Skip to main content

Just a cab driver; but an amazing human being!

It is funny how "not so well off" people end up giving so much and touch your help when you least expect them to.

I was returning to the airport from my hotel in Denver last week. My hotel had called a super shuttle for me. It was bang on time. A normal looking black d00d came out and took my luggage. After placing in the booth of his van, he opened the rear door for me and i sat there in one of the seats. He silently then started driving to other hotels around downtown Denver to pick other passengers. He did not seem to find any. At his last pick up point, there were a lot of people and traffic but non for his van. I knew my hotel was fully booked for the weekend and this one seemed the same. I proceeded to ask him if there was a big event in Denver over the weekend and he told me there were several. This was start of a nice conversation with him.

To make our conversation easier, he invited me to take the passenger seat next to him. I politely obliged as i love to ride shotgun. He told me he was originally from Ethiopia and his family had moved to the US sometime ago. I told him i had been to Ethiopia on my way to Mozambique to see my dad in 2001. He then telling me about his story about how he studied in Pune, India in the mid 1990s. I first thought he was bullshitting but certain details he told me about Pune only person who has been there can know. There is also a possibility that he could be well read. He accurattely mentioned exchange rates, cost of food and transport and places in Pune. He seemed a real nice guy but i saw what an amzing human being he was when we reached the airport. As we entered the airport, one women came to ask him how much it was to go downtown. He said 19$ per person. She said they were 4 people and instantly he told her that they should take a limousine cab instead since it will be cheaper for them. He lost $80 business on a slow day like Saturday. I thought he would expect nore tip from me but when i gave him a 3$ tip he gave me back 2$ saying 1$ was enough tip. Who in today,s world does that? He touched my heart with this gesture.

I hope he gets all goodluck in the world and has a blessed life. I recommend anyone coming to denver use him if u need a ride from the airport and back. His name is Ben and email is bentess4@yahoo.com.

Thanks Ben for showing me that the world still has great people like you. In fact my whole trip to Denver has shown me what a group of people with a big heart can do to help the under priviledged in the world.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My First Motorcycle Roadtrip

I went on my first road on my motorcycle( Kawasaki Ninja 500R) to a place called Kingman in the north of Arizona. This was 22nd of June 2007. It is around 200 miles from Phoenix, Arizona. A fun ride it was and was not very tiring as i assumed it would be. I left early around 6am and reached Kingman around 9.30am with 2 stops in the middle at Wickenberg and a some other place just before Kingman. The trip was very uneventful except that my gear lever came off few miles outside Kingman. Stopping at a gas station nearby, I found that I could put it back myself using the tools I had in my bike. Thank God! After finishing my work, I had short lunch break at Denny's in Kingman. For my friends back home, Denny's is nice diner chain where you get bottomless coffee :-). I left back early around 11.30am, so I can reach Phoenix before the temperature rises. On my way back, I stopped at a bridge and took a small video. My first personal video taken on my new Moto Rizr. First thing, I real

F1 is back!

It is that time of the year guys! Formula 1 is back and with a whole lot changes too. Renault trying to win another championship with alonso before he joins Mclaren in 2007 and then there are the V8s how will they affect the series. Tyre Changes are back and complicated new qualifying schedule should make March 12 2006- interesting day. Winter Testing showed Honda to be the best and most reliable team. With Barrichello, a proven race winner in the team , Honda can win their 1st GP in 2006. Renault looks solid as ever and sure are the favorites. You cant rule out schumi in what might be his last season in F1. Mclaren have been very erratic in the winter testing, with mercedez V8 not up to the mark. F1 pundits thinks Cosworth and Toyota have best V8s. This makes Toyota and Williams- Dark Horses in 2006 season. It will interesting to see how BMW does in its 1st year as an independent team.The speed of Super Aguri in 2002 arrows will also be interesting. Personally, I am very big Williams

What a Irony!

On a day when India is celebrating the successful completion of Stage 1 of conquering the moon, people are being beaten up and public property worth thousands of rupees is being burnt in Mumbai and its suburbs. What a contrast! But that is my India for you. On one side, people taking law into their own hands proclaiming that they are saving the marathi  manoos and hurting people from other parts of country to gain political mileage and on the other hand, 3000 people from all over India are working together to conquer one goal - the moon.   I am sure, of the 3000 people, there is atleast one  marathi  manoos. Does he care that he belongs the different state than the others working with him? It must not even cross his mind that he is working with an Bihari or Tamilian. He can only see that all of them have a common goal - to put an Indian flag on the moon.  He lives, works and shares his life with others without worrying about their origin. He cannot even think of hurting them. He might