Like in many Asian countries, you will not go far in India if you don’t have the right connections. Moreover, the whole local touristic business system is built against foreigners on the basis of personal connections of the locals. Here is an example. You ask at the reception of your hotel to provide you with a driver, because you want to go the city centre. They have all the hotel’s cars booked, so they ask a relative of a waiter in the breakfast room if he knows a driver. He has a relative who is a driver. The driver picks you up and asks, where would you like to go. You want to go to a temple in the city centre. On your way, the driver asks, whether you need a tour guide for just 500 Rupees. You agree. On the way back, your guide offers you to visit one-of-a-kind shop with locally made scarfs. You agree and buy two scarfs, bargaining badly and paying only 40% of the initial price. Should I tell you, how much you overpaid and how many people will get a share from those 40%? Right, start with the hotel’s reception..
What is this story about? Right, if you want to get into a good cheap shop, you should give a good tip to the hotel receptionist first!
