First story at Delft - getting lost

anyway, everything seems to be in the dutch language. Good that what i have written are still in English. It is Tuesday already, and I haven't gotten chance to write about our first day's adventure at Delft.

After getting off the Delft train station, each of us pulled two suitcases to look for taxi. There are two kinds of taxi we later know. One is a taxi booth, in which you can make a phone call to call a taxi, which is a cheaper and shared taxi. The other across the street, there are a few taxi already waiting. We don't know the exact trick that time, called the taxi, and later saw waiting taxi, so we pulled our luggage across the street.

The first taxi deserve the first business. Mr. Awaara showed them the address, a hard to pronouce street name: Oosteinde straat 156. I just remembered 156.

The driver is an indian looking young guy, later he told me he was from Parkistan. He looked at our luggage and said that his car can not accomodate so much, whether we can take two taxi. ok, no problem. He went to the second waiting car to talk with the driver. Of course, no problem.
OK, so Mr. Awaara and I, each in one car, I was in the front car, with the Parkistan guy, a dark blue color mercedeze. Mr. Awaara took the addree we printed to show again to the second driver. He was in a white \mercedeze. So we are ready to leave.

I was in the first car. The driver soon started the car, and I saw he has a GPS system in his car, quite big screen, different from the one I have seen in US. I turned back to look. There are a few turns after getting out of the station, and I didn't see the white Mercedeze coming. It shouldn't be far, the hotel manager told us it is about 10 euro fee.
"Do you have the address?" I was suddenly asked.
"WHAT?!?" "Didn't you see it??" ...."I only remember 156..."
"I just browsed it, I am not local here, don't know where it is..."

I can't tell what I exactly felt that time, angry, dissapointed, ...at the same time, I was thinking fast to figure out a way to solve this problem: can you contact that driver? no, i don't know him.
ok, then there is only one way i can find out the address of our hotel, find me an internet place. I can check my email and tell you where it is.

We went back to the train station. He thought there should be internet cafe close to the train station. He went to ask a few persons, and they all didn't know. 'Do you have a map of Delft? I might be able to point out where it is. '

I suddenly remember that Mr. Awaara showed me the hotel on the map, and the relationship with his office. I remember there was a big canal taking a turn around that area, and we were to the north.
He went to dig his trunk and his glove box, no.

"Is that possible that white car driver will come back to the station?"
"I don't know, he might go to some other places."

As we talking about this, a white color taxi with top light on one side of the roof came on our way. 'isn't this the one?'
Yes.

The driver slowed down, and told him "Oosteinde straat 156". Good, we are saved.

Now let's go. He seems to input the address in the car GPS, we were on our way again. We went into the canals and one way roads in the old city. Suddenly we saw a machenic repairing truck on our way, staying there, no sign of moving. He keep driving,... why?...he stops right behind the car, and started backing up...then he turned on another one way street, again another parked car, again driving till the point he can't go further, and then backing...I couldn't understand the logic here, why do you have to go all the way there and back?

Then he finally get on a street, and stopped in front of a number 156. 'Here it is'. What is shown is several mailboxes outside with one person's name behind number 156.
no, i am going to a hotel, not someone's apartment.

He has to lower his window and ask people passing by. That person seems not knowing what he said. I sat behind him, and quickly lower my window and asked "do you know a place where you can only live there unless you would rent it for at least a month?" This is the only knowledge i have about the hotel, since everything else Mr. Awaara was taking in charge.

His face told me he didn't know.

"Are you Mrs Mr. Awaara?" A tall Dutch guy in brown color tshirt ran towards the car with short breath.
"yes, no, I am not ... , but yes, I am. I am his wife..."

OK, now i am found.

The rest of the story is, the guy who came to us is Vincent. He is the hotel manager. He sent Mr. Awaara half way to walk to the train station because he was so anxious about losing his wife. Then he saw this taxi asking for diretions and came to ask. He showed the driver the way and we went back to hotel. I don't have any money with me, so Vincent paid for the taxi first for me. He complained the meter shows 22 euro, but Vincent told him that was his fault, and gave him 10 only. I waited in Vincent's dinning room and he gave me a glass of water. We waited for another 20 minutes and Mr. Awaara came back.

Mr. Awaara's story: he soon found out that his wife's taxi didn't arrive to the same place. Vincent helped him to call the taxi company and let the white mercedez to go back to the train station. He walked to the station and saw a police on bike. The police didn't look like worried at all, and told him that if the taxi couldn't find the place, they should come back to the station. Then later, he saw the blue mercedez, and the Parkistan driver told him that I was home.