Taxis / Trip to the airport

I was a little worried about how to catch a cab to the airport from the historic district because in the past it has been very dangerous to catch a cab on the street.  I decided I would go to the Holiday Inn in the the district and ask them to call me a cab (the preferred practice).  This worked fine.  I think its interesting to see how the taxi industry is regulated.  From the airport, you pay a person at a dispatch stand and he gives the taxi driver a token to redeem for payment.  This way the rider doesn’t get ripped off,  and the driver doesn’t have to carry as much cash around (and risk getting robbed).  It works the other way from hotels as well.  There are also set zones in the city with fixed rates.  One of our colleagues took a cab on a meter for a return trip to the hotel and it cost less than the amount he paid to get to his destination originally.  Interesting.

Apparently the airport has recently undergone renovation.  It is all shiny marble and metal and glass.  Its attractive enough, but not very comfortable.  I (mistakenly) thought I was too early to check in since I arrived 3 hours early, so I had to search for somewhere to sit and chill until I could get checked in.  I found a food court, and confirmed what another member of the group had noticed …there seems to be a real affinity for Asian food here.  This is not a “business traveler” friendly area.  Few outlets for charging devices, etc.  In fact as I look around, only one or two other people have a laptop out.