weather was crazy. In one cab ride, I had seen strong wind, rain, and hail! My driver was really nice, but a little clueless. He didn't talk to me or look at me in the rear view mirror (which is always a good sign). At one point, I talked to my friend on my cell. He heard me speaking English, so he asked where I was from. I told him, then he said nothing more. About 5 minutes later he asked my name. Normally, I would never give it, but he had been so nice, so I told him. He didn't say another word the rest of the ride. Then, after I paid him and was getting out of the cab he said, in English "I love you, Angela." Haha! Lucky for him I had already him and was out of the cab or he wouldn't have gotten paid, and I would've had to shame him!