Dakar, Senegal- AmeriCON's
Tourist season is in full bloom in Dakar, and you don't need a hunting license.
Reprint from 2011 World Cruise: I am having a Sophie's Choice meltdown over choices. This street vendor is such a nice guy, the Oskar Schindler of African Carved Art.
I didn't realize I had so many friends in Senegal. "My friend! My friend! Buy my steering wheel (WTF?) Buy my shirts..." Street peddlers will literally follow you for blocks trying to sell you something. They will not take “no,” even in very French, for an answer.
You see, there are two kinds of people in this world: the workers and the hustlers. The hustlers never work, and the workers never hustle. And you, my friend, are a worker.
Molière: Le plus grand faible des hommes, c'est l'amour qu'ils ont de la vie. Man's greatest weakness is his love of life. I am misanthropic and strong, however, when it comes to being hassled by the locals. Bring on the marmalade. I am almost toast!
If you have a tiger by the tail you had better not let go!
A Chao is a unit of Chaos in Dakar. "If buying junk like this off the sidewalk is wrong, I don’t want to be right."
Dakar is the Avril Lavigne of tourist harassment. Generally speaking, Street vendors have no country. It's an Americon attitude!
Top 7 Tourist Hassle Hotspots
- Ocho Rios, Jamaica: Timeshare offers, drugs, and Two Scoops—the Wilt Chamberlain of street vendors.
- Cartagena, Colombia: Sidewalks packed with vendors. Even photos incur a "tax."
- India: Beggars and cons galore, with everyone reaching out for a handout.
- Pisa, Italy: Beware of pickpockets, especially from the gypsy community.
- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico: Bootleg goods, tacos, and the Gringoville hustle economy.
- Istanbul, Turkey: “Buy My Carpet!”—the eternal pitch.
- Paris, France: Jewelry scams under the Eiffel Tower begin with “Do you speak English?”
"If the shoe fits... buy it in every color."