When we first moved here, I loved the thrill of bartering with auto-rickshaw drivers. It was fun to get our feet wet and try to learn how to do it. Quickly, though, the novelty of it wore off and I found myself dreading the bartering process and hoping that the driver would just agree with our first price and we could move on. However, after some careful reflection, I have come to a new appreciation of the back-and-forth that must happen between a passenger and a driver. In fact, it is critical to ensuring a quality, safe and fair auto experience. You see, if you tell a driver where you want to go and he immediately agrees on the price without arguing with you:
2) He doesn't actually know the location you are talking about and therefore you will get lost
3) You offered to pay way too much and therefore you will be overspending
4) He's had 'one too many' and therefore you might die
All of these possibilities don't bode well for the passenger. Once I realized that lack of bartering was simply a short-term gain with some serious long-term set-backs--I now deeply appreciate a driver who wants to dicker with me. It means the opposite of the above four, which is exactly what I want in a driver.
Bring on the bartering!
3 comments:
...and I've watched you do it! Love you baby, dad
when I was there last year I thought it was awesome watching the interactions of the auto driver,I dont know if it helped with taking there picture, but they did smile.
Love your blog...i can relate to so much of it living in Pakistan! Have also found this to be true here...bartering means more than getting a good price!
Post a Comment