Enjoy the Ride

Luxor temple at night

Camels at the Pyramids in Giza

Often, you know you are going to get taken for a ride when negotiating local transport in different countries. Like for example, getting a Tuk Tuk in Bangkok, or getting a horse drawn carriage in Egypt. The camel rides around the pyramids are also quite well known for taking you for a ride, although I have not done this in the past, or on my last trip).  Being taken for a ride can be very frustrating and can often ruin your plans for the day (if you let it). The alternative is to known that you will be taken for a ride and then just sit back and enjoy it. If you know that this is likely to happen (as it often does), you have two options. Stand firm and negotiate the price and details of the trip and state that there will be no added "extras" or to just go with the flow. A few examples of when and how you get taken for a ride will follow.

Camel waiting to take you for a ride

Busy street in Bangkok

In Bangkok, one of the "must do" experiences is to weave through the traffic in a Tuk tuk. These can be a fast way to get from point A to point B in Bangkok, or they can be very frustrating, depending on if you have time to be taken for a ride or not. Their standard operation procedure, once you, as a tourist,  are in the tuk tuk, is to tell you that they need to stop for petrol and they need to get a "petrol coupon". They get the "petrol coupon" when they drop you off at a tourist shop, often a bit off the beaten track. This can be quite a bit of fun if you are looking to buy tourist goodies. The places that they normally take you to have a good selection of items and the prices are reasonable and of course always negotiable. It can be a good way to pick up your souvenirs and gifts for people back home, who normally have no sentimental attachment to the small keyring or other item which you carefully bring back for them. It can also be quite frustrating if you want to get to a specific point. For example, we missed the closing time of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, because of the stops along the way in the tuk tuk. The tuk tuk driver assured us that we would be in time to get into the Grand Palace. We were not in time and we missed the Grand Palace on that trip. We have been to Bangkok a few times and had seen the Grand Palace before, but still, we wanted to see it again. Generally, if you stand firm and insist that you go straight to you desired destination, the tuk tuk driver might be a bit grumpy, but will generally take you there. If he is too grumpy, just get out and take another one. The negotiation will start all over again, but normally you can get where you want to go without too many hassles.

Carriage ride through the back streets of Luxor

During my last trip to Egypt, I was also taken on a ride, but I enjoyed the ride. In Luxor, my hotel was quite some way from the Luxor temple. It was "walkable" but it was very hot. So outside the hotel were the horse drawn carriages. I negotiated a price to go to the temple. Once on, the driver asked if I wanted to see the markets. I agreed, so off we went. A most interesting and enjoyable ride through the back streets of Luxor where the local people shop at the various street markets. He then asked if I want to buy any things and we stopped at a tourist shop off the beaten track. A very good range of goods and of course negotiable prices. There was not really any pressure to buy stuff.  I did however, buy a few small things that I was looking for. As the sun was starting to go down and I wanted the night photos at Luxor Temple, I told the guy to head for Luxor temple. When we got there, he said leave the things I bought and he will be here to pick me up after I am finished in the temple. I could just hear my wife, Marie's voice in my ear. "Are you crazy!" "You will never see the stuff again!" and so on and so on. Well, as I had not paid him yet and as the value of the things I had bought was not great, I decided to take the chance. So I spent a very happy few hours taking night photos in the Luxor temple without the hassle of the bag of things I bought. When it was time to leave, my trusty cart driver was there waiting for me and took me back to my hotel. Yes - the price was substantially higher then we first negotiated and I was taken for a bit of a ride, but I had a great experience.

Off the tourist route

Local market

Locals off the tourist route

Tea time in the back streets of Luxor

The moral of the story is you need to be aware of the possibilities that you will be taken for a ride and if you have time, just sit back and enjoy the ride. It can be a good experience and you can see and experience things which you might not normally be able to see if you had not been taken for a ride. It is sometimes well worth it. 

Luxor temple