Taxi Experience in Quito

By Robin Fillner – SALUD Program Guest blogger traveling in Quito.
Aloha again, Robin here. I just had the most weird experience with a taxi driver. To start, my friends from the school and I were going to go out salsa dancing. After school I went out and bought some shoes to salsa in because I only brought some tennis shoes. I was so excited to dance, especially because the SALUD group had salsa lessons at school today. I got ready to go out at my house and had mi madre de casa call for a taxi. The driver arrived 10 minutes early and I was worried that this would be a problem for my friends that we were to pick up. I was to pick them up at 9:15 and we were to meet the rest of the group close to the school and go from there to the salsa place. But, it turns out that the driver had no idea where the address of my friend's house was.
The driver had a map but didn't even try to read it to get to my friend's house. Therefore, I grabbed the map and started looking myself. Meanwhile, we haven't gone anywhere and the meter is running. I suggested I get my map, which clearly stated where to go, but the driver didn't want me to get it. He thought he knew where to go. We started driving and made it to the main cross street of where to go; then he asked me where to go.
First of all, the streets in Quito have absolutely no obvious street signs and second, it should have been plainly obvious by my broken Spanish that I am not from here. I told him I have no idea where to go. The driver was getting mad at me because I didn't know where to go and I was getting mad because this was becoming a very expensive drive. We decided to go back to my house and get my map.
Two dollars and 20 cents later we are at my house. I go inside and mi madre de casa is wondering what the heck is going on. She goes outside and gets into a small discussion with the driver as to why he can't find the place and I'm wondering if I should get back into the taxi with this man or better yet still even go dancing. Well, things seem ok so I get back in the car. We head in the direction and then again, without even looking at my map, he asks me where to go.
Again, I said I had no idea where the streets are and told him he needed to look at my map! But he wouldn't and said no entiendo!
I was so mad at this point. Three dollars later, I finally found a street sign and we had to turn around. Argh! He was pissed at me and called on his radio that he had a passenger that doesn't understand anything! All the time I'm thinking, what is going on, he is a taxi driver and has no idea where to go! What is going on? So, then we get to the street. We find the address and honk for my friends.
I finally get out and ring the doorbell, but my friends have already left! I knew they would be gone because we were supposed to meet the rest of the group. I then decided to go in the taxi to the salsatech, and to make an already long story longer; we couldn't find the salsatech either. I resorted to go to Papayanet, a hip little Internet joint, yes, in my salsa shoes and drink a beer. Sad.
Moral of the story is, always know where you're going when you get into a taxi in Quito and always bring your own map!