There is no denying that travelling in Delhi or even India requires some level of street smarts.
While there is surely a wide range of reasons to take a trip down to the country, from the culture and history to the food, to even the most ‘only in India’ moments, there are also a lot of ways that tourists can get scammed from people looking to make a quick buck out of unsuspecting people.
The locals are usually aware of such scams and know what to look out for. Although that doesn’t always work and even locals can get scammed, however, tourists due to being unaware of the area are more prone to falling for the tricks.
Recently, a travel vlogger from Singapore caught people’s attention after she shared a video listing things to avoid in Delhi.
What Did The Tourist Say?
Chan Sylvia, a Singaporean vlogger, around a week ago posted a video that listed out things that should be “avoided” in Delhi. In her comments, Sylvia did state that while “India has been a wonderful place to explore,” she only wanted to “sincerely share” her “real experiences” in the country.
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In this video, Chan Sylvia gave three tips for travellers in Delhi, these included:
- “Do not take a taxi in the middle of the night”
She explained “We arrived at night and took a taxi since we couldn’t get an Uber from the airport. The driver asked for Rs 200 more at the end of the trip even though it was a prepaid taxi and dropped us off at a different location.”
- “Do not give your number to a rickshaw driver”
For the second tip she said “When we visited Jama Masjid, we met a rickshaw driver and gave him our number. We spent quite some time with him, thinking we should pay him around Rs 1,000, which is double the price of an Uber but he demanded Rs 6,000. How much should it be? Maybe just Rs 3,000 per person. We learnt the hard way that you should always settle the price before getting on a rickshaw or simply use Uber.”
- “Do not bring only a credit card instead of cash. Cash is more common in India than credit cards.”
Explaining this she said, “Of course, many places accept credit cards, but when it comes to street vendors, cash is always preferred. We had to drop by an ATM and withdraw money.”
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The video got a lot of comments where some were sympathising with the tourist, or giving their tips. One user wrote “Visit Delhi as the guest of a local. Be there with a trusted local friend,” while another commented, “Tip: just don’t go to delhi.”
One person commented “Always use Uber for transport. Anything else can be unsafe,” with another adding “This is something tourists experience frequently.”
One person also said, “I feel so bad watching this. Wish I was there to guide them” and a second person wrote, “Seeing reels like this is really embarrassing being an Indian.”
Some also wrote comments like “Delhi is a land of scam. Avoid it” or “Things to avoid in Delhi – Delhi.”
One person raised the question “Why would you give your number to a random person,” referring to one of the points the tourist gave.
Previously, on 26th July Chan Sylvia had posted a video about an “ugly” experience and how an auto driver in Old Delhi “scammed” her. In her video, she recounted that she and a friend while visiting Jama Masjid in Old Delhi met a rickshaw driver who initially just directed them to the entrance.
The vlogger appreciating his help decided to hire his auto to ride down to the Red Fort. However, things got weird here when he declined the earlier decided fare of Rs. 100 and “told us to pay him later when he picks us up from Chandni Chowk”.
The vlogger and the driver exchanged contact details and according to a screenshot shared in the video they communicated through WhatsApp. The screenshot also revealed that the diver video-called her two times and sent an audio message on 27th April.
The video further revealed that “on the way to the spice market, he stopped us at places that we did not ask for” including a Jain temple where they were insisted to give Rs. 100 as a donation and the rickshaw driver also “looked upset when we said no to a silver store”.
The vlogger further spoke about how at “Khari Baoli, he actually got down his auto and led us to a store by foot” even standing outside the store while they shopped.
She talked about how they wanted to explore the area on their own, but the rickshaw driver kept insisting that they follow him and “it turns out, he just wanted us back on his auto”.
She further said that “things turned ugly” when they told him that Krishna Market would be their last stop with him, post which he drove them to a random location around 5 km away from Chandni Chowk and demanded a payment of Rs. 6,000.
The vlogger felt scared of being “stranded in an unknown place” so they paid him Rs. 2,000 to escape the situation. She finally said that “this was an unpleasant and scary experience for us” and that though they want to support local drivers, they also feel “it might be a lot safer to just take an Uber, especially if you are female travellers”.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Livemint, Moneycontrol, Hindustan Times
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Delhi, Delhi travelling, Singapore, Singapore tourist, India travel, delhi tourism, delhi unsafe, new delhi
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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