Does your Country charge Foreigner more than Local?

[maya62 7]

The last time we visited Swoyambhu (we've gone every visit at least once), my husband told them I was his wife and they did not charge me. Same with the soldiers on the road to Kakani, who originally did not want to let me pass.

But my husband says that, if/when we go to buy property in Kathmandu or near my husband's village, I can't show my face or they will really up the price. I will most certainly have to pre-approve it though!

Whaaaat, alchhi, you mean you don't climb up to the top of the hill? We have gone at least once every time too (usually at Saka Dawa) and if you climb up they don't charge anything. Swayambhu is my favorite place, our first meeting was at Buddha Park so it's very special to us.

Oh yes, we climb to the top each time. There's a little ticket booth at the top of the stairs on the left. It has only been open one of the times we were there, though. Swoyambhu is a special place to us, too... it is the first place we ever went together.

[MMW 2]

I am with my wife in the Philippines and yes i do get charged higher prices than the locals Normally my wife makes me wait outside or just doesn't take me with her shopping especially if it is a high price item. Normally i see it worst with the cab drivers if i am alone vs having the wife with me. Prices vary greatly, besides most Filipinas refuse to be overcharged heheheh

[Imua 0]

The last time we visited Swoyambhu (we've gone every visit at least once), my husband told them I was his wife and they did not charge me. Same with the soldiers on the road to Kakani, who originally did not want to let me pass.

But my husband says that, if/when we go to buy property in Kathmandu or near my husband's village, I can't show my face or they will really up the price. I will most certainly have to pre-approve it though!

Whaaaat, alchhi, you mean you don't climb up to the top of the hill? We have gone at least once every time too (usually at Saka Dawa) and if you climb up they don't charge anything. Swayambhu is my favorite place, our first meeting was at Buddha Park so it's very special to us.

Oh yes, we climb to the top each time. There's a little ticket booth at the top of the stairs on the left. It has only been open one of the times we were there, though. Swoyambhu is a special place to us, too... it is the first place we ever went together.

Awww that is sweet - it really is a special place - I have been in Tibet, India, China and feel most peace at Swayambhu. I love doing kora around the whole hill in the early morning with the Tibetans, spinning the prayer wheels and dodging the monkeys... On Saka Dawa I say I will go around 9 times but the most I have ever done is 4 before the sun beat me down... when I first went to Nepal in '01 the school where I was teaching was right across Ring Road and I used to go do kora with the lama's Ama every morning at 5:30.

If you are in Nepal in June then we should all meet up - I will definitely be there then though I might end up paying a fortune for plane tickets if the embassy schedules Govi's interview in April!!!!!

[maya62 7]

Walking around the whole hill in the early morning sounds lovely, especially with the lama's Ama!

Those monkeys are ferocious, though, eh? We saw one of them rush a little girl in front of us who was carrying a bag of chips and just snatch it from her, quick as you please. Fortunately he didn't hurt her. But I've also read stories of people who have been bitten by them and have to undergo rabies shots at CIWEC. I'd be scared to trust any vaccine in Nepal (how do they keep them refrigerated with all the load shedding and fuel shortages?!?). S knows of one guy who went through post-exposure but died anyway because the vaccine was bad from poor/no refrigeration. I'm pre-exposure vaccinated because of my job, but I worry about S & A...

We should be in KTM in either late June or early July, depending on soccer activities in VA around that time (everything revolves around soccer in our family!! ). It would be GREAT to meet up if it works out... I'll let you know when we have firmer plans.

We got plane tickets in 2007 on fairly short notice... Gulf Air, I think it was. We flew DC > London > Muscat, Oman > Kathmandu (nearly had the plane to ourselves on the last leg) and returned Kathmandu > Bahrain > London > DC. It went pretty smoothly and was the cheapest of anything I saw around that time... just under $1500 pp RT. But let me know if you hear of something better!!

Have a good weekend!

[Arun+Catie 1]

I got very tired of those who assumed that I was rich, or tried to take advantage of me/us, just because I was white-skinned. I remember one instance when we had a blown tire coming from Agra to Delhi, and the tire repair guy completely overcharged us for the work. My haryanvi husband stood there arguing with him for 15 minutes about the price...finally he got the price down a little bit, but still...it's just not fair!

