Ni Dieu Ni Maitre

A BAD TRIP (kinda like a bad dream)

Arrived at Guhawati Airport after dark, a very small airport with just 2 halls, Arrivals and Departures. Looking around for an ATM turned out to be useless and asking around revealed that there wasn’t one. I had no rupees. I looked into Departures, and there was a money changer, but the guard at the gate wouldn’t allow me to enter Departures… since I had no proof I was departing… I was told there was an ATM 100 meters down the road, but after lugging my bags there, several people told me that there was no such ATM.

Back to the airport where I convinced a cab driver to take me to the hotel I had booked, and there he would be paid… Finding that hotel took quite a while, as none of the other drivers had never heard of it, and my directions to it were vague. We drove up and down several roads and stopped a half a dozen times, including at an ATM which refused both of my cards. Finally, after nearly an hour, I spotted the tiny hotel with the tiny sign. Indeed, I had booked, but had not prepaid, and since I had no rupees, no room!

The poor cab driver agreed to carry on. I was both mentally and physically exhausted, and waving a $100 bill in front of another half a dozen hotel owners elicited no response. Hours had gone by when he pulled into the dirt parking lot of the Annam Hotel. Several people were standing around talking, including the hotel manager and a young guy holding a hand held card reader. He accepted my card and paid for my 2 nights stay. The manager told me that food and beer would go on a tab, he paid the driver for his valiant efforts and at least this day was finally done.

Morning at the hotel.