BIG SCARE IN MADRAS, INDIA

When the plane touched down in Madras, I had been traveling in South Asia for almost a month. I was feeling rather blue due to the long time from home. So I decided that I would quickly check the local newspaper to see if there was an English-language movie playing. I saw that there was a Jerry Lewis movie, so I hopped into a cab and headed for the theater. As we neared the theater, the driver offered to wait for me, but I refused rather impatiently.

We were on the waterfront area, so I thought that maybe I should sit close to the door so as to be the first one out to catch a cab. I enjoyed the movie, but as soon as it ended I bolted out of the theater to find that there were no cabs. Everyone emptied the theater in a couple of minutes and headed around the side of the theater to their vehicles. In a few minutes everyone was gone and I was standing alone in an empty parking area.

Finally I looked down a street away from the waterfront and saw some cars crossing about 6 or 7 blocks ahead. So I walked rapidly toward the street in almost total darkness---there were no street or residence lights. Occasionally I would hear noises coming from the buildings along the way, which I ignored, and walked faster. When I got to the street , there were no cars to be seen.

Then I saw a theater marquee another couple of blocks away. When I walked in front of the theater, it seemed that it was an Indian movie. There was a bicycle rickshaw standing there, with the driver talking to a person. I leapt up into the seat, and he asked me where I wanted to go. Since I had only a few rupees and was sure that it wasn't enough to go across town to the hotel, I wracked my brain and came up with the train station.

So he wheeled away up a narrow alley. A thought came to me that maybe he was taking me into a trap, where I would be robbed and beaten up. I prayed for deliverance, while deciding if I would fight, run or give anything I had. After about ten minutes the alley opened up into a plaza that held the huge train station. I jumped out of the rickshaw and gave him half of the few rupees in my pocket.

Then I looked around the plaza that was filled with people sleeping on the ground. Finally I found a taxi whose driver was asleep, woke him up, and told to take me to the Connemara Hotel. I was surprised that he accepted the few rupees I had for the fare. Whew! What a hair raising adventure.