One walk around the block I was offered every vice imaginable I walked over the bridge to the Citadel and finally gave into one of the dozens of cyclo tour guides hounding me. He took me to the sites and spoke pretty good English. I definately got to see things I wouldn't have. But he offered the ride at k dong, which seemed steep but I didn't want to haggle for a few dollars, yet at the end he said it was per hour! I felt a bit cheated. Still in Hue and will see how tomorrow goes.
I am keeping an open mind but so far underwhelmed with Hue, and tired of everyone and their dog yelling "HEY" at me to take their tours or buy some tourist crap from them. The cyclo drivers in Hue can definitely be annoying and it took about a year before they stopped hassling me every day, so I feel your pain. Although as a girl they never offered me hookers or drugs I do know they are rarely actually selling real drugs, but you'd be surprised at how many people do buy off them and get suckered so it encourages them to keep doing it i guess.
I hope your experience here improves, it's a great place if you can block out the noise of irritating street vendors. Wait until you get to HCMC , it will be much worse. My favorite is the guy half asleep in a horizontal postion on his Honda, yelling 'motorbike? After 25 years of open tourism the Vietnamese still cannot undersand that some people prefer to walk.
I usually try to excuse this laziness on account of the hot weather, but it brings my blood to the boiling point nevertheless Whenever anyone yells "YOU! Confuses the hell out of them. People are trying to make a buck and tourists have lots in their mind. Hoi an has the same but more paenut sales people, gift and Tailor shops calling you buy from me. I do not think there is any tourist area you can go in Asia that is free from this kind of behavior.
Doesn't happen in Laos. And pleeeeeze go to Ancient Hue restaurent You are correct that is does not happen in Laos except in the pm underground karaoke clubs. Thanks for the memories I love traveling in different countries. I remember the streets of Paris and the houses of sin in Germany, the parking lots of New York, the bars of Thialand and it goes on and on.
