Cab Driver
Cab driver, cabbie, taxi driver, hacky, hackman--call them what you will, but the cab driver gets a five star rating from me. I've ridden in cabs all over the world and it's always different and always the same. My favorites are the London cabbies. They're also among the most expensive. They make up for it with their intimate knowledge of every street and alleyway in London and how to evade those troublesome incidents when they occur. My favorite thing about them though, is how they're always ready with a clever story when asked about something along the route.
And then there's the Asian taxi experience, particularly in Bangkok. The company I worked for drilled it into my head to make sure the cabbie always worked on the meter. One evening I got caught in a major monsoon. I hailed a cab and the driver told me the ride would cost me 150 baht. The meter would remain off. This off-the-book arrangement results in a great windfall for the cabbie as he gets to pocket the entire fare. I started to argue with him--he wouldn't budge. He was about drive off when my traveling partner, a short skinny Vietnamese guy who never left the hotel without creased slacks, a well pressed dress shirt, spit shined tassel dress loafers, and a pair of aviator shades, informed me that I was squabbling over $5 U.S. dollars--which we would be splitting. Well that was embarrassing. I gave up the fight, we jumped in the cab, got where we were going, paid the cabbie his fare, and doubled it with a generous tip--I stayed dry and the cabbie's kid got new shoes--a happy ending for all.
Above is Malik Curbjumper who can't figure out why his passengers always need to yack on their cell phones with the speaker on. He hears a lot--he doesn't judge, he doesn't gossip--he just gets you where you're going. A great candidate to have a section of highway dedicated to.
Image imagined MidJourney AI and finished with Topaz Studio 2.0 and Lightroom Classic.
Cab Driver
Cab driver, cabbie, taxi driver, hacky, hackman--call them what you will, but the cab driver gets a five star rating from me. I've ridden in cabs all over the world and it's always different and always the same. My favorites are the London cabbies. They're also among the most expensive. They make up for it with their intimate knowledge of every street and alleyway in London and how to evade those troublesome incidents when they occur. My favorite thing about them though, is how they're always ready with a clever story when asked about something along the route.
And then there's the Asian taxi experience, particularly in Bangkok. The company I worked for drilled it into my head to make sure the cabbie always worked on the meter. One evening I got caught in a major monsoon. I hailed a cab and the driver told me the ride would cost me 150 baht. The meter would remain off. This off-the-book arrangement results in a great windfall for the cabbie as he gets to pocket the entire fare. I started to argue with him--he wouldn't budge. He was about drive off when my traveling partner, a short skinny Vietnamese guy who never left the hotel without creased slacks, a well pressed dress shirt, spit shined tassel dress loafers, and a pair of aviator shades, informed me that I was squabbling over $5 U.S. dollars--which we would be splitting. Well that was embarrassing. I gave up the fight, we jumped in the cab, got where we were going, paid the cabbie his fare, and doubled it with a generous tip--I stayed dry and the cabbie's kid got new shoes--a happy ending for all.
Above is Malik Curbjumper who can't figure out why his passengers always need to yack on their cell phones with the speaker on. He hears a lot--he doesn't judge, he doesn't gossip--he just gets you where you're going. A great candidate to have a section of highway dedicated to.
Image imagined MidJourney AI and finished with Topaz Studio 2.0 and Lightroom Classic.