Murthy haggles with the auto-ric driver

We were scheduled to board the bus from Ahmadebad to Udaipur at 11:30 PM, so we had this auto-ric driver transport us from the hotel to the bus stop at 10:30 PM. The fare was 300 rupees, which Murthy paid. This did not make the driver happy. At this late hour, he argued, the 150 percent rule kicks in, which would make it 450 rupees.

No, Murthy told him, he knew for a fact that in Ahmadebad, the 150 percent rule did not kick in until after 11:00 PM. 

This caused the driver to put on a wronged face.

After a sufficient pout, the driver sprung back to life, arguing for the 150 percent fare.

"No! No! No!" Murthy argued.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" the driver demanded.

"Twenty more rupees then," the driver sought a grand compromise. "Just 20 more rupees!"

Murthy agreed. He paid him 20 more rupees.

Our bus did not arrive until 1:00 AM. We boarded and then had to sit in stifling heat for what felt like another hour as we listened to the sound of wrenches and hammers as some kind of repair was made.

Once we got going and air started moving through the bus, it was okay, the seat surprisingly comfortable, good for napping. I had an incredible, realistic, dream that I wish could have been real, but it was just a dream.

We arrived in Udaipur shortly after sunrise, so everything is good.