And by the way, the tire blew again the next day!

Catie

[lovica_l 0]

Yeah that happens , even though i am indian i was born tehre and naturilized, they can still tell i am from outside and try to charge more than regular, but now ive learned how to bargin, cousins taught me =] lol

[SuperDuper! 230]

People, it is very simple. THe market forces are so very smart. Market forces know what the foreigner knows to pay in his homeland. THe market forces are referred to as the "Invisible hand" that guides prices up and down. There is no escaping basic economics. THe USC can afford to pay more, so all the world knows this. One has to be very sly and sneaky to avoid the "Foreigner Tax". So try your best to fool the market forces, but it is all in the scheme of things, and foreigner can be happy he is helping very poor people exist and find joy.

[CJ Vasani 0]

nowhere in the economic / finance theories I read or practice did I come across something that says it's natural for only a select group to overpay!

not to say that it's not interesting...the whole concept of a 'foreigner' overpaying because it's natural....definitely interesting...

[Marc & Solika 1]

Welcome to asian mentality.....here comes the RICH foreigner!! Sad but most times true When I was in Phnom Penh, there were 2 prices published at all major tourist attractions: locals price and foreigners price. Needless to say the "foreigners price" was usually tripled or more.

[Pistons_09 0]

nowhere in the economic / finance theories I read or practice did I come across something that says it's natural for only a select group to overpay!

not to say that it's not interesting...the whole concept of a 'foreigner' overpaying because it's natural....definitely interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discrimination

Price discrimination exists when sales of identical goods or services are transacted at different prices from the same provider.

Note "price discrimination" is not a negative term. B-schools and economists advocate price discrimination. Ultimately, at the very basic level its customer segmentaiton.

Now, that said do I agree with it? Its tough. I have been the victim of it a few times. Most of the times I just let the native pay and keep my mouth shut.

[CJ Vasani 0]

Yes...Price Discrimination is a known fact, it happens all over the world, including the USA. What I wanted to imply was that it should not be 'natural' for 'anyone' for overpay...but then again, i am being an idealist! world has its whacky way of operating.

[Imua 0]

nowhere in the economic / finance theories I read or practice did I come across something that says it's natural for only a select group to overpay!

not to say that it's not interesting...the whole concept of a 'foreigner' overpaying because it's natural....definitely interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discrimination

Price discrimination exists when sales of identical goods or services are transacted at different prices from the same provider.

Note "price discrimination" is not a negative term. B-schools and economists advocate price discrimination. Ultimately, at the very basic level its customer segmentaiton.

Now, that said do I agree with it? Its tough. I have been the victim of it a few times. Most of the times I just let the native pay and keep my mouth shut.

It happens here too... why do dry cleaners charge so much more to clean a woman's cotton blouse(assuming same style) than a man's cotton dress shirt????

[Imua 0]

nowhere in the economic / finance theories I read or practice did I come across something that says it's natural for only a select group to overpay!

not to say that it's not interesting...the whole concept of a 'foreigner' overpaying because it's natural....definitely interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discrimination

Price discrimination exists when sales of identical goods or services are transacted at different prices from the same provider.

Note "price discrimination" is not a negative term. B-schools and economists advocate price discrimination. Ultimately, at the very basic level its customer segmentaiton.

Now, that said do I agree with it? Its tough. I have been the victim of it a few times. Most of the times I just let the native pay and keep my mouth shut.

A couple of times I have been able to get local price when I know the going rate for the item in question and I speak Nepali, even if the sahuji was trying to overcharge me in the beginning - it's such a sweet victory.....

[Waheed and Kris 0]

Went shopping at the market in Karachi. Waheed got so frustrated with the outrageous prices, he had me pick out what I wanted and took me back to the car. Then he went back and bought everything I wanted.

peace

~kris

[JeanneVictoria 55]

When we would go to the pyramids, museum etc I would show my Egyptian residency stamp in my passport and pay what the Egyptians paid! Wow what a savings. When shopping Wael always did our purchases simply coz of what they would charge me being American.