By David, on September 20th, 2009 I think i’ve finally got the knack of dealing with touts and taxi drivers who hassle westerners non-stop in India. Just tell them to GO AWAY! Ignoring just doesn’t work. You’ve got to be super firm!
Yesterday I had by far and away my best day in India so far. I went to the main Delhi tourist office just off Connaught Place and booked myself onto an afternoon organised coach tour of the city (like in Chennai). On the tour I met my first fellow Brit, Chris from Essex, who turned out to be an awesome laugh and really lifted my spirits.
Up until then i’d really been struggling. In the morning i’d been led up a back alley by some ‘cool’ Indian lad of about 25 who claimed to have lived in Bristol and Horsham. I’d actually asked him for directions, so thought there was no way he was gonna blag me into anything. Sure enough however, rather than taking me to the real tourist office, he led me to some rip off fake government tourist office (with big Government sign and everything!) who wanted to charge me 1400 Rupees for a half day tour (the real Government one is 150 Rupees.) On the way back from blag number 1, the taxi driver tried to take me to some market rather than back to my hotel as requested and then tried to increase the price when I refused to go shopping.
Chris and I laughed about our experiences (he’d had the same shit for the last few days too). It’s easy to see the funny side retrospectively so we bounced jokes off each other and had a good laugh at them. Outside the Red Fort, we had people coming up to us trying to sell sunglasses, hats, head massagers, toy birds in cages, postcards – you name it. We started trying to sell stuff back to them and play them off against each other, which made us laugh and soon made them bugger off.
After the tour, Chris went to meet his mate so I tagged along too and the three of us went for some beers and a curry. On the way to his hotel, I was subjected to my first physical hassle by this group, one of which started tugging on my shoulder when we ignored them. I turned to face him and said sternly ‘GO AWAY’, which they all promptly did. Jobs a goodun.
The food was good and beer even better. We talked about finance, football, travel, women etc – all the normal stuff i’ve not spoken with anyone about for a while. Most of all though, we discussed at length what an absolute complete and unquestionable shit hole Delhi, and India in general really is.
I tell you – I was prepared for the delapidated buildings, general smell and filth. The dogs, goats and cows roaming the streets. I was prepared for no hot water, for dodgy curries and the squits – and I was prepared for taxi drivers to turn off their meters and overcharge you. I just never quite expected the unrelenting hassling, shouting, taunting, following and borderline physical abuse westerners get just walking up the street. It really has left me exhausted and at times reticent to venture out. India – not good. Massive FAIL on the pleasure front.
I’m hoping that getting out of the major cities is going to improve things. There is a public holiday and festival for Eid here tomorrow, then i’m off to Amritsar on Tuesday, followed by Puskar, Jaipur and Agra before I get out of this shit pit and head for the paradise of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia…!
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