For me, the most difficult touts in India are the ones you don’t realize are touts. The guy waving a paper at you, declaring, “Hotel room, 400 rupees!”—I can deal with him. But the guy who comes up, all smiles and, “Can I help you, miss?” or “Where are you from?”—he’s the one I have to be careful of.
The Main Bazaar is literally just a few meters from the entrance to the train station. Thanks to Viki, it took me almost an hour to find it.
Viki told me he was heading to Connaught Place past Paharganj and could walk me there. As we started walking, I began thinking it was kind of strange that this government employee, ostensibly on the clock, had the time to walk a foreigner all the way to her hostel, and just happened to be in the right place to help me. I told myself, he probably works for the tourism department.
Then we passed a stall and Viki said, “This is my friend’s shop. Would you like a cup of chai? He makes very good chai.”
A cup of chai may sound innocuous, but I’d read too many stories about touts who receive commission by getting you to buy things from their friends’ shops.
I said, “No thank you, and you know what, I’d like to find Paharganj on my own. Thank you for your help.”
Over Viki’s protests, I marched away to walk in circles. It would be awhile before I found the Main Bazaar.
I met my first such tout when I exited the New Delhi Railway Station the afternoon I arrived. I was looking for the red-shirted porters that my notes said to ask for directions to Paharganj’s Main Bazaar, the backpacker district. Seeing none, I asked a few people standing around for directions, but they didn’t know. That’s when Viki came up. I saw his “Employee of India” badge and felt assured, despite the fact my Rough Guide specifically says, “assume that anyone who approaches you here—even in uniform—with offers of help…is up to no good.”
The Main Bazaar is literally just a few meters from the entrance to the train station. Thanks to Viki, it took me almost an hour to find it.
Viki told me he was heading to Connaught Place past Paharganj and could walk me there. As we started walking, I began thinking it was kind of strange that this government employee, ostensibly on the clock, had the time to walk a foreigner all the way to her hostel, and just happened to be in the right place to help me. I told myself, he probably works for the tourism department.
Then we passed a stall and Viki said, “This is my friend’s shop. Would you like a cup of chai? He makes very good chai.”
A cup of chai may sound innocuous, but I’d read too many stories about touts who receive commission by getting you to buy things from their friends’ shops.
I said, “No thank you, and you know what, I’d like to find Paharganj on my own. Thank you for your help.”
Over Viki’s protests, I marched away to walk in circles. It would be awhile before I found the Main Bazaar.
1 comment:
So annoying!
I realize that the reason you travel is to experience the culture but sometimes you just want to be left alone.
When I was in Egypt, I felt like I must've had "sucker" pasted across my forehead. One guy even pretended to be official tourism police (dressed in jeans) and said I couldn't approach the pyramid without paying $10.
He was blocking the path! I asked to see ID and he fishes out some card with Arabic writing on it. I said, "You're lying!"
He acted SO offended, but I pushed past him to approach the pyramid. I wonder how many people paid him.
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