A Canadian traveller has sparked debate online after sharing a candid account of his experience in Delhi, claiming the city left him feeling exhausted due to what he described as “constant scams and lies.”
The man, identified as Steve, posted the video on Instagram through his family travel account, Instagram handle @jetlagwarriors, where he spoke about his disappointing experience in India’s capital and explained why he was hesitant about returning to the country.
‘Every day, people were trying to scam me’
In the now-viral clip, Steve said his experience in Delhi nearly made him swear off visiting India altogether.
“Now, I'm not the type of person to go to a city and then say, ‘Well, I'll never go back to that country,’ but my experience in Delhi, India, was as close as I've ever gotten to having that feeling cross my head and it's because of the incessant lying,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Now, I'm not the type of person to go to a city and then say, ‘Well, I'll never go back to that country,’ but my experience in Delhi, India, was as close as I've ever gotten to having that feeling cross my head and it's because of the incessant lying,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He continued, “Every day, just people trying to scam me, and literally on a daily basis, I would catch people lying, and their reaction was always the same: they would smile and they would say, ‘Yeah, I was lying to you.’ No guilt, no remorse, not even an indication that dishonesty is a bad behavior.”
Steve further claimed that he often felt cheated while spending money in the city.
“It’s like every time I reached for my wallet, I was getting scammed. In Delhi, India, looking someone in the eye and telling them something you know to be untrue is part of the negotiation process. It’s a cultural norm, and it is so tiresome,” he added.
Why he is giving India ‘another shot’
Despite his difficult experience in Delhi, Steve said he was willing to give India another chance.
“And so, as you can probably guess, my wife is a little bit more excited for this trip than I am. My wife has been on this idea that South India is far different than North India for a few years now, but seeing Russell Peters on Netflix kind of changed my mind and convinced me to give India another shot. So, now we will go to Mumbai,” he said.
The clip was captioned: “My Delhi India experience was tough with constant scams and lies. It's a cultural norm to be dishonest. Hoping Mumbai offers a different vibe.”
(Also read: Indian man explains why middle class life is '10x better' in Canada than in India)
Watch the clip here:
Social media reacts
The clip has amassed several reactions. One user wrote, “Delhi can be overwhelming, especially for first time visitors.” Another said, “Tourists should always research local scams before travelling anywhere.” A third commented, “This is sad because India has so much more to offer.” Another user said, “Mumbai will hopefully give him a better experience.” One person wrote, “Not everyone is like this, but tourist areas can be difficult.”
HT.com has reached out to the user for his comments, and the copy will be updated once his response is received.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)