Our first night in Delhi was an unfortunate introduction. I had not slept for two nights in a row, and our hotel did not send our driver, forcing us to use a prepaid taxi. A word of advice: don't give anyone your taxi voucher until you've arrived at your intended destination. Our driver was in fact a tout, taking us instead to a "tourist info" center where we were told that there was a "mistake" in our hotel reservation and that without our reservation number we were screwed. But we had already called at the airport to confirm our booking, convincing me that although I watched the guy dial the hotel's number we were in fact talking to someone in a back room. I let the man think we were desperate and willing to do anything, accepting his sales pitch on a tour of the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur) while I considered our actual options. Once he started using underhanded sales (manipulation) techniques, trying to make us afraid and such, I got pissed and walked out.
But at this point, after an exhausting plane ride and the run-around through Pahar Ganj, my fear/paranoia level was indeed rising. I was done with taxis and autorickshaws, so we walked up the next street and found a decent cheap hotel. I wouldn't let my travel partner, our baggage, or our passports out of my sight at this point, so they were completely bewildered by my behavior. In a back alley I insisted walking on foot with one of the hotel workers so that he could photocopy our passports. On the way I explained what had happened and profusely apologized if I had offended in any way. He apologized even more that that was my first impression of India, and did not come across as a smooth operator.
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