How bad can it be, thinks Sandra Almeida-Thevar as she takes a cab to work; she finds out soon enough
Considering that I am a true-blue Mumbaikar, with a notoriously short-term memory and eternal optimism, I decided to take a cab to work. Images on TV of flooded roads notwithstanding, I was sure it could not really be THAT bad. But, only in Mumbai can it take three hours to cover 5 km from Sion to Parel.
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12.45 pm: After wading through shin-high water, I called for an Uber, despite the 2.9x surge pricing.
1.15 pm: The cab arrived, with the driver complaining about ‘too much flooding’ at Pratiksha Nagar. So, we took the back road on to the highway. And then, the fun began.
1.30 pm: We had reached the Everard Nagar bridge. GPS predicted 53 minutes to our destination. Not bad, I thought, I could be at work by 2.30 pm, max.
At 2 pm: We had barely moved a foot. Half-an-hour later, we had covered 200 metres to Sion Circle.
3 pm: We made it on to the King’s Circle bridge. Yay, I thought, and could hear the gods laugh.
3.30 pm: It felt like we were on the world’s slowest baggage carousel. The other side of the flyover was lined with cars that had stalled after navigating the waterlogged Gandhi Market stretch.
4.10 pm: The driver whooped as he got his car safely out of the waterlogged spot.
4.30 pm: Finally at work.
Note to self: Next time, take the bus. Famous last words, I know.
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