Tuesday, February 26, 2013

小心成為埃及騙子盜賊提款機

在埃及各城,尤其遊客區,每次離開機場、車站、或經過碼頭、古跡、巿集,總會被一群「售貨員」包圍。被日語、普通話或韓語問候,(對不起!你們全估錯了!)然後硬推的士、帆船、馬車、三輪電單車服務、或旅館、食肆、紀念品不等。當你說,不用了,謝謝,他們會充耳不聞,繼續硬銷。最常用的對白係,「好平喎,你估下幾多錢 ?」一天聽十幾次,其實都幾好笑。有幾次仲有馬車話免費!
 
有緣在埃及認識了不少亞洲旅客,有大陸內地的,有台灣的,也有韓國的。大家不約而同的互相警告說,如在街上遇上英文了得的本地人,便要特別小心!

不只一次,在坐公共小巴、三輪電單車或買東西時,若司機或老闆不善英語,總會有一位路人甲出現,代當時人講價。這種「街上即時傳譯員」總會將價格提高一點,從中取利!

可以做的,唯有多做功課,先看旅遊書的價錢作參考,價問三家,再由一折開始大膽講價,可能的話,學兩句阿拉伯語加上手語及用寫的直接只與當時人講價。不用理會路人甲、乙、丙。

因不想成為水魚,我們堅決拒絕乖乖的付外國人價,每天小心翼翼、秒秒議價,實在累斃了。

聽說,在開羅金字塔區坐駱駝,一輪千辛萬苦的議價後,駱夫又會在半路停下,坐地起價,並要求索取駝夫、助手、助手的助手的貼士,沒完沒了。




我們初到開羅,想買電話咭,便在巿中心,開羅博物館附近找電話公司,一英語流利(危險!)的中年男子在路上問我們是否要幫忙,我們婉拒,但他堅持說,「放心,不收錢的,埃及人其實很友善嘛!況且,女士你長得跟我太太很像;先生你的小鬍子也像埃及人,特有親切感。」我們想,只是帶路到電話公司上台,也騙不到什麼錢,便隨他走。我們本想去品牌專門店,但好心先生卻領我們到了一家類似先達的小店。繼而搶著議價,不讓我們與店員直接對話。唉!又上當了!價錢比我們所知的高出十倍。我們調頭便走。他還在後面還價呢!

稍後,可靠埃及朋友告訴我們,電話咭還是到品牌店買比較靠得住,街頭電話店最多只適宜買增值咭。

又有一次,我們在舊開羅區遇上一埃及人,英語流利(危險!)但十分友善的說自己與我們同路,正在回家,可順路帶我們走折徑,並介紹我們到附近一些必到名勝,不收錢的,叫我們放心。我們一起走了近二十分鐘,路上他說他下月結婚,若我們仍在開羅,歡迎我們參加他的婚禮。他更從口袋,拿出未婚妻的照片給我們看,並說要交換電郵,好讓他寄結婚日的照片給我們看。一路走著,他說要帶我們到藍清真寺,更說寺內有一高㙮,居高臨下,是看日落及四處景色的好地方。入寺有建議收費而高㙮另須收費,也是為區內兒童的教育、醫療謀福利的。(我們心想,開始不妥)其實,我們前幾天已到過清真寺區,建築甚獨特,但已看個飽了,並不想再看。況且,很多清真寺也是免費參觀的,要花錢的高㙮也去過一個了。但見他善心滿載的樣子,還是跟著他走。到了他所謂的藍色清真寺(好像跟旅遊書的有點出入),寺算是中小型,亦有點破舊。好心先生帶了我進寺內的辦公室,叫我在箱中捐款。我覺得難以拒絕,給了一點零錢,但我們並沒有興趣參觀。他便說,我帶你走了好一段路,看,我一臉是汗,請給我點什麼吧!喂,先生,你不是說不要錢,又剛好順路的嗎?我說,那給你支原子筆吧!他拒絕我的小心意...終於說,我結婚缺錢呢!

真的假的?!方法較有創意,還是在拿導遊費。在他的叫嚷聲下,我倆急歩離開現場。

幸好,此類騙導遊費的人物沒有多大攻擊性,亦不會跟蹤我們。順利脫險!

