This is no cave

[Monoriu]

Your wife is the first person I've heard of that considers India expensive.

The outbound tourism industry in HK and the western world are very different.  In HK, the majority travel to other places in groups.  Group travelling is the cheapest mode of travelling because of bulk purchasing, and because the guides get other sources of income in the form of gratuity and kickpacks and other tricks.  So the guides actually have to bid for the right to take a group.  The cheapest flights are all taken up by the groups.  Our costs go up substantially just by travelling ourselves.

[Ed Anger]

I'm so disappointed, I thought this was gonna be a discourse on Platonic Philosophy from the perspective of the Matrix.

No response to this? Languish nerds have failed me.

Nobody gives a flying fuck.

[jimmy olsen]

I'm so disappointed, I thought this was gonna be a discourse on Platonic Philosophy from the perspective of the Matrix.

No response to this? Languish nerds have failed me.

Nobody gives a flying fuck.

Oh Noes! Monkebutt is being mean to me, whatever shall I do? 

[Ed Anger]

If that was mean, you sure was an over sensitive lad.

[Ed Anger]

I'll re-post it in cat form:

[Pat]

On the trip from the airport to Columbo, the guide asked us very pointedly if HK was a developed or developing place.  When I said "developed", he didn't seem to believe it.  We've been to many places, and this was the first time that such a question was asked.  While we LOLed at his lack of geo-political knowledge in the hotel room, we wondered why he got that impression. 

At the old dutch museum in Colombo, the guide asked us if we had elephants in Sweden.  (though to be fair it was just a random guy who had been given the job of being guide there because all his family had died in the tsunami).

Another time I argued for a while with a tuk-tuk driver about the price of taking us somewhere. Eventually we reached an agreement and went on our way. Then along the way we stopped by our hotel because my friend needed to get something from the room, so I started chatting with the driver while we waited. He explained to me the price of gas in Sri Lanka: it was X rupees. I did a quick exchange rate calculation in my head and concluded that in Sweden it's the same, it's also X rupees. He merely concluded: "Ah, you also have rupees."

[Pat]

Thats what worries me!
I'd love to travel to really poor, really exotic countries but...the fear of death or at least being robbed and stranded is large. The poorest place I am actually wanting to (/willing to risk) going to is China.

China is very well policed but people will try to rip you off all the time, and you'll be considered a walking wallet. In India I never once felt threatened and people are genuinely warm and friendly (if you're standing somewhere with your bags looking lost, people will come to you and ask if they can help you). It's really a great culture and the food is great too. I'm not exaggerating when I say every single meal was absolutely delicious (and I don't even like spicy food; there were lots of great food to be had anyway!).

A plane ticket to Asia will only cost you a few hundred dollars more than a plane ticket to a mediterranean destination. Once there, you can live for a king for almost no money at all. In India, I had great chicken tikka masala for €1. Yes, €1. This was at a restaurant for tourists by the beach. And it tasted great. You get four, five, ten times your moneys worth. In the end, you'll probably end up spending *less* money going to the more exotic place!

Cheap stuff is one good factor but the flights cost a lot.
I think purely economically you are better off going to eastern Europe. £30 or so flight on easy jet and a good meal with drinks only sets you back £5 or so.
[/quote]


Yes that's true but eastern europe isn't very exotic and the culture isn't very friendly. From Sweden you can get a return flight to India for £250-ish (I've even seen two weeks in Goa for as low as 1990 SEK incl. hotel room on the first night).

[Darth Wagtaros]

I was more at risk of being robbed in Italy than in Syria.  Nobody tried to do more than over charge on cab fair in Syria.  Unlike Italy where they tried to pick my pocket all the time. 

[Octavian]

China is very well policed...

My wifes uncle spent some time in China in the nineties working as an engineer. One of his coworkers had some time before been traveling by train when his camera was stolen. He told the conductor who informed the police. At the next station nobody was allowed to exit or enter the train while the police searched everyone. They found the camera and then promptly took the thief (a young guy) outside the train and shot him...

Case closed!

[Jacob]

My wifes uncle spent some time in China in the nineties working as an engineer. One of his coworkers had some time before been traveling by train when his camera was stolen. He told the conductor who informed the police. At the next station nobody was allowed to exit or enter the train while the police searched everyone. They found the camera and then promptly took the thief (a young guy) outside the train and shot him...

Case closed!

Damn.

[Caliga]

My wifes uncle spent some time in China in the nineties working as an engineer. One of his coworkers had some time before been traveling by train when his camera was stolen. He told the conductor who informed the police. At the next station nobody was allowed to exit or enter the train while the police searched everyone. They found the camera and then promptly took the thief (a young guy) outside the train and shot him...

Case closed!

I thought China at least went through the motions of doing a trial (not sure how often the trials are actually legit) before executing people.  Maybe it's because the alleged victim was a foreign guest worker?

[Josquius]

How very Judge Dredd.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Now that's the way to give the tourists a story to remember.

[Monoriu]

My wifes uncle spent some time in China in the nineties working as an engineer. One of his coworkers had some time before been traveling by train when his camera was stolen. He told the conductor who informed the police. At the next station nobody was allowed to exit or enter the train while the police searched everyone. They found the camera and then promptly took the thief (a young guy) outside the train and shot him...

Case closed!

I thought China at least went through the motions of doing a trial (not sure how often the trials are actually legit) before executing people.  Maybe it's because the alleged victim was a foreign guest worker?

Yeah I am somewhat surprised too.  But a lot of local authorities don't exactly follow the book 100% of the time.

[starbright]

But a lot of local authorities don't exactly follow the book 100% of the time.

No way it actually happened.