Mandalay Tourist Traps

Some Trishaw drivers (mostly well dressed, English speaking) are allocated for driving you around town by the Guesthouses. They sometimes 'cheat' you by asking for very high prices, sometimes they will drive you to other places than the suggested ones because they seem too far away. But I made the experience that other drivers will drive you abywhere you want for even lower fares.

Unique Suggestions: Please also use other drivers some metres further down the guesthouses (most of the time there are many 'unemploeyed drivers waiting the whole day for customers). It seems to me that some advantaged drivers get most of the jobs and earn a lot (!) of money from tourists while the 'rest' stays almost unemployed. I felt very bad observing this inequality (which is so normal in third world countries). One time I asked an nonofficial driver around the corner to pick me up at 4 am to go to the pier (to take the fast boat). Whereas the GH driver refused to wake up that early in the morning the other was waiting there in time. When I found out that it would take ages to get to the pier I stopped a pick up with some othe r travellers. The driver was very sad to loose me a s a customer, but did not start an argument. I gave him the full amount of money we had agreed upon(that was half the price the GH driver would have asked for during the day). Suddenly the driver felt on his knees and helt up his hands to thank me...I was so embarrassed that I brought this person into a situation like this to be grateful for half a dollar. Please be more generous with these people. ..sometimes travellers are very harsh, because they often get cheated, but most of the people are very humble and grateful.

Fun Alternatives: Try to spend ypur money equally !! Do not give all your money to one driver, one shop or one Guesthouse.