另一次,在艾夫(Elfu),一個阿斯旺(Aswan)與六合所(Luxor)之間的小鎭看完一神廟古蹟,剛好遇上一大群小朋友放學,相信他們少見外國人,最初由興奮異常的前來跟我們握手,漸漸變成一大群的前後族擁,再演變成拍手臂、踼大腿,場面愈發失控。有一個見義勇為的十來歲小朋友為我們護航,亦有路人幫忙喝罵。走了一小段路,我跑到一家影印店,向老闆娘問路。老闆娘即時先行喝罵開始過份的小人兒。因路上太多人圍觀,一馬車經過,車主顧著看熱鬧,撞上路上停泊的車,一時間弄致人馬翻。亂攪出一場小鎮風雲。我們剛好跳上公車,逃之夭夭。



又有朋友在阿斯旺的岸邊想上公共船渡河到象島,被騙上了一艘私家船,開船才得知被騙,進退兩難,只好老大不願意地付上十倍價錢。雖然埃及物價偏低,但狠狠的被騙還是心有不甘。



亦是阿斯旺巿集,有小販推銷絲巾,蓋一下路人的面,蓋一下背包,再添一下踫撞,老公及兩位同行台灣女生的背包通通被打開了。幸好,他們眼明手快,大聲喝止,幸保不失。



好像將埃及說成危機處處,立入禁止之地,但她的遠古歷史、在聖經古籍中的地位、古蹟之多,實在是一個寶地。在我們一年多的旅程中,埃及亦是數一數二物價最低廉的地方。只好說生活艱難,令窮人無可奈何而已。不得不說,我們在開羅、阿斯旺、象島、六合所、阿力山大、海格特也有遇上真心相對,不心計的好埃及人。如我們不是背包客,只是遊客心態,不計價錢,只為盡興,可能會玩得舒服點,像旅遊書說,畢竟要接受他們國民的平均收入較旅客的祖國低,因此,同一件貨物或服務有不同的預想價值也是合理不過。只要是你認為的目標價便是好價錢,高處末算高。

再者,值得欣賞的是,與埃及人議價後,他們定必講口齒,就算要找續,他們也會如實交貨,如數找換。總比在大陸那種騙財騙貨的情況好。相對,亦因議價的空間大,會議價的,撿到便宜也不定!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Ten reasons why Morocco makes me frown

1) Greeting Parrots 

Walking down the street in Marrakesh and Fes, we are always greeted with Japanese, mandarin and even Korean. Moroccans are language genius, anyone can say a few words in the tourist foreign language, but the worst part is, they are saying it reflexively but not really making connection nor conversation - more like parrots.





2) Photos with a price 
Shopkeepers and even small children in village will invite you to take pictures, then ask for money. Or in some cases, children will just say 'Hello, give me money!' I was so stressed and even had a nightmare of being surrounded by children asking for money.






3) Voluntary guides all around 
If you ask for direction in the medina of Fes and Marrakesh, your friendly guide will take you there and ask for tips. Sometimes, people just proactively ask where you are going and expect something in return.

4) Human ATM
Moroccans, especially in those touristy cities, have their brilliant way to make tourist, or at least me, feel like a human ATM, such as asking for tips all the time, charging more than locals etc.

5) No go zones
While strolling along the medina in Fes, we encountered many Moroccans, young or old, telling us that the street is closed and no entry. Many a time, they are trying to take us to tannery visit or make our way to their shop or lead us away from their competitor's shop! Just don't trust every words they say!



6) Beware of tour guides 
Beware of desert tour stouts in the souk of Marrakesh. We are cursed in the street  for shopping around to seek information but not joining the trip and pay right away.

7) Be a bargain queen
It is tiring to bargain for everything and anything, from transportation, tours, shopping to eating.

8) The holy call
It gave me a headache to hear 'pray to Allah' announcement five times a day, but you will get used to it and may love the peacefulness of it after a while.

9) To trust or not to trust? This is the question.
It is sad that its difficult to trust anyone we met in Morocco, especially when we start our trip in the touristy Marrakesh, but we managed to meet a few good men. However, it was really tiring to be suspicious all the time.

10) Hello! Where is woman's right?
Women are very dependent on men and they are the only ones in the family who do all the housework. A man who cook and clean at home is quite unheard of. Even when I took picture with a group of girls and women, the wives need to ask their husbands' permission!  Well, the Muslim might say they tried their best to protect women.

Despite all these, I still love Morocco! See more in my next blog.