Taxi Clues

When jumping in a taxi you have less than ten seconds to correctly identify what language you need to address the driver in and give directions.  One must become astute in quickly noticing the clues in the car.  First check the review mirror.  What sort of dangling thing is hanging down?  Is it green with Arabic writing or a red Buddha statue?  Sometimes it is cute and fluffy and sometimes it has a picture of the Turkish flag.  Green, Arabic or Turkish is a sure sign to speak Uyghur.  Red, fluffy or Buddha means you should start with the national language.  If there is nothing hanging from the mirror it is time to move on to clue number two.  What is the driver listening to on the radio?  This can be hard to hear with the door open and the sound of traffic whizzing by, trying to make out the language the lyrics are being sung in over the sound of honking horns can be hard.  If for some reason the radio is not on, or you can’t hear it clearly… try clue number three. Check the hair.   If the driver is male and has facial hair he is likely Uyghur.  For females check out the length of their hair and if it is being worn up or down.  Short hair or hair that is worn loose normally indicates you are not talking to a Uyghur women.  After gathering all this information in just a few seconds glace you can hopefully greet the driver correctly and state where you want to go in his mother language.  Missing these clues could lead to insult… so watch out.