My Taxi Ride to Bhagavan's
Since I was arriving alone in the middle of the night, I not only wanted to be assured that there would be a taxi driver waiting for me, but one that met my specific needs. I wanted a driver who had an air conditioned cab (always important in southern India), one who spoke English (and spoke it well), and who already knew how to get to Bhagavan's ashram because I certainly couldn't direct him. All this necessitated that I call ahead and make a reservation.
I'd been given the names of several reputable people to call, but with all the things I needed to do in preparation for a two week trip, I'd put this off until the last minute. And I do mean the last minute--like 11:00 PM the night before I was to leave. Definitely not the thing to do!
I have a friend in Brazil whom I periodically call to talk to, so with that, and all the International traveling I've done, I know what's involved in making an International phone call. It's not like calling next door, or even calling anywhere in the United States. It can be quite an experience in itself.
When I call my friend in Brazil it can sometimes take several DAYS to get through, not just several attempts. Then when I finally get through, whomever answers the phone doesn't always speak English, whether it's a Brazilian operator, a recording in Portuguese (yes, Portuguese is Brazil's national language), or if the call actually goes all the way through--my friend's non-English speaking housekeeper. Each International call has always been an adventure for me, and my call to India was no different.
I learned a long time ago not to use my regular long distance carrier for International calls because they charge $2 to $3 a minute, so a good while back I got a calling card from a local superstore-type, wholesale club. I also liked the savings I made using it for long distance calls within the USA. Naturally the first thing I did was check to see what my calling card's International rate was for a call to India. It was 40 cents a minute. Well, that beat $2 a minute, but it still wasn't very good.
I thought I could do better, so I checked several of the "10-10" numbers that served my area. They weren't any better. That's when I hopped on the Internet. A quick web search brought up several companies from which to choose. One by one I perused their offerings. Some looked pretty good at first glance, but with all the hidden fees, monthly charges, taxes, etc., they tacked on, my calling card's 40 cents a minute began to look pretty good. It was getting late, I still had to call India, and time was running out.
Just when I was about to give up, I found one that seemed head and shoulders above the others. Their International long distance rate to India was 15 cents a minute AND their US domestic calling rate was only 1.9 cents with NO added charges. I thought there must be a catch, it was just too good, so I read and read. I read their entire website and all the fine print, and couldn't find anything wrong. There were no contracts, no add-ons, no hidden charges, and you didn't have to switch carriers. You could apply online and have access immediately.
That's exactly what I did, right then and there, and made my call to India for 15 cents a minute. Did I get through the first time? Nooooo, (but it had nothing to do with my new, cheap, telephone call service), I think I just have International call karma. :>) I was still calling the next day, and finally made the reservation just before I had to leave for the airport.
Two days later when I arrived in India, I happily rode to Bhagavan's in my air conditioned taxi, with my English speaking driver, who knew exactly how to get to Golden City.
I've been using this telephone service exclusively for six months now and still love it. I found it here.
posted by P. J. at 3:25 PM
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