Where you get hassled – the downside of Adventure Travel
You can’t really blame them. As a Western tourist, you’ve got money. Far more, in a lot of places, than everyone else does.
So you have to expect that there are going to be people around trying to lighten you of your fiduciary load.
It can be sinister – the scammers, the tricksters, the used carpet salesmen and the like. Or it can be completely innocent, like the thousands of cab drivers, hotel touts, wannabe tour guides and marble emporium workers you meet the world over.
In some countries they’re limited to just hanging around the train and bus stations, or major tourist attractions (I challenge you to spend more than 10 minutes in Tiananmen Square without someone offering to show you their student art gallery). In other cities, they’re just plain everywhere.
They’re just trying to make a buck. But that doesn’t mean it won’t get annoying after a while. Sometimes, you want a few minutes to wander around a city unmolested, which, in some places, is just not going to happen.
It will in some cities. But not these.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
I’ll never forget turning up to Siem Reap on the boat from Phnom Penh. The boat has to stop about three or four kilometres out of town, meaning you’ll need to find some sort of transport in. The touts know this. They also know you probably won’t have organised a place to stay. Which is why the boat has barely even come to a stop before the huge crowd of yelling touts starts running on board trying to talk you into staying at their hostel. Rest assured, if you’ve already booked one, it will have mysteriously “closed”.
Hoi An, Vietnam
In Hoi An central you’ll cop a bit of hassle, mainly from the cloth-makers trying to drum up business. When you get sick of that, you think, I know, I’ll get away from it all with a relaxing few hours at the beach. Not quite. There are just as many touts on patrol there, mostly gnarled old women prowling the sand selling, “mango, baaanana, peeeeeanut!” Fight one off, and she’s sure to be replaced by another with a few minutes. Just head back into town.
Cairo, Egypt
Cairo itself isn’t that much of a problem. In fact, walk around the city centre and you’ll hardly raise an eyebrow, let alone attract a tout. That’s probably because they’re all hanging out at the pyramids, at once a true wonder of the world, and home to the most annoying people in the entire world. They’ll hit you before you get to the gates, trying to persuade you to take a camel ride/horse-drawn cart, or telling you you’re going into the wrong entrance – just come this way, past my stall. Once you get inside they’ll want to give you a tour, sell you a keffiyeh, or, most annoyingly of all, take a photo of them on their camels. Just for a bit of baksheesh.
Jaipur, India
Hands down, the grand champion of hassle. Maybe I was just unused to India when I was there, but it seemed like every single person I brushed past on the street wanted to drink chai with me at their shop, or practice their English on me, or show me their cousin’s jewellery store, or just stop and chat for a second. By the time I was approached by about the 12,000th person in my first few hours, I just tried to brush him off without a word. He started yelling, “Sir, you are being insular! Why do you not want to mix with Indian people?” Alright, I said, what do you want to do? “Well, my cousin has this shop…”
San Francisco, USA
I was young and naive when I went to San Fran (I’m old and naive now), so that could explain it, but if just seemed like there were far more beggars and touts there than anywhere else in the States. Although I have to give points to the guy who approached me and told me that if I could name the best nation in the world, I didn’t have to give him any money. After a few goes (America? Australia?), he let me in on the answer: “A donation.”
Nairobi, Kenya
No one really wants to sell you anything in Nairobi, except maybe the odd trinket – most have more sinister things in mind. That’s not to say there aren’t any genuine, nice people in the Kenyan capital – but when a stranger wants to help carry your bags back to your hostel, because, hey, he happens to be staying there too, you know something’s up. Steer clear.
Which cities do you think you get the most hassle in?
Hope you’re enjoying the Backpacker blog. There’ll be a new one up on Fairfax Media websites every Wednesday. If you have any topic suggestions, or just want to send me some personal abuse/spam, you can drop in on my website here, or email me at bengroundwater@gmail.com. Happy travels!
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Photo: Andrew Peacock/Lonely Planet
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Comments
I rarely get hassled but someone right next to me might really get it big time. I think its all about body language and avoiding direct eye contact really seems to help.
Without being rude the best strategy is just to ignore them after giving them a polite brush off. Once you start a dialogue with them you are stuffed.
I think getting hassled is just part of the fun! Treated with a smile, its never an issue.
My favourite experience was this one carpet salesmen in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul telling me: “Please come into my shop…I want to rip you off!” I laughed so much and stopped and chatted to him (didn’t buy a carpet tho!)
