Uber in India?! Well, sort of. On hearing that Uber had come to Ahmedabad we were ecstatic. One of our greatest challenges staying here two years ago was dealing with transportation issues. Now we could go anywhere in the city, explore new restaurants and be more social.

Traveling by rickshaw is at best a frustrating experience. First the haggling about the price, then the invariable blank stares when you give the destination, and last but not least, the blasting of diesel fumes in your face. Our 95 rated face masks were packed and ready for use, but now we wouldn’t need them. Maybe.

Our second challenge was going anywhere on foot. Crossing the road in India can be a life altering if not life ending, experience. Anyone who has been to Asia knows what I’m talking about. Lanes as well as travel directions are a mere suggestion. Cars, rickshaws, motor scooters, pedestrians and livestock “share” the road. LOOKING RIGHT, LOOKING LEFT (they drive on the right side of the road) WATCH OUT for the speeding moto driver, RUN QUICKLY between the rickshaws, WAIT, that car is going in the wrong direction. I was so freaked out last visit that we only went to the Foundation and back and then stayed holed up in our hotel room.

This time we felt confident that with Uber we could go anywhere cheaply and with ease in a nice air conditioned vehicle. We realized that in India it would not be the same as in the USA or Europe. Nonetheless our expectations were perhaps unrealistically high. Most drivers back home drive part time, in India it is a full time job. In 1993 there were 3,000 cars in Ahmedabad, today there are 300,000. Some drivers own their own cars, others work for fleets. Those that drive for others earn about $150 a month, those who own their own cars can make up to $1800 a month, minus the 20% Uber fee.

It will be your best friend.

This was confirmed by a young Indian woman we met at our first airbnb.

After being happily settled in our modern hotel room we were ready to go out for dinner at Tinello, an Italian restaurant at the Hyatt Regency. Not that I don’t love Indian food, but after three weeks I wanted something different.

I opened up my Uber app and it connected me immediately with three drivers in the area. It would cost 72 rupees (a little over a dollar) and our driver would be Manish , driving a Suzuki Echo. But wait a minute, what’s that in small print at the bottom?

Driver is deaf or hard of hearing.

Nope. Nix that one, it’s hard enough making yourself understood by someone with normal hearing.

Chandraveer would be our driver. As a white Suzuki Maruti pulled into the driveway, things were not looking auspicious. The car was old,dirty,dented and the driver looked like someone out of a gangster movie. We got in anyway. No more than two minutes had passed when we heard a bump, bump bump.

This car has a flat tire, let’s get out.

Gerald grabbed me out of the car and we went back to the hotel to start again. The driver was still flailing his arms trying to get us to wait and get back in the car. The third one was the charm and we arrived ten minutes later at the restaurant.

Subsequent trips have proven to be iffy. Once, while trying to find a major clothing store, Fabindia, the driver became totally lost. His GPS didn’t work, he became flustered and the car smelled like a diseased animal had recently died. We were forced to get out and walk. Even the polluted city air was better than remaining in his car another minute.

Our second problem was graciously solved by the hotel manager, after telling him about our apprehension crossing the road to get to the Foundation in the mornings.

Welcome back, Mr. Huth. We will assign you and Madam one of our bellman as your private escort every day.

Luckily Hindus believe they will live many lives or no one would ever cross the road.