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So gents, I'm in a cab right now heading down to dubai for the day. Gonna run some errands and hit the mall.
Anyway, thought I would take this opportunity to tap out another email update for your friday easy reading.
The topic today, which I know I've covered before, is cabs (sorry).
So, I have yet to buy a car here and frankly, I really have no motivation or incentive to. I literally cab it everywhere I go. The cabs are cheap. It's about a CDN$4.00 dollar cab ride to my work (that's about the cost of parking for the day if I had a car). Plus, I'm too lazy to drive.
The cab service is the most efficient thing about this place (nothing is effin efficient here, trust me). There are a bazzillion cabs and I call for one in the morning and it's at my place in 5 mins.
Anywho, I've had whole lots of different experiences in cabs and made some observations, which I thought I'd share with you guys. They are set out below:
1) The thing here is that local men here generally sit in the front seat beside the driver. Dunno why that is. I suspect it's based on the idea that local women are supposed to sit in the back, and men in the front. I think the locals think that sitting in the back is subordinate somehow..it's like calling shotgun in the cab. I thought that was interesting. Anyway, I always sit in the back.
(Note that in Saudi Arabia, women aren't even allowed to take cabs without a male family member with them..but that's a topic for another day.)
2) As soon as you call for a cab and the system books one, the cabbie gets your cell number and you get his. I always thought this was interesting as you guys know, this would NEVER EVER FLY in Canada. Noooo way would folks allow for some cabbie to have their cell. Neh enh. But it makes sense here. Makes it real easy for me to call up the cabbie, and ask where the heck he is.
3) Cabbies here are mostly either, Indian, Pakistani or other middle eastern nationality. I once had an Egyptian cabbie that was real animated and funny and he started going into his views on Indian and Pakistani drivers. He went on to imitate them for me.."Indians he said drive like this". He then put both hands on the top of the wheel, leaned in and pushed his face up against the windshield and proceeded to drive, break and start, break and start, break and break.. Guess they're the nervous nellie type drivers. He said that in his company, the most accidents were caused by Indian drivers.
He then said, "this is how Pakistani's drive". He then leaned back, pressed down on the peddle and GUNNED it, then swerved into the next lane then sped past this truck and swerved back and gunned it again. The difference too me was interesting. I thought this must have something to do with the problems between those two countries.
In fact, when I mentioned in an earlier email, that some of the cab drivers I've had, have 'insanity in their eyes', I was actually referring to some of the Pakistani drivers. Seriously, I'm not being racist. Those are just some of the ones I've encountered. I'm actually convinced some of the Pakistani drivers I've had are ex-Taliban. I'm pretty sure that I had one the other day who had a picture of himself taped on the dashboard..of him back home...holding a rocket launcher.
Was interesting actually. Had a Pakistani driver the other day, and when we were at the lights, this guy gets out of his truck (he was wearing the traditional Pakistani long white collared shirt that goes down past the knees) and comes up to my driver's window and starts asking my driver directions in Pakistani. They're talking for like 2 mins super fast in Pakistani. All I hear though, interspersed throughout their convo, is blah blah blah, "left!" blah blah "Left!!" Blah blah blah "Right!" "Left! Right! Right! blah blah "left!"
I thought, hmmm, I guess there's no words for left and right in Pakistani.
Then, at the very end as the guy was about to get back into his truck, he yells out "Thank you!" And, my driver is like "you welcome!". I was like wtf?!? No words for thank you and you're welcome in Pakistani???
My cabbie right now is this dude from Nepal. A real gentleman. He drove me last week, so I called him to drive me again. Real nice dutiful type. Way too smart to be a cabbie (as so many I've dealt with are).
Anyway, like in Toronto, the cabbies here have their names and pictures on their licenses.
My cabbie the other night was named, Mo-boob (not lying).
I concurred with his name.
:O)
Have a great weekend gents!
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