I worked with ER #2 again today and he is definitely
emergency oriented. When talking about
my differential diagnoses, he ALWAYS mentioned the most serious option
FIRST. These guys just aren’t focused on
primary care. They do a good job
anyway. I know ER #1 was impressed with
J’s family medicine approach. The day
seemed to be filled with ordering labs and patients with gastrointestinal worms
(maybe I should stop brushing my teeth with the water here…).
We made it out of the clinic exactly on time so J,
L , and I took a taxi to West End for some real food. Not being able to cook in our apartment
really limits our options. Plus, we
forgot to sign up for the weekly hydroponic (look it up) lettuce handout. It was SO great to be out enjoying each
other’s company over a delicious meal instead of kicking it, back at Ed’s.
Getting home was entertaining. Felt bad for J who was out of the loop since
she doesn’t speak Spanish, but I was having a good time. So we only paid $1 each to get to West End from
Sandy Bay (where the clinic is and where we live) so naturally you would expect
to pay the same price on the way back.
Apparently the taxis charge more during the night so all the taxis I was
hailing wanted to charge $1.50 each.
Heck with that (or so I thought at the time). It was dark on the way there so why should it
cost more when it’s STILL dark? Well,
after talking with at least 5 different taxis, no one was budging. The first cab driver I spoke with was just
sitting across the street pointing out the next taxi, watching me flag it down,
failing to agree on the $1 return fair, thus proving his point and enjoying
every minute of it. Finally, I
grudgingly said he could take us for the $1.50 each. After the 3 of us piled in the back and
another passenger got in the front, our cab driver asked the passenger to scoot
his seat up so I’d have more room in the back (yes, I am a tall lady). After he scooted forward, the cab driver
asked if that was better and I replied it would be better if he only charged us
$1 each. He gave a good chuckle in response. I decided to have some fun with the
situation. And THAT’S why I love
traveling. I love to joke around with
the locals – taxi drivers, waiters, and people selling their souvenirs made in
China (ok, Guatemala maybe). That way,
they laugh, have fun and cut me a deal.
It’s a brilliant strategy. Works
every time! But not this time…
Most people on the island know Nurse Peggy so I
even told our driver that she had told us not to pay more than $1 each. “Well she doesn’t know the prices then.” Of course she does. On the way back to Sandy Bay, the cab driver
and I got into a discussion about the usual prices - $1 during the day and
$1.50 at night. So then I asked why we
only paid $1 at night to GET to West End?
“Because some cab drivers don’t know the prices.” I asked how could that be? “Because they are ‘new’ on the island.” Ha, yeah right. Good one sir.
I had to laugh at that. So then I
told him I’d just have to seek out the “new” drivers then. L had a good laugh at that. Poor J, had no idea what was going on. I was done by that point. This guy was no fun, way too serious. And what a waste, half my post ended up about
him…
Cab Driver 2 points, Kristina 0 points.
No comments:
Post a Comment