Unbelievable Rudeness Here but Lesson Learned
As a person who has seen lots of hastle from beggers, vendors & night creatures in Asia, I totally understand how annoying it can be. Unless you feed off of kicka** confrontation like some of the respondents here or get your rocks off on threats, yells, 4 letter language, etc., it's a real bummer to a quiet vacation with your lady. Sure, we learn how to stare straight ahead, have a scowl on our faces, dress down to look like a local, say a firm "No, I don't want!" in the language of preference, hide our tourist stuff, etc; but having to go through behaviour modification & constantly be on guard spoils things for most normal people.
Everyone is different when it comes to the vibes we send out. Some people exude toughness, thrive on battle, love the challenge; at the other extreme people may look old or weak, appear passive or just intuitively avoid combative situations. The message in this thread from the supposed "in" crowd is: DR is a land for the tough guys. Unless you can shake off your wimpy mild manners, silly refined behavior & calm demeanor & get down & dirty with the locals, stay home! And do I not detect a sneer from the local tough crowd at AI tourists in particular foolishly out for a quiet vacation at a good value?
Maybe I am naive, but I had no idea the street problem was so pervasive. The tourist literature sure doesn't give any warning about being hit on by swarms as you try to stroll through a town. I know what this is like & it sure ain't my idea of a vacation. Sure if you're lucky, you might miss the worst of it at any given time & place. A few people claimed they had little bother but that's not likely the norm. Maybe a tough customer like some of those here came through just ahead of them & sent the locals scurrying for cover.
Ok, face facts, it dawns on me. In most so called 3rd world or "developing" countries (which means most places I can afford to visit), there are going to be poor &/or opportunist street folks after my $ & many very aggressively so. If one doesn't wish to deal with it for whatever reason (& in the worst situations it can be darned unpleasant), follow these simple rules:
1) Stay in the resort or hotel area if alone especially at night
2) Use organized, escorted tours, sightseeing, etc.
3) Consider venturing out only if with some others, perhaps experienced hands or better a local guide.
4) Probably best to avoid going outside an airport to find a bus station, etc. Pay the price & take the registered taxi.
It's entirely personal how one wishes to enjoy one's vacation. Staying out of the street game or mixing it up with the locals is neither right or wrong, just personal choices. But is it not indeed a shame for the economy of the towns some of us / most of us? wimpy, white ghost, AI sporting, camera toting, peace loving tourists will choose to stay out of.
