Lost & Found | That Delhi Girl – Via That Delhi Girl

By TDGblog Admin | May 20, 2019

Was I supposed to take the left turn before the medical shop? Or did I have to go further?

Whenever I am travelling or find myself in an unfamiliar area of Delhi, my abysmal navigation skills are pretty evident. In most cases, my friends with a better intuitive sense are able to help me out. However, things are quite different when I find myself alone. You might have survived a few decades in this world, travelled a lot or found your way through professional life. But without the inherent ability to find your way around destinations, you can easily feel lost.

My poor navigation skills have led to some hilarious situations. Once, ended up looking for my hotel in an area that “seemed” familiar (It was about a kilometre away from the said location).

For a long time, I thought everybody had a tough time finding places. Apparently, that’s not the case. Some people seem to have figured it out with their in-built navigation system. The worst kind of people in this regard? The ones who give you false directions for a reason I can’t fully comprehend. Pretty horrible people, in my opinion. Right from the time I had to find a park in a neighborhood as a kid, I have come across them. Do you know what it is like to find yourself in a new neighborhood as a 7 year-old? Quite terrifying. The same struggle has continued into adulthood. In all of this, being able to navigate using my phone has been a life-saver. I don’t need to ask people who’ll willfully misguide me. Nor do I have to rely on my friends to keep me on track to my destination.

But on a recent trip to Goa, the navigation app gave up on me on a deserted road somewhere on outskirts, where every landmark seemed the same. In the midst of crowded lanes, the app itself got confused!

Navigating using landmarks is easier said than done. The shop with the glowing sign outside? It looked like the one right outside my hotel! I felt like the lost 7-year-old once again. Then I did what I do best. I called my friend. The only things that helped me remain was my network and battery life. Thank God for Airtel which gave me full network bars in the middle of a deserted area. In fact, Airtel 4G has always worked well whenever I have travelled, even in the remotest locations. So getting back to story, my friend, who is from the same place, then gave me live directions on a WhatsApp video call and I could find my way out. Phew!

Do you guys also have some interesting stories with your sense of navigation? I would love to know!