World'S 12 Worst Tourist Traps

[chiang mai]

I'm surprised Chiang Mai doesn't show up. Consider the Dog and Monkey Show of one thing.

also, Chiang Mai is much worse than Bangkok when it comes to Tourist traps.

Explain, please, I think we need some details.

[PattayaParent]

My list:

Any tour of Vietnam that includes hanoi and the Ho Chi Minh museum/memorial....and basically they all do.

And the tour of the tunnel complex in Cu Chi Vietnam.

In Hanoi the trip to see the museum/memorial to Ho Chi Minh is assumed for all foriegn tourists...at least when I went there. I had asbsolutely no desire to see that, and told the guide so clearly. They agreed that I could stay in the hotel while they bussed the rest of the group to do homage to the Great Leader Ho Chi Minh.

Then when I flew to Ho Chi Minh city, it was assumed that it was a given that as a foriegner I would naturally want to see the tunnel complex in Cu Chi...and they wouldn't take a polite no, thank you as an answer. I was forced to go.

By that time I was not happy, and being forced to go on that tour, made it a point to ask the English speaking guide if I could see the particular tunnel where in 1969 my friend killed two Viet Cong in a gun battle before he was wounded and ultimately died from his wounds.

Obviously, that didn't go over very well with the Vietnamese.

Two days later I was informed that there was "something wrong" with my visa and I would have to leave Vietnam immeadiately.

I've never gone back either...although I would like to see where my Vietnamese wife died in 1975. But that probably will never happen now.

My experience of visiting HCMC, and Vietnam in general, is completely opposite to yours.

As for the highlighted section above ?????? <deleted>

Insensitive clown

The Cu Chi tunnels are the only thing worth seeing in HCMC area and the tour guides are all ex-US military so wouldn't be upset that some VC got shot.

Haven't been to see Uncle Ho's dead body in Ha Noi but the museum and one pillar pagoda behind it are definitely worth a look.

[steffi]

Grand Palace is where I find the most unfriendly ticket booth in all of Bangkok. They literally throw the money back at you. And my Thai wife was with me too.

On a positive note, the places that have not entered these lists.

Angkor Wat.

Borobudur

Royal Palace Bangkok

many more. Not suggesting you won't find touts outside these places, and I guess you would have to get up a lot earlier to avoid the crowds at Angkor than I did in @1997.

You don't have to go to the traps, I mentioned many of them in London in my earlier post. Failed to mention the British Museum (free) Natural History Museum (free) Victoria & Albert (free).

There is an authentic floating market planned for Tower Bridge in 2012. Jellied Eels , Pie n' mash, Cockles and Winkles and more, and of course Cockney serenades. Anyone want advance tickets ?

[irishken]

top of my list is maya bay phi. it is totally sold on the basis of a movie. i'm suprised leanardo di caprio is getting royalties from the tour operators when you get there you can not see the water with the amount of speed boats.

although if you go by long tail boat in the evening its breath taking and a great place to relax and have a beer and take in the the amazing views

Edited September 6, 2011 by irishken

[MAJIC]

On a positive note, the places that have not entered these lists.

Angkor Wat.

Borobudur

Royal Palace Bangkok

many more. Not suggesting you won't find touts outside these places, and I guess you would have to get up a lot earlier to avoid the crowds at Angkor than I did in @1997.

You don't have to go to the traps, I mentioned many of them in London in my earlier post. Failed to mention the British Museum (free) Natural History Museum (free) Victoria & Albert (free).

There is an authentic floating market planned for Tower Bridge in 2012. Jellied Eels , Pie n' mash, Cockles and Winkles and more, and of course Cockney serenades. Anyone want advance tickets ?

The Victoria and Albert hasn't been free for at least a decade,last time I was there it was £5 entrance,but for all day viewing the treasures within,was still excellent value,one would be hard pressed to get around and see everything in a day.

[roamer]

On a positive note, the places that have not entered these lists.

Angkor Wat.

Borobudur

Royal Palace Bangkok

many more. Not suggesting you won't find touts outside these places, and I guess you would have to get up a lot earlier to avoid the crowds at Angkor than I did in @1997.

