What follows is an approximation of an exchange I had with a taxi driver outside Tashkent airport in Uzbekistan after I had already said no to a dozen other taxi drivers, but these details are almost irrelevant as other travellers on a tight budget will be familiar with all the salient points regardless of the country.
Bus or taxi, you decide
“Taxi”.
“No thanks I am getting the bus”.
“I give you good price”.
“I am getting the bus”.
“I know good guest house”.
“I am getting the bus”.
“Only 12,000 som”.
“I am getting the bus”.
“Where you want to go”.
“I am getting the bus”.
“I have nice car”.
“I am getting the bus, you see that bus stop there, that’s where I am getting the bus”.
“I give you good price”.
“I am getting the bus”.
“Why not take nice taxi”?
“Because, you’re a parasitic leech and it will take ten minutes of hard bargaining to get you down to twice the price a local will pay, to take me to somewhere I don’t want to go, whilst driving like an epileptic gibbon, endangering me, other road users and pedestrians, as you try to offer me other “services”, most of which will undoubtedly involve young women who are prepared to take their clothes off in my presence, so for god’s sake go away I am getting the fucking bus”!
Author’s note: some of the last paragraph may have only occurred in my head.
i’m going to get that printed out on a handy wallet sized card if i go travelling, then i won’t even have to enter the debate, i can just hand it over and get on the bus! thanks! although they probably wouldn’t offer to find me a woman as that’s probably illegal in most of those places.
I dont think they would let any legal matters get in the way. Motorbike taxis in cambodia offered me little girls and crystal meth which I thought best to decline, they would then continue with a list of other services but frankly given the first 2 items on the list I thought it was best to ignore whatever else came after that.