5 o’clock up and ready for taxi to airport. Road is empty and 35kms takes barely 30 minutes. Rather be waiting at the airport. Security check in very slow. Supposed to be an international airport but only two scanners and the operator on one is barely awake! Find a proper coffee bar and partake of American and large muffin. Plane takes off on time and lands ditto.
Prepaid taxi has no idea where hotel is and. drives around for ages asking people. One bloke he asks tells me it is only 5 minutes walk away! Point out I’m in a taxi.
It’s air-conditioned in the lobby and booked in without any trouble. Rooms a bit scruffy but clean and only two nights. WiFi is very good.
A tuktuk takes me to nearby Juhu beach which is long and open sand. Being Saturday there are lots of families out. No swimming costumes but some are frolicking in the water still dressed.
Walking North it soon becomes deserted though there is a couple of beach cafes where I get a drink and sit and read for a while.
Getting back is a struggle. Quite a few won’t even consider going to Vile Parle and others want two or three times the rate. I don’t mind paying 20 or 30 over the odds for being white but when they say 200 instead of 60 I get fed up.
There is an Ibis 5 minutes walk from the hotel so I take the easy option. Apart from the prices it’s OK, and chicken soft noodles is actually very tasty. And when the bill comes the young waiter has given me a 25% discount!
I had considered staying there but even with the Accord membership it was still more expensive than in England so I didn’t bother.
I have been able to check in and print boarding card which suggests mine is not one of their cancelled flights. Still looking like they are going down the pan this year.
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