20 Apr 2010 – Not Hell…
Arrived in SIN 19 Apr 0100hrs and my punishment was that I did not have the correct change for the taxi-fares. First the sights & grunts when he heard my destination (app 15mins from the airport), then driving like there is no tomorrow, with one hand on his mobile and his obnoxious loud voice shouting… all the signs were there to expect the worst! The meter flashed S$8.20 at journey’s end and since it was after mid-night, am very well aware of the surcharges but not that much. Trying to pull a fast one by telling me that the fares was S$22 got me to question him.
Frustrated, he realised that I am not that gullible and a S$50 note triggered the devil out, cursing me left and right since he could not make change. Told him to wait as there is a 7-11 around the corner. Explained the situation to a kind young man who made change and he told me to take note of the taxi number. Paid S$16.20 to get cursed up and down again. Thoughts of asking for a receipt but then I do cherish my life… the lunatic was so angry that he nearly hit another car on his way out after I unloaded my own luggage. Was initially tired but could not sleep until after I wrote the complain to the company. If I get stalked or beaten up, the culprit is a middle-age Chinese taxi driver/SHB 8952U who drove me from the Budget Terminal to Marine Crescent on 19 Apr 0100hrs…
Prefers the BMW/Bus-MRT-Walk most times but sadly not available after midnight. Would have walked if I had no check-in bag. Have encountered enough of rude SIN taxi drivers, but this one tops the list. Welcome to SIN and to their courtesy & smiling campaigns! To use the phrase, Taxi Driver from Hell will be an insult to Hell in Norway and might also be an insult to the other hell!
Hell is located in Lånke/Stjørdal/Nord-Trøndelag/Norway- about 352 people live in the center of Hell but the whole village’s population is app 1,500. Been thru’ Hell many times in the 1970s en-route from Oslo to Tromsø for summer jobs during college days from Dublin. Due to it’s name, Hell has become a minor tourist attraction. The station sign reads Gods-expedition, an old spelling of the Norwegian word for cargo handling=godsekspedisjon would be the current spelling. The name Hell stems from the Old Norse word hellir=overhang or cliff cave. The Norwegian word hell=luck. The Old Norse word Hel is the same as today’s English Hell, as a proper noun. In modern Norwegian the word helvete=hell and god=gud.
Looking forward to be at Storlidalen in Trollheimen, Trøndelag area this Aug for god-daughter, Guri’s wedding… pray no more volcano’s fury! Hope to get some hiking in the mountains. Might make a visit to Hell again 🙂
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell – Buddha