You don't have to go to the traps, I mentioned many of them in London in my earlier post. Failed to mention the British Museum (free) Natural History Museum (free) Victoria & Albert (free).

There is an authentic floating market planned for Tower Bridge in 2012. Jellied Eels , Pie n' mash, Cockles and Winkles and more, and of course Cockney serenades. Anyone want advance tickets ?

The Victoria and Albert hasn't been free for at least a decade,last time I was there it was £5 entrance,but for all day viewing the treasures within,was still excellent value,one would be hard pressed to get around and see everything in a day.

Your wrong I'm pleased to say.

"Museum opening hours

Admission to the V&A is free.

Some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge."

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/visit-us/opening-times/

[Kinnock]

I enjoyed walking along HK's Avenue of the Stars .... watching the Star Ferry, eating an ice cream and doing Bruce Ldee poses. And Pat Pong has a certain morbid fascination and it's a fun night market.

Perhaps I'm just not a travel snob?

[roamer]

For sure its fun to do the tacky stuff too, whether its Patpong or a floating market. Last time I checked these things out it didn't cost me anything. If you don't have to pay exorbitant admission charges then that alone should prohibit it being listed as a tourist "trap".

SE Asia also contains some of the worlds greatest sites which are free or cheap to enter. The outside presence of people trying to earn a buck in some very poor countries is what you have to live with.

To be honest I can live with what is outside, just grateful that less than 0.1% of tourists that visit LOS go onto visit Angkor.

[MAJIC]

On a positive note, the places that have not entered these lists.

Angkor Wat.

Borobudur

Royal Palace Bangkok

many more. Not suggesting you won't find touts outside these places, and I guess you would have to get up a lot earlier to avoid the crowds at Angkor than I did in @1997.

You don't have to go to the traps, I mentioned many of them in London in my earlier post. Failed to mention the British Museum (free) Natural History Museum (free) Victoria & Albert (free).

There is an authentic floating market planned for Tower Bridge in 2012. Jellied Eels , Pie n' mash, Cockles and Winkles and more, and of course Cockney serenades. Anyone want advance tickets ?

The Victoria and Albert hasn't been free for at least a decade,last time I was there it was £5 entrance,but for all day viewing the treasures within,was still excellent value,one would be hard pressed to get around and see everything in a day.

Your wrong I'm pleased to say.

"Museum opening hours

Admission to the V&A is free.

Some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge."

http://www.vam.ac.uk.../opening-times/

Thanks,I think I must be confusing the V&A with another Museum in London

[roamer]

On a positive note, the places that have not entered these lists.

Angkor Wat.

Borobudur

Royal Palace Bangkok

many more. Not suggesting you won't find touts outside these places, and I guess you would have to get up a lot earlier to avoid the crowds at Angkor than I did in @1997.

You don't have to go to the traps, I mentioned many of them in London in my earlier post. Failed to mention the British Museum (free) Natural History Museum (free) Victoria & Albert (free).

There is an authentic floating market planned for Tower Bridge in 2012. Jellied Eels , Pie n' mash, Cockles and Winkles and more, and of course Cockney serenades. Anyone want advance tickets ?

The Victoria and Albert hasn't been free for at least a decade,last time I was there it was £5 entrance,but for all day viewing the treasures within,was still excellent value,one would be hard pressed to get around and see everything in a day.

Your wrong I'm pleased to say.

"Museum opening hours

Admission to the V&A is free.

Some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge."

http://www.vam.ac.uk.../opening-times/

Thanks,I think I must be confusing the V&A with another Museum in London

I think that the confusion arises from the fact that admission was originally free, then charges were introduced in the 90's before being abolished again in 2001. So maybe your not as confused as you think

[theblether]

How does Kuta & Lovina (Bali) and Patong (Phuket) not make this list?

Never been to Tokyo, but I found it funny that the entire area of central Tokyo is listed as a tourist trap. Is it really that bad?

I agree with Kuta, the harassment from touts etc is out of order down there, but I didn't get the same vibe in Lovina. How anyone can holiday in Patong is beyond me.....

