Tour and dont go bothy hostel then rafting
Trip Start
Nov 04, 2007
1
80
102
Trip End
Apr 19, 2008
Arequipa,
Peru
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The tour.
The tour costs 20 us dollars i was charged 25 us dollars by my wonderful hostel host who claims all the other tourist places are scammers.
The tour itself was pretty shit, the guild was sick and really angry that he was working, plus he was upset at globalisation, and the whole colca canyon trip rather then giving good details he just spoke about how western countries were messing with south American, I wont say i disagree but none the less i think hes in the wrong industry a lil bit.
Definition of how tourist are treated in peru
So for lunch the tour bus took us to a restaurant that they tell us is 15 soles, we double check and ask they tell us its 15 soles.
Then when we finish our lunch, the tell us it was 20 soles, and blame the us dollar having gone up, yup it changed in 20 min and the blamed the us dollar.
Anyways apart from that the tour was more of a shopping trip, doesn't matter where you stop in peru theres always some people on the side of the road trying to sell you random shit.
The canyon is nice, but its more of a valley, highlight would be seeing a condor flying around.
Exploitation
Everywhere you go in peru theres women with arts and crafts for sale, chained birds lil kids dressed in traditional wear with llamas for photos.
The revolt at bothy hostel.
So as a mentioned earlier raul of bothy hostel over charged me on my tour, Then i booked my bus through him because if you don't he gets all pissy at you, i had been warned by other backpackers that he rips people off, but i defended him and said hes got a businesses its about making money, he told me the ticket should be around 40 soles then he charges a 7 soles service charge, so i said ok 50 soles no problem.
Then he waited until i went on my overpriced undervalued colca canyon trip and bought my bus ticket, i came back from the canyon trip and he told me it was now 70 soles, when i complained he said ¨oh whats it to you, its just a couple beers¨which is really rude.
Dinner that night
So i had decided to drop it pay him the bus money and then just leave to a different hostel the next day.
HOWEVER he decides to bring it back up at dinner time ( No idea what he was thinking)
He says Brian why do you look so sad.
I reply you know why you riped me off on my bus ticket
He replies once again so what its just a few less beers for you,
and i said so what your drinking a beer right now as well, AND you ripped me off on my tour everyone else on the bus only paid 20 us dollars.
Then he asks why i make a big deal of it, and i told him he brought it up i was gonna leave it and just leave quietly but he had to open his mouth in front of like 6 people from the hostel.
The next morning i left to a hostel for half the price, and lol 2 people from the hostel left with me, so trying to burn me 20 soles ( a couple beers)
Cost him my business and 2 new people who had just arrived.
Theres nothing worse then people who quote you a price, you agree and then they change there price, its soooo unprofessional, and thus far it is the RULE of the Peruvian tourist industry tell them a price then charge them more.
So i went to the bus station and found myself a bus ticket for 25 soles almost 3 times cheaper then he tried to charge me.
After changing hostels
Myself and my new found friends who left the hostel with me in protest, went and bought some contraband booze (its illegal to sell and drink booze in peru during easter week)
But its a capitalist world so the restaurants sell you beer in coffee cups, and do everything really shady like, police check your pop to make sure its not rye really funny honestly, coz everyones drinking.
Today
We went rafting which was REALLY fun. A lil tame but still a good time, Tonight Party at de ja vu as prohibition ends in Peru at might night,
Then Sunday night its off to cusco.
