Our Most Boneheaded Plays
1. Brett getting us stuck in the desert 3 hours before our flight
2. Brett forgetting his bank card in a Mexican ATM!
3. Louise falling through the sidewalk in Phonsovan, Laos
4. Brett flinging his wedding ring into the ocean while removing a scuba diving glove, making Louise quite mad
5. Brett taking Cancun's extortionate new toll road ($17us) by mistake
6. Brett spending all nite planning trip using a Japan Rail pass that wasn't valid for our region
7. Brett leaving his plane ticket in his pants as he sent them to be washed
8. June 11, 1994
Times Our Parents Were Scared
1. Singapore Plane Crash: (we were in Hong Kong but that's close enough to worry a mom)
2. Earthquake in Japan: Wasn't as bad as the 1995 Earthquake in Japan: Wasn't as bad as the 1995 one
3. Terrorist Attacks in Sri Lanka (a public bus & a house in a city near us)
4. Macau Grand Prix: A car lost control & killed a tourist
5. Terrorist Attack on New Delhi Parliment Building: Just days before we were due to arrive
Common Scams
Bill Switch
December 2001 - Calcutta, India: We get a cab from Science City to downtown after negotiating a price of 70 rupees.
I hand the guy two 50's and wait for my change. He just stands there & when I look at his hands he's holding a 50 & a 10. I think for a second then say sorry & hand him another 50. He gives me the correct change, I tip him a bit & we're on our way.
Afterward we think about what change we had and how I had our money sorted and are sure we paid two 50's. The 40 rupees we were ripped over is just over $1 but the lesson was invaluable.
March 2002 - Playa Del Carmen, Mexico: I leave my wife at the Budget office as I search frantically for a gas station.
We only need to 1/2 fill the tank so I just put in 95 peso's worth.
I hand the guy a 200 peso note & he just stands there.
I look at his hand & he holding a 50. I'm not sure if he's waiting for more money or waiting to make change, but when I say "I didn't pay with a 50" one of the other attendants chirps in with "yes you did".
Happily I had just counted my Peso's & a quick check of my pockets confirmed I had paid with a 200.
When I started riffling through the guys shirt pocket looking for my 200 (which wasn't there) he calmly hands me my change.
Your Hotel is Closed
December 2000 - Bombay, India: This is a well known scam & only virgin travelers would fall for it, but its such a die hard tradition in India that our guy just wouldn't quit.
We were only overniting in Bombay & had just days earlier made a reservation for a hotel near the airport.
Our auto-rickshaw driver agrees to take us there for 50 rupees, but once we're underway says "that hotel is closed".
Unfazed we simply say, "ok, take us to the closed hotel".
Realizing he hasn't got us he tries a variation saying the hotel name has changed.
Unable to stop him I go to his hotel to confirm with the front desk that it isn't the one we booked with.
Hilariously as my wife watches from the auto-rickshaw he's frantically waiving his arms behind me trying to signal the staff to say they're actually our hotel.
He needs to stop for directions to find our actual hotel and upon arrival tries to request more than 50 rupees since the journey took so long! We just tell him he's "a very bad man" and walk off.
Other Variations:
- There's been a riot/bombing/incident & the police have blocked off that section of the city. We ran into people who, fresh off the plane into India, were told all of New Delhi was rioting & unsafe. Of course the cabbie was able to hook them up with a bargain 3 day trip to a safe area!
- That hotel is dirty/unsafe, I know a clean one! I think the best course of action is simply not to take hotel advice from a cabbie.
Border Crossings
Frequently there is a fee to cross otherwise free land borders (airports are a bit more legitimate & expensive!).
The only defense is to find out from someone if there is a charge. If in doubt don't pay & see if you can cross anyway.
Flat out Cons
April 2002 - La Ceiba, Honduras: A man in our hotel lobby says a taxi to the ferry terminal will be 4 limperas each. It was 10 each (9limps=$1)
from the airport and this is closer so that seems suprisingly honest but accurate.
My wifethinks he said 40 (it's a drag not to be able to speak Spanish) so I confirm the price as we board; 4 limperas each - I hold up 4 fingers to be sure.
Upon arrival he doesn't accept my 8 limperas plus 4 limperas tip & demands 80.
I explain our agreement and just walk away. He throws my 12 limperas back in disgust. After 5 minutes our guy returns with a policeman & demands 80 limperas.
The cop speaks no English & has no interest in our side of the story. In a last ditch effort to minimize the robbery I point to the sign out front that says the standard (ie. maximum rip off tourist) fare is 25 limperas each from the terminal to town (note that the "standard fare" from the airport to town is 100 limperas, but we only paid 10 each!).
Several helpful locals translate my case for me but the cop whips out the handcuffs & says he'll take me to the station.
With no way out, I had over 50 limperas. Its a drag when you can't trust the cops.