[sunnyhor]

It seems like the writer of this article did not travel much!!! There are much worse traps in the whole entire world..........

[witold]

One thing I don't like about Thailand is that things that used to be authentic here, basically turned into tourist trap attractions as millions of tourists visit the country. Are any of these elephant sanctuaries authentic? Tiger temple? Etc.

[toybits]

I would put visits to Long Neck Karen fake villages as being high on this list.

[zzaa09]

why does. listening to expats who just complain about the country they live in not make the list .. seriously.

Because it's the same whinging expats that create the list.

[falangjim]

My list:

Any tour of Vietnam that includes hanoi and the Ho Chi Minh museum/memorial....and basically they all do.

And the tour of the tunnel complex in Cu Chi Vietnam.

In Hanoi the trip to see the museum/memorial to Ho Chi Minh is assumed for all foriegn tourists...at least when I went there. I had asbsolutely no desire to see that, and told the guide so clearly. They agreed that I could stay in the hotel while they bussed the rest of the group to do homage to the Great Leader Ho Chi Minh.

Then when I flew to Ho Chi Minh city, it was assumed that it was a given that as a foriegner I would naturally want to see the tunnel complex in Cu Chi...and they wouldn't take a polite no, thank you as an answer. I was forced to go.

By that time I was not happy, and being forced to go on that tour, made it a point to ask the English speaking guide if I could see the particular tunnel where in 1969 my friend killed two Viet Cong in a gun battle before he was wounded and ultimately died from his wounds.

Obviously, that didn't go over very well with the Vietnamese.

Two days later I was informed that there was "something wrong" with my visa and I would have to leave Vietnam immeadiately.

I've never gone back either...although I would like to see where my Vietnamese wife died in 1975. But that probably will never happen now.

You sound like a real jerk. You signed up for a group tour and a group tour is what you got. Live with it, fool.

[Mosha]

Tourist touts at the Emerald Budha/Palace. 4th trip here with friends in the late 80s, and we went to the palace with our ladies. Tout approaches and for a reasonable 200 Baht each offers to show us around. "No thankyou we have someone who can show us around." He starts yelling. "Those girls no good, you don't know what they are.' I replied. "Oh yes we do, and they are very good." Lads and ladies all laughed loud and long at that. My bad lady literally saved my life the year before.

[Elwood62]

the person who wrote this is not to smart I think. complaining about the smelly fish market in sydney well what do you expect from a fish market. the list there is just for the sake of making a list nothing more. as been said there are places that are a lot worse than those listed. what a waste ok 2 minutes reading the list that was hahaha

[bendejo]

I give them credit for bashing the new Times Square in NYC. It used to be a sleaze pit where you had to keep an eye out for pickpockets and other such, with Broadway theatre-goers having to navigate safe passage. Then it was turned into an open-air version of a suburban mall with franchise restaurants etc. Once an evangelist came to town and denounced it as 'an open sewer flowing the heart of the city.' We all laughed.

Dodgy and decrepit as it was, at least it had character. Now it's a place to buy a t-shirt and eat at Red Lobster.

God, I miss the old days!

Edited September 19, 2011 by bendejo

[ranabd]

Thailand is the most popular tourist destination in Southest Asia, and for a reason. You can find almost anything here: thick jungle as green as can be, crystal blue waters that feel more like a warm bath than a swim in the ocean and food that can curl your nose hairs while tap dancing across your taste buds. Exotic, yet safe; cheap, yet equipped with every modern amenity you need, there is something for every interest and every price bracket, from beach front backpacker bungalows to some of the best luxury hotels in the world. And despite the heavy flow of tourism, Thailand retains its quintessential Thai-ness, with a culture and history all its own and a carefree people famed for their smiles and their fun-seeking sanuk lifestyle. Many travelers come to Thailand and extend their stay well beyond their original plans and others never find a reason to leave. Whatever your cup of tea is, they know how to make it in Thailand.Tip: click inside this box to load the editor

[Thaddeus]

Tip: click inside this box to load the editor

So, that entire piece was lifted wholesale, and probably originally typed by someone that had been here for a week or two on expenses..... quality zero, accuracy zero, creditability zero, prose 10.