Selecting my ride…

19 Jul 2016

I resigned from my banking job sometime in June and was expecting to be relieved by mid July. Well, as luck may have it, my organisation decided to accept my request for an early relieving and let me go on 30th June…the day I had to leave for Austria. I was happy…yahooooooo…finally...I was free to travel for a while…for a long long time! In the past twelve years, never have I left on a vacation without preparing a ‘hand-over email’. But this time was different. I could simply leave. Really? I could simply leave! I may want to say that I felt liberated! While it would be only ten days in Austria, it was still a liberating feeling!

I have the wind in my hair...and my in the air!

I have the wind in my hair…and my feet in the air!

However, the early relieving meant that there was a lot of stuff to do, which landed on my lap suddenly. Let’s not forget, I delay packing until the last moment. It was already time for me to book my Ola Select and head home. I had to make sure I reach home in time to pack for Austria, after having packed my desk and handing over my laptop at office. Well, I did manage all the office formalities… and it was finally time to bid good by to my place of work. With my desk ‘packed’ into a tiny backpack, I stepped out into the world…free! Was it ok to feel that way, I wondered? After all I have been a banker for 12 years now! I digress…it was time to head home. The Austrian sojourn was just around the corner.

Is that what freedom looks like?

Those who have been to Mumbai in monsoons know what it is like to find a cab during peak office hours, when the sky has opened its doors and windows! Ankur was on his way to pick me up, but the crazy Mumbai traffic had delayed him longer than expected. I guess it was time to head home in a cab.

Thank God for the monsoons…but the rains in Mumbai make the city go crazy!

I typically don’t enjoy cab rides in the monsoons…the black and yellow cabs in particular. The seats are wet. The floor is muddy. There are high chances that the windows don’t roll up and one is forced to take a shower, regardless of one’s wish. It was time to swipe my finger on the smart phone and call an Ola. Actually, I had given myself a little gift and spent some money to enlist in the Ola Select membership.

Time to head home….

The service works very well for frequent travellers like us as it provides access to the airport lounge as well. I might just be able to give it a trial run at the airport later in the night. As I booked my cab, I crossed my fingers and hoped that I get an upgrade…and voila…I did…along with a box of donuts!

Yummy!

Everyone seemed to be celebrating ‘Freedom, at last!’ along with me. I was amongst the first few enlisters for Ola Select and hence, received the complimentary box of donuts. I still have my fingers crossed as Ola Select customers get privileged partner offers for various products and services, including IPL passes and pre launch cell phone models. I might get lucky again!

As I chomped merrily on the donuts, I typed out our Austria itinerary on my phone and shared it on the blog as well using the auto connect WiFi on my ride. Obviously, you (our valued readers) need to know where we are gallivanting! As I reached home, on a sugar high, I was surprised to see that my cab ride had cost me an amount much lesser than expected as I was not charged sky high peak pricing, regardless of the peak hours. It surely was a good day!